WA hunters discouraged by new regs

[Dave Workman]

More reasons for WA hunter anger toward WDFW, commission

Opening weekend of the general buck deer season provided more evidence for critics of game management in Washington State that the people in charge are not their friends.

<broken link removed>

Read More

 

[mjbskwim]

We could blame the new regs,and most likely will,but in all reality some of this will have to do with the favorite word for the new millennium..cyclical

Thes numbers always go up and down.Some years have good birth rates and some bad.Some years have terrible winter kills and some not so bad.

Just like global warming,or not.
It's all cyclical

 

[wence5]

At the risk of getting flamed, I'm going to get this off my chest anyway. I have been hunting in Washington since I moved here in 1992, and have noticed the regs get more and more hunter unfriendly every year. WDFW commission is pushing the permit draws, with less and less quality hunts during the general season, tighter restrictions, and shorter seasons. They are looking at the revenues, and revenues only. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Guymcdb]

At the risk of getting flamed

No one should flame you. Your points are valid. We keep losing days, and seeing more and more hunters as the years pass with less opportunities during the season. All adds up to less freezers and tags filled. It seems the wolves are getting more consideration then hunters these days.

 

[wence5]

Well Guymcdb, there is a day coming when the WDFW isn't going to get anymore of my hard earned money if they don't get the predation problem under control. Wolves, cougars, bears, and sea lions aren't paying the wages of the commissioners!

 

[Scott]

At the risk of getting flamed, I'm going to get this off my chest anyway. I have been hunting in Washington since I moved here in 1992, and have noticed the regs get more and more hunter unfriendly every year. WDFW commission is pushing the permit draws, with less and less quality hunts during the general season, tighter restrictions, and shorter seasons. They are looking at the revenues, and revenues only. Just my 2 cents.

They keep closing land, shorter seasons, making more difficult every year to hunt. The guide book takes a week to read. All these stupid draws and rules are getting out of hand. They just want more hunters but making it harder. Thats why I go back home to hunt where it is simple.....

I lost out on my duck and goose tags last year because Ridgefield closed for hunting after 3 days of opening because of the stupid Dusky numbers. They went from 20 a year and then to 5. So I lost all my draws and wasted my money. Pheasant went up to a $100 bucks for shooting penned birds and that is expensive and it is cheaper just to go to Wilco and buy them and just eat them.........

I understand rules and we need them but they are getting out of hand. I wish we could get nobody to buy tags for a year and then watch what happens.....

Talk about a revenue lose...

 

[kodiak61]

This may seem like a minor complaint but it is one I have since moving to Washington.

I have hunted since I was 12. Hunters ED was not required when I was a kid. I joined the ARMY and was an 11b. I spent my time being trained to hunt. I lived in AZ the last 10 years and carried a hunting license every year I was there.

My complaint? I move to Washington this year and because my birthday is 1 year from the cut off I have to attend hunters ed before I can purchase a hunting license.

Common sense wins again.

 

[wence5]

I understand rules and we need them but they are getting out of hand.

Not only that, but you need a law degree to fully understand everything in the reg book. It's my view that if you go afield to hunt, some how, some way, you are breaking a law, or will w/o knowing it.

 

[ClarkM]

I am 60 years old and have spent my whole life in WA state.
I started hunting every day after school with a BB gun in 1961.
When I was 14, I was a quick with a shotgun to shoot down pheasants in Warden -Othello as kids are quick today with video games.

In Oct 2001 we encountered no game, but Federal and state officials found us and check us out and ordered us around.

We gave up on WA state.

This year it took me 2.5 hours to get an antelope.
This year it took me 2.5 hours to get a mule deer.
This year it took me 2.5 hours to get a sage grouse.
This year it took me 2.5 hours to jump up a herd of white tails, shoot and shoot, and miss them all.

But the other states have officials too.
They looked at all my game tags and the biologist got into my deer's teeth.

Yesterday we had relatives from CA. They are going to move to WA for one year, to avoid some CA income taxes.

I guess things are worse in CA.

 

[Scrammer]

I want to go to TEXAS and HUNT HOGS !

 

[Dave Workman]

I am 60 years old and have spent my whole life in WA state.
I started hunting every day after school with a BB gun in 1961.
When I was 14, I was a quick with a shotgun to shoot down pheasants in Warden -Othello as kids are quick today with video games.

In Oct 2001 we encountered no game, but Federal and state officials found us and check us out and ordered us around.

We gave up on WA state.

This year it took me 2.5 hours to get an antelope.
This year it took me 2.5 hours to get a mule deer.
This year it took me 2.5 hours to get a sage grouse.
This year it took me 2.5 hours to jump up a herd of white tails, shoot and shoot, and miss them all.

But the other states have officials too.
They looked at all my game tags and the biologist got into my deer's teeth.

Yesterday we had relatives from CA. They are going to move to WA for one year, to avoid some CA income taxes.

I guess things are worse in CA.

Okay, I'll guess with you....where were you when you got all of these critters in 2.5 hours?
It wasn't the Evergreen State.

It's always interesting to start a thread and then come back a few weeks later to see how it is going.

Wildlife management in WA stinks out loud. It has for years, ever since the greenies began moving into positions of authority in the agency, and members of the commission were not hard core hunters and anglers, but animal lovers.

 

[ClarkM]

Dave,
If I see you at the Gunshow Saturday, I will tell you where to go.
Clark

 

[ZX10Aviator]

Im not that old and I can see the decline in hunting here. I too want to bail on WA and go out of state, between the cougars, wolves, crappy short seasons, it just gets less appealing. Wa game management is terrible.

 

[cyclesurvival]

Even Lars Larsen goes out of state to hunt, Washington fish and wildlife are just money hungry. I complained when they made the pheasant tag almost $100 and boycotted them the first year. I popped for the tag this year just to tune up my dogs for a east-side hunt. So far hunted 25 hours and missed one bird (dog did her part) and got one thanks to someone else missing their shot. I have seen the release truck two times and guesstimate they release around 200 birds a week. The last two trips on the way home I have seen three roosters on the wrong side of the road. I talk to the release guy and he said they have reduced the amount of birds released. with all the hunters there are alot what do they use the money they receive for and then reduce the amount of birds?? I don't even want to talk about the hundreds of does to buck ratio in the Goldendale area.

 

[2506]

You think the hunting regs are bad, try deciphering the fishing regs.

 

[iusmc2002]

Dave,
If I see you at the Gunshow Saturday, I will tell you where to go.
Clark

I'm going to follow Dave around somehow, because I want to know where I can jump a whole herd of white tails and miss them all

I'm proficient at not shooting blacktails, mulies and elk. Missing white tails would be my natural next step

 

[solman]

Im off to Texas at christmas! three day hog hunt. with my 'boys' (nephews)..... on 'out of state', watch the wolf count. IMHO at least here in WA they are 'unoffically' releasing them. yep. In Wa, id rather go once every other year and have a hunt. this Buy a tag and a lotto ticket(s) and pray that you get drawn. and they dont even spent it on game management. if you must hunt, and you want WA, try bow hunting. also oregon bow. OTC eastside bow tags.
here are some 'park' elk. ha ha ha.

 

[Grunwald]

You think the hunting regs are bad, try deciphering the fishing regs.

I've fished and crabbed the Sound for about 10 years, but gave it up 2 seasons ago. The salmon were lacking. I did well with the crabs most of the time, but the late starts and early closing made me give up on it.