Come on Washatonians

duckfvr · Mar 3, 2004

wdfw is now accepting letters for the up coming mule deer seasons and we need everyone to write there opinion.The dead line is march 12 and then they wont accept any more letters thats my understanding anyways. Here is the proposals so far

Thought you might be interested in what the state is proposing for the
upcoming 2004 mule deer seasons in Chelan County. I have received a copy of
the proposals that will be brought to the Committee for a vote in early
April. If you are in support I strongly encourage you to write the
following address showing your support. All comments need to be received by
March 12th. I think they are making steps in the right direction.

WDFW
Attn. Wildlife Program April Meeting Public Comments
600 Capital Way North
Olympia, WA 98501-1091

General Rifle Season will be October 16-29th.
Special permit levels for modern firearm will remain the same as 2003 in all
Chelan county units.
The removal of the Entiat unit as a late archery general season.
The establishment of an Entiat late-archery draw hunt with 300 tags
available.

I feel that having the general late archery season in the Entiat is having a
negative impact on the herds, not only are quite a few big bucks being taken
but the additional stress that is being put on them is not worth it. By
going to draw only there will still be a good opportunity of getting drawn
but it won't be the free for all that it currently is.

Please pass this along to anyone else who you know feels the same way. Even though i am a bow hunter there is still some people out there giving us a bad name and i think that they should serously limit the amout of people in the entiat during the wintering season.

Craig · Mar 3, 2004

Sounds good I think changing the Entiat to a draw late archery tag is a good Idea. I was planning on hunting there next year so I hope I draw. If It will help the deer it's good. My friend hunted up there last year and he said it was crazy on the weekends.

They should change the youth hunt on the Okonogan area from any deer to antlerless or three point or better. I'm not sure how the winter was up there but two years ago when I had a late buck tag there are a lot of nice bucks in the area. There are a lot of people that don't like the three point or better rule but I think it has worked real good for Washington mule deer. They should make all mule deer hunting in Washington by draw.

Bob D. · Mar 3, 2004

I'm wondering why is it only the Entiat unit that needs the number of hunters limited? Why not make all late archery mule deer units by drawing only? And matter of fact, why not make the late archery elk hunts by drawing only also? Late November and December is not a good time to have crowds of people in the woods chasing animals all over.

Shane · Mar 3, 2004

I talked to the biologist that made the recommendation to go to a limited tag hunt and it was not because of the resource concerns. The fly over showed high deer numbers with above goal levels of mature bucks. The winter has not made an impact so far and he said the hunt could stay with current harvest levels but the public has complained (me one of them) that there were to many people to make it a quality hunt. The complaints by hunters and property owners was up like 600% or something.Last year there were 760 hunters and two years ago there was 370 or close to it. Those numbers are not exact but close to it. He feared that the numbers would almost double again and the complaints would be so high they might close it down. He did say the bow hunters were taking some big bucks but the majority were small bucks. The rifle hunt had a much higher success rate with a higher number of mature bucks taken. I am all for it I just hope I draw every year. If you don't there are still a lot of other good places to hunt. Three hundred tags would still make it feel like you were hunting and not walking in the mall with your camo on like this year.
Shane

huntnphool · Mar 3, 2004

Ducky,

"By
going to draw only there will still be a good opportunity of getting drawn
but it won't be the free for all that it currently is."

I have to disagree with you on this one. If it goes to a draw like the other late hunt units, you can count on waiting 6 to 7 years between hunting that unit. I have been applying for units since the first year they started. I drew the first year, and waited the additional 7 until I got the opportunity again. This is unacceptable in my opinion, for a resident of Washington to have to wait that long. I would have better odds putting in for some of the other big muley states and have a better chance at a 180+ buck.......................rf

polarbear · Mar 3, 2004

I am for making all late season mulie hunt a draw only deal. Hell, I usually hunt whitetails during the late archery hunt in December and would like to see that become draw only too. I agree with what was said before about the Okanogan youth hunts. They need to change that and do it this season! Eliminate all doe tags for mulies in every unit! If you are hard up enough to want a doe tag, go shoot a whitie over in Stevens or Pend Oreille countys. There are plenty to go around. Just leave the mulie does alone for a while.

Eric

WAmuleyHunter · Mar 3, 2004

Duck, i have heard the same thing, and first from Shane and i talked to a game warden last night and it will definitly happen it sounds like. I hope it does. i think like polar bear said it will and should all be a draw for the late hunts. its all about having a quality hunt. and in the entiat unit they could have just as easy of closed it down like it had been. so i think it is a great start.

Garrett

duckfvr · Mar 3, 2004

1 more big thing that i think will help out tremendously is closing down half of the roads, a person can damn near drive to any givin loc. on the north side of the entiat river and if it was walk in only that would be something else. No more driving the roads and it would limit how many people are in a given area

Bearhunter · Mar 4, 2004

Great post Duckfvr, I had heard the same about the 300 tag proposal, it is a great Idea for the eniat, it will make that unit a even better hunt, and probably allow the smaller bucks to grow even bigger with less of them being taken. I wonder if there is any stats that a guy can get about the hunter amount and harvest rate of the eniat this last season. Has anyone else heard about the proposal for a early season archery Elk hunt for the Nooksack elk heard between Helmick road and Grandy Creek up in Skagit county.

WAmuleyHunter · Mar 4, 2004

duck you and me are on the same page. the roads are the good thing about entiat but they are also one of the worst things about that unit. I would be extremely happy if all the proposals go through. It will definitly be the best unit in the state. hands down. A couple years of this and there will be a lot more archery guys with their names in the book

Spartan117 · Mar 4, 2004

the okanogan youth season should probably shut down for a year or two. i went up there and shot deer the first two years and then i drew a permit this year. each time i went up there i saw less and less deer. the day before the opener the first year there ws legal bucks feeding 20 yards from the road, this year i saw only 1 spike my whole trip. I like the idea of the youth doe seasons in the area but i think we shoudl wait a few more years before we have another season. the first year i went up there there was entirely too many deer. i saw about 80 does to every buck. Ive never personally never hunted the entiat unit but my friend shot a dandy out of there on a pack-in trip.

duckfvr · Mar 4, 2004

I dont know if you guys remember my deer last year but it had been shot in the nose and i really dont want to see that again. Its one thing to have a bad shot placement, it happens but to go up some were and see 3-5 bucks a day that had been wounded in some way or another is just sad. I dont know about every one else but it seems like there was a lot of people up there that had never even shot a bow, but the temptation of harvesting a 160 class or better buck from the road got a lot of rookies out there that were not practicing good ethics.

ridgerunner · Mar 4, 2004

I got my comments in to the state, late archery by permit only. I do agree that all late hunts should be permit only to avoid too much stress on the animals. I hope this one goes through.

Shane · Mar 4, 2004

I am all for closing the roads. I called the Washington Bow hunters Association and the local biologist in Wenatchee to see about having a mandatory class on ethics, shot placement, boundary areas, respecting private property, etc. The club never called me back and the biologist said a class would not be approved because to many people would complain. He did say he would be for one for any archery tag but didn't think it would settle well with most hunters. In 9 days of hunting I saw two wounded deer and a ton of morons running around. I think a class would stop the guy that picks his bow up the day before the season and never practices and wounds game every year because of it. With a tag draw this would still happen but the planning required in advance to apply for the tag would probably cut out a lot of them. I am not for going to a controlled hunt across the state. I am for allowing qualified biologist making the decision for seasons and harvest quota's from there expertise not arm chair biologist or the voting public. I have never killed a doe and don't plan to but harvesting does is a good management tool that should be used when needed and not banned for the sake of banning it. It just takes away the tools that biologist may need from time to time. All western states have allowed doe harvest at one time or another and that is not the reasons deer numbers are down. It can be allowed at times when there shouldn't be and I would be complaining about that then. Eastern Washingtons deer numbers are good now and could sustain some limited doe harvest. It would help in regions where the buck to doe ratio is out of line. It doesn't do you any good to have a bunch of does if they are not being bred. I would like to see the state manage for quality not quantity and I think going to a tag draw area in the Entiat is a step in the right direction. The harvest success rate in the Entiat was approximately 32% out of approximately 750 hunters in 2003(not exact but an estimate based on game checks and early harvest report cards). The biologist said this was not an over harvest by any means and the area could keep going at that pace with out any bad winters or fires. My two cents worth anyways.
Shane

northwesthunter · Mar 10, 2004

Are these proposals posted on the wa state website and if so where? Can you send comment online? I have hunted the late entiat hunt the last two years and agree something needs to be done. I just wish it could be something that would allow the serious hunters the opportunity to hunt there every year and not give the chance to people who drive the roads waiting for a shot. I suppose a draw is the only easy solution . Is it possible that if you put in for this tag and get it that this is the only unit you could hunt? I think that would eliminate some but those of us who plan all year just for this hunt would have a good chance to hunt it. Just a thought. NWhunter

ridgerunner · Mar 11, 2004

No they aren't on the website and you can't submit comments via email. See the address in the first post and write your letter today or tommorow if you want to get it in.

FairChaser · Mar 14, 2004

You guys make some good points about the Entiat unit. The problems experienced there are also in some degree present in all the late Mule deer hunts on the east side of the Cascades. One problem with going to a permit system in one area is that those not drawn will most likely move to the next best area creating an overcrowding problem there. We need more late areas to hunt so that we can spread out the hunting pressure. We also need special late season rules to ensure that the hunt remains a hunt and not a 3 ring circus with multiple vehicles on every road
and single bucks being hunted by groups of 10 or more guys armed with walkie talkies and snow mobiles. The archery hunt is supposed to be a primitive hunt. One of the good things about the Entiat unit hunt was that there were so many people hunting that unit that the surrounding units were almost abandoned and the hunting was uncrowded and excellent. I am sure that most of you guys feel as I do that the Late hunt is an almost unparalled opportunity to not only see huge trophy bucks but to possibly harvest one. The first two years of the Entiat unit hunt may be an indicator that if we don't keep our own house in order we might see more restrictions imposed upon us by the WDFW. If anyone doubts this just remember how the muzzleloaders lost their late hunt in the Chiwawa unit after 2 years of much the same type of hunting pressure and harvest as archers experienced in the Entiat the last two years. It would be nice if the archery community was proactive and suggested their own solutions before the WDFW felt the need to create new rules.