Blues Elk Downward Spiral

[2MANY]

A little in-site on the Blues problem.

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/may/05/no-immediate-help-in-sight-for-elk-in-the-blue-mou/

[Gettin Birdie]

They've known this for years, they just won't act on it.  I was in the hallway waiting to speak with Wik, when I worked out of that office and overheard him talking with someone and they were discussing the recent meeting in Dayton on the elk management.  Wik basically just blew off all those people and said they just don't understand it, but bottom line, it came down to "Inslee being a cougar lover" direct quote I heard.  Wik won't do a damn thing either, he is part of the problem and won't fight for the proper management, he is a coward, and just collects a paycheck.  This was circa 2018, also the previous year I had a dayton muzzy deer tag and saw 4 lions within a square mile, one of the other hunters (25 tags) was elk calling for fun, and 3  lions came in, he shot one.  It's 100% solvable and fixable, but the problem is politics and people who don't listen to logical, sound scientific reasoning.   

[Stein]

WDFW pretty much has one tool at their disposal - tag numbers.  They will issue fewer tags until they get to 1 and then leave it there so 10,000 people buy their quality draw application.

The state and tribes won't cooperate in any meaningful and transparent way, the state certainly won't entertain increasing the killing of predators and there is no money for research or habitat improvement so there's only one lever left in the system.  Unfortunately it's the lever that has the least impact when pulled.

[snake]

Yes, lots of options to start improving elk numbers immediately.

[2MANY]

So sad.
It has went down the crapper since the previous manager that built the Blues machine retired.

The new managers shouldn't even be called managers.
 

[Pegasus]

Declare a wildlife emergency, bring back the hounds and the problem is fixed.

[BlackRiverTaxidermy]

I’m gonna get some heat for this one….but a lot of the issue is not necessarily predators. I have buddy who is one of only a few actual registered guides in the Washington blues, but will leave him unnamed. The problem is native harvest. He knows one individual that took 18 bulls in the 2021 season, all over 300”. This is a guy that if he said it, I believe him knowing his character. If that truly is the case I think the management is doomed between both predators and this issue.
For the record too…this is not slam to all native hunters. I know a lot who hunt for management, ethically, and are very aware of issues like this and even don’t agree with many of what others do. But,  when you have a populous, even just a few, that over harvest with no restrictions it can do as equal damage as a prominent overpopulate predator presence.

[Caseyd]

Declare a wildlife emergency, bring back the hounds and the problem is fixed.

We’d have Chaz/chop or whatever it’s called all over again. It’s insane to think but we’d have rioting over this crap. People love and hold wild animals above human life. Think of that lady that got attacked by a cougar in cle Elum, all the comments are we are encroaching on them.

[2MANY]

I’m gonna get some heat for this one….but a lot of the issue is not necessarily predators. I have buddy who is one of only a few actual registered guides in the Washington blues, but will leave him unnamed. The problem is native harvest. He knows one individual that took 18 bulls in the 2021 season, all over 300”. This is a guy that if he said it, I believe him knowing his character. If that truly is the case I think the management is doomed between both predators and this issue.
For the record too…this is not slam to all native hunters. I know a lot who hunt for management, ethically, and are very aware of issues like this and even don’t agree with many of what others do. But,  when you have a populous, even just a few, that over harvest with no restrictions it can do as equal damage as a prominent overpopulate predator presence.

WOW.
Another unmanageable predator.
Subsistence at it's finest.

[Buzzsaw461]

I’m gonna get some heat for this one….but a lot of the issue is not necessarily predators. I have buddy who is one of only a few actual registered guides in the Washington blues, but will leave him unnamed. The problem is native harvest. He knows one individual that took 18 bulls in the 2021 season, all over 300”. This is a guy that if he said it, I believe him knowing his character. If that truly is the case I think the management is doomed between both predators and this issue.
For the record too…this is not slam to all native hunters. I know a lot who hunt for management, ethically, and are very aware of issues like this and even don’t agree with many of what others do. But,  when you have a populous, even just a few, that over harvest with no restrictions it can do as equal damage as a prominent overpopulate predator presence.

Yep, it’s very unfortunate that these groups can’t work for the benefit of all. Sorry to say it will probably never happen.

[trophyhunt]

I’m gonna get some heat for this one….but a lot of the issue is not necessarily predators. I have buddy who is one of only a few actual registered guides in the Washington blues, but will leave him unnamed. The problem is native harvest. He knows one individual that took 18 bulls in the 2021 season, all over 300”. This is a guy that if he said it, I believe him knowing his character. If that truly is the case I think the management is doomed between both predators and this issue.
For the record too…this is not slam to all native hunters. I know a lot who hunt for management, ethically, and are very aware of issues like this and even don’t agree with many of what others do. But,  when you have a populous, even just a few, that over harvest with no restrictions it can do as equal damage as a prominent overpopulate predator presence.

Yep, it’s very unfortunate that these groups can’t work for the benefit of all. Sorry to say it will probably never happen.

Agree, it will never happen, some are just too arrogant and don't give to F's about the resources.  This is why I've said in the past, open the season up for any elk, any deer, sept- dec, any weapon.  Kill'em all!!  When there is zero left to hunt, MAYBE the tribes will wake the F up and care.  Yes, cut off our nose despite our face.

[hambone]

So the same problem that's been there since the 70s

[blumtnelkndeer]

I’m gonna get some heat for this one….but a lot of the issue is not necessarily predators. I have buddy who is one of only a few actual registered guides in the Washington blues, but will leave him unnamed. The problem is native harvest. He knows one individual that took 18 bulls in the 2021 season, all over 300”. This is a guy that if he said it, I believe him knowing his character. If that truly is the case I think the management is doomed between both predators and this issue.
For the record too…this is not slam to all native hunters. I know a lot who hunt for management, ethically, and are very aware of issues like this and even don’t agree with many of what others do. But,  when you have a populous, even just a few, that over harvest with no restrictions it can do as equal damage as a prominent overpopulate predator presence.

Yep, it’s very unfortunate that these groups can’t work for the benefit of all. Sorry to say it will probably never happen.

Agree, it will never happen, some are just too arrogant and don't give to F's about the resources.  This is why I've said in the past, open the season up for any elk, any deer, sept- dec, any weapon.  Kill'em all!!  When there is zero left to hunt, MAYBE the tribes will wake the F up and care.  Yes, cut off our nose despite our face.

  Curious about the guy that killed 18 300" bulls? they always hunt when there is no general season open to the public so there are no people up in the area to see what they are up to. they are bringing in guys from different areas of the country and charging a fair amount of money for them to come shoot a big bull. We have cameras every where up there we will catch them eventually.

[templar021]

OK, if the story about one tribal member killing that many bulls in a herd in crisis is true, than it is  time to use every tool at our disposal to bring  this behavior to the public. It is also time for wdfw to quit referring to the nez perce tribe as partners, cause they arent.

[huntnnw]

that tribal harvest has always been there even when the elk pop was booming. The tribes are shooting bulls and not calves. The cow to calf ratio is alarming