Free: Contests & Raffles.
I live in the unit, but don't really hunt it much anymore. Did lots of hunting in there from about 2000-2012. Went back in and hunted it this year for the first time in several years. Wow. Opening day on a big piece of public land featured hunter numbers like I've never seen. I got back in 2 miles in the dark and planned to keep hunting further in from there. Normally this approach would get you away from about 70% of the other hunters. At first light from a good glassing position it was a sea of orange. I think I counted about 70 other guys in the field that morning. I didn't see a legal buck anywhere, but there was no shortage of bullets flying around. In less than an hours time I had bullets whiz by my head at crap your pants close distance. In my entire life I've never worried about getting shot in the field, but after that I cut my hunt short and got out of there. On the drive out I counted 42 trucks along a 2 mile section of road. In the past there would probably be 2-4 rigs out there tops, even on the weekends. I hunted a lot of other spots over the course of the week with similar results. Meanwhile it was not till Thursday that I saw the first legal buck, a barely legal 2x3. The surrounding gmus had similar scenarios. I also witnessed some of the most ridiculous hunter actions I've ever seen, like people running in front of other hunters shooting at deer to cut them off and shoot at the deer themselves! Seen people cut fences and drive into private fields to push deer towards public land, hunters shooting at deer out the windows of their rigs from public roads, and all kinds of other tomfoolery. Needless to say, I can't really blame you on pulling the plug on this area. I'll be doing the same and getting into the high country.