Boskee, I appreciate the conversation. It makes me think about why I feel a certain way about a subject and try to put it in words. I think I'm speaking for the average hunter that isn't putting in for premium hunts but maybe I'm deluding myself.
Each spiecies have different results in the draw, deer there are left overs so most will have a tag if desired. Elk is 1 in 4 for tags and understood. Javies are the same as deer, leftovers. Sheep and buff are totally different. For some reason all draws are structured the same, I'm not toally sure about sheep and buff I don't apply for those. But mostly for this conversation I'm talking deer and elk.
The majority of hunters don't put in for premium hunts but are effected by all these tweeking and twisting of the draw to cater to the premium hunt odds. The 10% max NR and the 10% then 20% pass were implimented for premium hunt draws. Has a negative effect on the average and majority of applicants whether they realize it or not. BPs also. We have these rules now and there is no way to go back, they won't admit a mistake even if they thought they made one. So all we can do is suggest more tweeking even if we don't like the direction it's going. I can also say why I feel it was wrong to change it in the first place but that's water under the bridge.
The commission has become much more political and like all politicians can use words (surveys) to sway the general public into thinking they are helping their own cause and instead are taking away from you and giving to special interests. The majority of hunters only think about application time and then hunting time, and if someone asks them if they would want more tags they will say yes, have no idea what would be involved or the time to care. I wouldn't call it a majority of interested public speaking out in weighted surveys, more like monkeys that would grab a banana if poked though the cage with out examining it. Many in my family and friends are monkeys and could care less about what we are talking about, more tags sound good, 5 min later they could care less about thinking of it again. That's the sad reality, those with the power of voice to the masses have the power to sway, we have none.
There is no data to prove any % of harvest between rifle and archery, and no data on baiting. Just 'feelings' that it's negative. That's very scientific of them.
Only a small amount of folks won't use their license if not drawn, for some other form of hunting anyway, mostly NRs. So you have 57,000 X 7.50 for elk plus whoever didn't use their license, and if you didn't want to get a deer tag that's on you so forget the minority 7.50s in that.
Here's a link to the year 2001 study ASU made on the economic impact of hunting and fishing in our state for that year.
http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/w_c/FISHING_HUNTING Report.pdf
To bad the majority doesn't know, and it's their own fault they don't care to look into it, these things.
20% of tags were taken out of the general fund as entitlements to special interest groups and they will never be in those special interest groups even though they were given a BP last year for not drawing that cow tag. They don't want to wait more than a few years between tags so will never be in a max pool but every hunt is in this rule change not just the premiums and it effects them.
BPs only help those wanting to build to max for a certain tag. It's better to be 1/80,000 for a low # than 3/500,000 every year to get those low to mid elk hunts and put the 20% of tags back in to every hunt. So again this doen't serve the majority but the politicians hold up shiney BPs and convincing words. Monkeys.
Changing something in the percentages(and they do it all the time for their purposes)to allow for at least one tag to possibly be available to NRs in all hunts, will not cause families to not be able hunt. It would only involve a few tags total in the premium hunts. The 10% nr rule doen't come into play in the majority of hunts and that's where the majority of families apply.
The only voice we hear are the crybabies paranoid over someone jumping in front of them, gotta protect it. Then the commission listening to them and spoon feeding the public propagana surveys to bolster their position.
Lobbyists, Politicians, entitlements, evil NRs, archers and the dirty baiters, a duped citizenry. That could only happen in the movies right?
Oh well it's good to talk about it but nothing will change, I'm still voicing my opinion.
Kent
It's not me I worry about.......it's my son or your sons or daughters who don't have max points because of their age. The way the system is now they can NEVER (mathematically) draw a premium (Strip, 9 or 10 archery bull) tag. That doesn't seem like a smart way to recruit young hunters and keep them interested in the game.
