I'm a proponent of combining deer draws into one but I acknowledge there will be some nastiness that comes from it.
----Lifetime license holders are one area that will cause grief, but it could certainly still be implemented. A lifetime license is still only valid during DWR-approved seasons and only in valid locations (i.e. some areas that were General Season are now closed or Limited Entry, weapon-type and seasons have been changed, etc...).
My point is that some sort of DWR latitude is implied (that license did not "lock-in" those areas and hunts forever) and they could arguably force the Lifetime License holders into bad seasons or poor areas and call it within their purview. Technically a lifetime license would still be good, but for effective purposes it would be useless. This would force those hunters back in the system with the rest of us.
I AM NOT ADVOCATING THIS APPROACH! I'm just playing devil's advocate of one possible angle DWR could take. It would probably go to court, but I could see a judge saying that a license-holder could not expect to hunt whenever they want and wherever they want forever, and that DWR has the right to manage hunters as they see fit and the threshold they must meet is to issue a license... nothing more. From a legal standpoint, I believe the State could justify damages to a harmed hunter as nothing more than the initial purchase price which would make a buyout quite possible, too.
-- Bonus/Preference Points are another obvious problem. I would argue since the draw systems are being combined that points should be combined as well, but no matter which method DWR imposes somebody will feel they are getting screwed, and many might be correct.
They could potentially go to a hybrid system until current holders are burned through, but that would take decades so I think combining is the only feasible way to do it.
They've changed systems in the past that affected the odds of drawing a tag, like allocations for youth and senior citizens on Management Hunts, which means they clearly have some freedom to change things up.
Bottom line is that change is going to be rough regardless, they might as well do it now than keep waiting since it won't heal itself. I'm sure there are guys much smarter than I who can figure something out that will be better in the long run.
Grizzly
