WDFW Spring Bear 2022 cancelled!

[saylean]

Have you all signed up yet to speak at the commission meeting this week? If not you should. Elk, wolves and fishing are back on the block. Public comment is allowed to express your thoughts on spring bear.

We must not let Lorna Smith get confirmed. Call your senator and make noise.

Call 360.786.7662 senator Jesse Salomon and ask he not confirm her.

[Mr Mykiss]

Signed up to speak. I what they wanted as far as "agenda item" that I wanted to comment on so I put '2. Open Public Comment'

[pickardjw]

Unfortunately the meeting is during work and I have a meeting during the public comment period...

[Mr Mykiss]

Sign up to comment at the commission meeting Thursday Dec 2

[pickardjw]

Is there a public comment period for that meeting? Agenda doesn't show one. The registration form is also kind of confusing...it says to sign up for agenda items 1, 3 or 11 but those are all Friday and they're:

1. Call to Order
3. Director's Report
11. Miscellaneous and Meeting Debrief

Agenda item 2 is the public comment period...makes no sense.

[Colville]

There are no established hunting rights in the state.  No mandate that the dept manage toward science or toward harvest based values.  We live in WA and the department is an arm of a liberal government.  Only a change in that government will change the WDFW.  Odds of that, near zero.  The only other way changes benefit hunting and harvest, when the outcomes of WDFW hurt liberals, when their needs and ours are aligned, we can move the needle.  VERY unlikely in most all hunting areas, except cougar and bear near cities, to ever align.  A person who really, very seriously, places hunting at a top priority for the way they conduct their life needs to look to move out of state.  The rest need to continue to save their $ to hunt out of state.  There's no point in whining.  This is THEIR state and they've made it perfectly clear.

[Skyvalhunter]

A more concerted effort by hunters to get involved and speak up would help alot instead of saying it won't help.

[Colville]

What's the evidence that it will help?  The members aren't elected.  They are selected exactly to direct the WDFW ever downhill toward hunting.  They aren't judges or otherwise "open minded".  I'm open to the argument Skyval, but what's the reason to believe any level of hunter anger matters?  The members simply are not responsible or accountable in any way to the public and hunters are simply not an organized interest group that wields the kind of electoral retribution that might get some attention.  Why would this be any less futile than running for Mayor of Seattle or King County Executive as a Republican?

[Stein]

It will help if a member of the commission is able to be convinced to change their vote.  The argument is whether that's the case or not.  I suppose it's always a possibility, maybe someone knows a specific member that might be convinced otherwise and it would be beneficial to speak to their perspective directly.

My guess is those that voted no on spring bear have made up their mind long ago but I hope I'm wrong.

[saylean]

A more concerted effort by hunters to get involved and speak up would help alot instead of saying it won't help.

100 Skyvalhunter.

All the complaining I have seen online (myself included), that energy could be more well spent emailing/calling/writing the commission, the WDFW, legislatures and posting on social media to spread the word.

Focus this disappointment and turn it into resolve to not let this crap go by without resistance and our voice being heard.
Enough is enough.

[JeepWrangler]

I was unaware of the following quote as copy / pasted from "The Spokesman-Review on Fri Nov 19. 2021 article titled:

"In tied vote, Washington commissioners suspend controversial spring bear hunt"

I read the following:

"Following comments from the commissioners, some of which were critical of staff’s data, WDFW Director Kelly Susewind defended the agency’s science and said he heard a number of false or misleading statements from commissioners"

It's pretty strong to be called out by the Director for making false and misleading statements.


Good to see Director Suswind calling out those Commissioners making false and misleading statements.

[Tbar]

What the anti's don't realize is, who's gonna foot the bill for wildlife conservation/management if hunting gets banned?  Disconnected people voicing opinions on policies that they have no skin in the game in.

they dont care, and at one time they tried to fold DNR PArks and WDFW together. Likely to weaken the influence of sportsmen

I don't think sportsman realize how much the antis would like them and their money out of the equation. Especially in this state! The general fund only needs a signature to fill the gap.

Tbar, everything you said is spot on.  The animal-rights and the anti's would love to see the sportsmen and our money out of the picture.  If they could get the legislature to eliminate licenses, they could do it in a heartbeat, so they could say we contribute nothing. 

This next session is going to be really tough.  It is not a budget session and we lost our best friend in Brian Blake as Chair of the House Natural Resources Chair.  We could always count on him killing all the bad stuff in his committee.  We have anti's chairing both Natural Resources Committees.  Chapman is a horrible replacement for Blake.  VanDeWege in the Senate doesn't get any worse.  He is as anti-hunting as you can get, and Solomon as Vice Chair is almost as bad as he is.  They are going to repackage that horrible HB 1375 under a different bill number.  We as hunters need a long and short term strategy.  Both for the Commission and the legislature.  The Hunters Heritage Council has killed every anti-hunting bill since 1996, but this session will be our toughest.  If we survive this session, I think 2023 will be better.

I would love for our PAC to get help, but I think Tbar laid a good long-term strategy for the Commission for spring bear.  I think we need to pressure senate natural resources committee for a conformation vote on Lorna Smith.

First,  thank you for chiming in and thank you for all you do for sportsman in this state and beyond.
I feel like we need to do a little ground work prior to pushing for a vote.  I'd like a vote on all four unconfirmed commissioners. They have all produced enough of a body of work to make fair assessments and provide meaningful testimony at the leg.

Now a brief recommendation to all the people on here who plan to testify at the next meetings. Tell your story, don't  try to carry the torch for timber or combat the emotional testimony.  This seems to be the most compelling approach to get through to the panel.  Speak about First hand accounts of spring bear hunts, where you have done your due diligence to responsible conservation that will perpetuate future opportunities for future generations.  This is true from nearly every spring boot hunt I've been a part of and every hound hunt I've been a part of. Selectivity was a big unknown in discussions.  There are so many things that outdoors men and women do, mostly out of common practice,  that is grossly misrepresented during public testimony. The commission stated that they largely discounted ancillary benefits of the hunt and cared about what was happening.  The resource needs management and spring seasons are simply a tool that falls in line with the mission of the wdfw. FWIW those are my  on the upcoming meeting. There likely will be zero effect on the previous decision but should be food for thought when the difficult topics arise in the future.  Thank you all who are taking the time to testify, although we may walk separate paths there are many parallels that cannot and should not be ignored. 

[Mr Mykiss]

Is there a public comment period for that meeting? Agenda doesn't show one. The registration form is also kind of confusing...it says to sign up for agenda items 1, 3 or 11 but those are all Friday and they're:

1. Call to Order
3. Director's Report
11. Miscellaneous and Meeting Debrief

Agenda item 2 is the public comment period...makes no sense.

Indeed it’s confusing…maybe 1,3,11 are examples? I signed up for #2

If there are aren’t 50-100 hunters that want to comment we deserve our season to be taken away.

[Tbar]

Sign up to comment at the commission meeting Thursday Dec 2

I don't believe there's open public comment tomorrow. Tomorrow is committee meetings.  There is on Friday  when the regular meeting is held.

[Karl Blanchard]

https://www.themeateater.com/conservation/wildlife-management/spring-bear-hunts-cancelled-in-washington-state