LET A DEER WALK

jm77

Long Time Member
Messages
3,314
I wonder how many will participate in this program this year. Top prize is a Wyoming Commissioner's tag! #LetADeerWalk
Will any nonresidents "Let a deer walk"?

How To Enter! Place your phone number on the back of your carcass coupon on your general or limited quota deer license and mail it to P.O. Box 147, La Barge, WY 83123. Your name and phone number will then be entered into a random lottery raffle for a chance to win one of the below-mentioned prizes, valuing over $100,000!!!
It’s no secret, the 2022/2023 winter was extremely challenging for our wildlife. The design of this program is to take some pressure off the icon of Wyoming and #LetADeerWalk! This a statewide initiative!
This program is not meant to discourage hunting, please get outdoors, go deer hunting, buy an elk tag or two, get a black bear tag, spend time with family and friends outdoors. If you’re on the fence this year, then please participate in this raffle!
Licenses are due to the above address by August 1st, 2023
Drawing will be held August 15th, 2023
All tags will be entered and tracked to prevent duplicate license re-prints.
A parent or guardian is required if a youth under 18 years of age is drawn.
Headline Sponsor – SOS Well Services, LLC.
Prize List:
2024 Commissioner License
A Whole Beef - Cut - Wrapped – Frozen - 307 Meat Company
Custom Truck Build - Truck King
Custom Rifle, chambered in a 6.5 PRC - Red Desert Rifles/ Blue Mountain Precision/ Straight Jack Armory / Twisted Barrels / Hawkins Precision
Sportsman 450 Four-Wheeler – BaseCamp & Schmid Development
Deer Hunters Optics Package – includes a Maven Spotting Scope and Binoculars - Maven & Joe Erwin
$5,000 - Nielsen Furniture and Appliance Gift Card - Mike & Pam Schmid
$3,000 - Rocky Mountain Discount Sports Gift Card - SOS Well Service
2023/2024 WY Guided Mountain Lion Hunt – One hunter, one guide - Tri-Spoke Outfitters
2023/2024 WY Fall YOUTH Black Bear Hunt – One hunter & one non-hunter - Greys River Outfitters
2024/2025 WY Spring or Fall Black Bear Hunt – One hunter, one guide - Trophy Mountain Outfitters
Eight Day Wolf Hunt - Alberta, Canada - One hunter, one guide - Timber King Outfitting
$2,000 in Kuiu Gift Cards - Full Circle Wealth Strategies
Mule Deer Shoulder Mount - Dewey Wildlife Studio
$1,000 - Gift Card towards Taxidermy work of persons choice - Roundy Taxidermy
Redneck Survival Kit – includes an Electric Chainsaw, Rock Island Arms 12 gauge Shot Gun and a Yeti Cooler - Mountainland Supply / Woody Studt / Cody Thompson
Deer Hunters Camo Package - Kryptek
 
Let a deer walk and get a possible reward of a tag. hmmmm.

Sorry not letting a deer walk. I hunt where our winter was mild. also going after a whitey.
 
Might just do this ^^^^, I just let mine sit every year.

Sounds like a great raffle and a way to help in areas that were hard hit this winter.
 
I really dislike this approach and can’t get on board. Why would we want a ton of people obtaining tags that they have no intention of even hunting? Why would we want to take tags away from people who might actually need the meat? Those tags might represent the last hunt for a grandfather and grandson, a last opportunity for a family hunting camp, etc.

I simply do not like the idea that people are going to take opportunity from others without having any intention at all to hunt the actual tag.

On the flip side I would be totally fine with a program that allowed families and people to hunt the entire season and incentivize the passing of animals and tag soup after the season has ended…

Also I am curious. Are there many areas where the lopes/deer were hit hard and there are still any significant doe fawn tags?
 
Zach who created this has put his money where his mouth is time and again. He suggested this at the commissioner meetings, and in less than a month already has some pretty incredible prizes with im sure more to come. . His company puts forth tens of thousands every year to help wildlife, along with countless hours of volunteer work by all his employees and himself. Id like to see those of you bitching about this show what you have done or attempted to do for wyoming wildlife that remotely compares? ...and this program is obviously directed at residents more than non-res....it is not taking tags out of anyones pocket. It is entirely just enticing people to give deer a break and focus on putting meat in the freezer with elk or other measures for a year. There is nothing saying you have to participate, and those who want to go hunting can. Those who would rather not, now can send their general tag in and possibly win some pretty incredible stuff for something that was just an idea a month ago. Not sure how you could find a problem with a program that just gives you an option of not hunting deer and winning something for that choice this year
 
I won’t be hunting deer in Wyoming this year, and possibly never again, due to age and physical limitations, however, I appreciate the effort made by the State of Wyoming people and it’s Fish & Game Dept. for making this effort.

Regardless of the outcome, whether hunters participate or choose not to, it represents a clear commitment to protecting and regrowing a suffering deer herd after a natural disaster. I respect and appreciate that kind of mind set and management attitude. That being, their first concern is for the mule deer population, rather than immediate hunter opportunity and immediate hunter gratification.

This specific effort and others that will likely follow, that will likely have greater impact are to be commended and appreciated. It represents an effort to provide, preserve and produce more and better deer hunting in the future. Oh that other States would put their deer populations ahead of hunting and killing opportunities.

Here’s to Wyoming and its commitment to hunting and deer hunting specifically.
 
Zach who created this has put his money where his mouth is time and again. He suggested this at the commissioner meetings, and in less than a month already has some pretty incredible prizes with im sure more to come. . His company puts forth tens of thousands every year to help wildlife, along with countless hours of volunteer work by all his employees and himself. Id like to see those of you bitching about this show what you have done or attempted to do for wyoming wildlife that remotely compares? ...and this program is obviously directed at residents more than non-res....it is not taking tags out of anyones pocket. It is entirely just enticing people to give deer a break and focus on putting meat in the freezer with elk or other measures for a year. There is nothing saying you have to participate, and those who want to go hunting can. Those who would rather not, now can send their general tag in and possibly win some pretty incredible stuff for something that was just an idea a month ago. Not sure how you could find a problem with a program that just gives you an option of not hunting deer and winning something for that choice this year


Again I can not get behind a program that is incentivizing the uptake of opportunity and licenses from others all so someone can sit at home and win a prize. Again those opportunities are someone's chance at food, at memories at family time and more.

If it was just general tags then you can make the argument that is does not take opportunity. But it is not just general...

It is funny how I approached the subject and did not mention a thing about the person who is running it etc. Just pointed out what I see as a flaw. I don't care what has happened in the past and who has done what. I really don't care who is organizing it and it they are Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny. I do however have an issue with incentivizing the uptake of tags. Already in this post there are some people who realize that buying up reduced price doe fawn tags across the state are a cheap and easy way to get a chance at a governors tag and if you look at youth, then you can really gobble up some opportunity for cheap.

Ultimately, it is funny how quickly some were to defend the person and not address the issue presented.

Just wait until the antis get this idea and all our draw odds suffer...

My point is still the same, why not allow people to draw, hunt and then turn in the tags at the end of season? Why encourage people to take opportunity from others who might actually want to hunt and maybe could have the hunt of a lifetime?
 
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I have no problem with the plan. Not certain if my family or I will participate. Boys and I have already talked about our plan to use or Gen deer tags (most likely outcome) for fire starter on our elk hunts. Dont really need/want an additional incentive to do what I believe is a good thing to do. I will say this is a better use of a Comm tag than many other uses. Not as good as some others.

Agree with the positive comments on Zach. He is putting his effort where his mouth is. I can admire that, even if I dont participate.
 
It has already been a thing, that they have tried but failed to result in any meaningful impact. However, a large drawing and more importantly Social Status might be enough to move this forward. On one side it is good because they are actually helping wildlife management, but also negative as odds will get weird etc.
 
Again I can not get behind a program that is incentivizing the uptake of opportunity and licenses from others all so someone can sit at home and win a prize. Again those opportunities are someone's chance at food, at memories at family time and more.

If it was just general tags then you can make the argument that is does not take opportunity. But it is not just general...

It is funny how I approached the subject and did not mention a thing about the person who is running it etc. Just pointed out what I see as a flaw. I don't care what has happened in the past and who has done what. I really don't care who is organizing it and it they are Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny. I do however have an issue with incentivizing the uptake of tags. Already in this post there are some people who realize that buying up reduced price doe fawn tags across the state are a cheap and easy way to get a chance at a governors tag and if you look at youth, then you can really gobble up some opportunity for cheap.

Ultimately, it is funny how quickly some were to defend the person and not address the issue presented.

Just wait until the antis get this idea and all our draw odds suffer...

My point is still the same, why not allow people to draw, hunt and then turn in the tags at the end of season? Why encourage people to take opportunity from others who might actually want to hunt and maybe could have the hunt of a lifetime?
There is an area near Casper that has doe/fawn tags that are good for muley does that this program is perfect for. The herd there is depressed already and getting these doe tags and sending them to the drawing will help the herd.

You don't need to write another novel @elks96 we get it, you oppose the idea.
 
I get his point - go look back at the grizzly tag drawing. There were a pile who applied from anti hunting groups.
those people applied because they were trying to save grizzlies from being hunted...fyi...anti hunters dont give a damn about deer...they only care about the species that make them money in court or photographs. ..how many Anti hunters are going to buy a tag to submit it for a chance to win hunting gear and prizes? Im just gonna go ahead and guess zero
 
those people applied because they were trying to save grizzlies from being hunted...fyi...anti hunters dont give a damn about deer...they only care about the species that make them money in court or photographs. ..how many Anti hunters are going to buy a tag to submit it for a chance to win hunting gear and prizes? Im just gonna go ahead and guess zero
I don't disagree with that but I wouldn't be surprised if antihunting groups apply for licenses in the future in some form of their own save a (insert whatever animal here) program.
 
I gotta assume the G&F will adjust tag numbers based on populations and projected harvests. So if people donate or cut up tags, or non-hunters apply and get tags, it will have a short-lived effect. If it continues year after year, they will simply issue more tags to accommodate enough harvest to meet their objectives.

In other words- no big deal if people buy tags they do not intend to use. More money for the G&F, and they will figure out how to get more harvest.
 
I don't remember how many but there were a considerable number. They took out full page adds in newspapers trying to get people to apply and then not hunt. One notable one got #8 in the draw.
Exactly my point. It was so statistically small, even when it involved the first Griz tag in Wyo in what 40 years, that you don't even remember how many did it. To let the fear of that happening guide a decision on whether this Let a deer walk idea is sound or not seems foolish to me.
 
I gotta assume the G&F will adjust tag numbers based on populations and projected harvests. So if people donate or cut up tags, or non-hunters apply and get tags, it will have a short-lived effect. If it continues year after year, they will simply issue more tags to accommodate enough harvest to meet their objectives.
You are correct. This has actually happened with beaver trapping in Wyo. There have been times where LQ beaver tags have been acquired by members of Untrap Wyoming, and consequently no beavers were trapped. The next year that area was simply switched to an open/gen area so that they could get the beaver pop reduced.
 
I like to get a mule deer doe license and not use it. I have a one gallon ziplok bag full of unused licenses like that. Maybe enough to paper most of a wall in there.

I would really appreciate it if anyone is interested in doing this, please get an area 15, type 6 license. I've been begging Game and Fish for decades to NOT SHOOT DOE MULE DEER. The herd is 1/3 of objective and thousands under what it should be. Yet we shoot mule deer does from September 1 to December 31. (Oct 1-Dec 31 rifle.) Explain either the logic or biology of that to me. Anyway, area 15, type 6 please.
 
I don’t care what somebody does with they’re tag and anti hunters are just as entitled to apply as anyone else.
I thought it was awesome that Tom Mangelsen drew a grizzly tag in 2018. I just wish he had paid NR pricing.

He has made plenty off of those bears, might as well give a few dollars back.

The quota will just adjust up with tag soup from anti's like him. I hope an NR anti draws the first NR grizzly tag and pays $7500 for his soup.
 
All guys will do is enter the drawing with their tag and once the drawing is over and the season starts they will go into the nearest sporting goods store and buy a duplicate for a few bucks. Tons of loopholes in this thought up “save the day” idea. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a good thing to give the deer a break, but not too sure if this will work.
 
Kinda sad hunters need a prize to do what they should do every year.

If WE all started being like that old guy in camp that hit you with " stop shooting little deer", things would go better.

No one is feeding their families with deer. If you are, a sheep is about $90, go buy one
 
Problem is not shooting little deer is everyone having to shoot a BIG one. If WY really wanted to help the deer herd they would cut resident tags.
 
Problem is not shooting little deer is everyone having to shoot a BIG one. If WY really wanted to help the deer herd they would cut resident tags.
Residents choosing to not shoot a deer is even better and accomplishes the same thing as a tag cut, if only blatantly and intuitively obvious to the most casual observer.
 
Your last sentence is so obviously true, but one must remember that facts and logic don't go very far in the Wyoming forum.
Haha. Why? What science backed evidence proves that WY deer are struggling from resident opportunity? I keep waiting for any facts or data to prove this, yet no one ever produces it…
 
Thanks jm77. I usually take my boys to Region G each fall, but we'll be turning in our tags to this instead.

This makes me wonder if the G&F could have done something more to help mule deer by opening things up on whitetails and limiting things more on muleys.

Not saying I have all the answers, but whitetail encroachment is a concern for mule deer herds right? Allow all the residents who need/want the meat to still hunt - just limit it all to whitetails in some units.
 
This drawing date is coming soon. I still have not bought a Wyo general deer license. I doubt I will hunt mule deer in WY this year. My scouting has not been good and I have other opportunities.

My question/concern is whether we could just send the license money equivalent to My. Key with an affidavit that we are not hunting mule deer in Wyoming this year. I don't mean to be harsh, but I would prefer that either he or another party had the money instead of giving Game and Fish the funds for 2500 (estimated in this thread) licenses to Game and Fish. At $50 per license, that's $125,000 in extra funds to G&F.

Maybe we could instead send the funds to LaBarge (or wherever) and they could work with willing landowners to set up a mule deer feeding program. Get folks involved and set some weather or herd milestones or thresholds. If those are hit, start feeding on private lands where the deer are. I'd rather send my $$ to that than for a license I won't use.

Is there any way we could do that instead of giving the $$ to G&F? They already get a fair amount of my money and I see no need to send G&F more for something I will not pursue.
 
What tags are eligible? Can you sent a type 3 or 8 in? Pretty sure I won’t fill my general, but if I can send another tag instead…
 
Props to the guys that bought them turned in tags, refreshing to see actions behind mouths, my state has plenty of mouths, but not one would buy it, then surrender it.

It's interesting to a foreigner to watch what's going on up there. It UT it got decided by a special interest group that to "save the mule deer", we needed to cut 2/3 of our tags. We, blindly assumed this was a sacrifice well worth making.

Of course, because we were naive and too trusting, none of us thought about budget shortfalls, and losses of voters on hunting bills that came up.

Looking back it was obvious what would happen, $fw (I believe the plan to start with) sold a cash strapped agency the pimping of wildlife for profit, and we were off to the races. Once $fw became the cash cow, of course, the commercial interests they represent came to the forefront and modern Utah is where it is.

So it's interesting to watch an idea of helping a herd, but not depleting g&f so much that the same commercial interests jump into the gap and solidify power.

I hope it works for you guys, because I know what happens if it doesn't, and no one wants that's. Props!
 
As if that isn't already happening. lol
But then they create the lottery and draw system so that they get more than just a good feeling taking the license. Imagine how it might look if every anti hunter who drew a tag turned it in and had the ability to win a $500 in veggie burgers etc. I get some grab tags and don't hunt, but then there is whole other level of buying a tag, not hunting then winning the lotto for it...
 
Looks like this is final numbers ??
Drawing tomorrow at 8am!! If any of you are in !!
IMG_2808.png
 
Props to you guys.

I've issued a tear up your tag challenge in here for years to challenge guys who believe tag cuts are an answer.

Never seen a single vid.

Nearly 1200 dudes ( the be is impressive) believed in something enough they did something other than *****. And they should be commended for that
 
I've never seen so many wives in line to buy a deer tag this year. Hopefully it all goes to a good cause. I'm from the area and I know that Zach and his father in law have a good reputation as stand up guys. I'm glad somebody is trying something. I think what the government agencies have done with high fences, small underpasses and bush hawging winter ranges isn't the answer
 
Yep. A lot people got tags that they had no interest in just to take opportunity from others all so they can win a prize. It is a great model. Why get the tag if you have no intention of hunting it? I am fine if it was only general but why draw tags..
 
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Can’t the case be made that the deer that don’t get killed with those tags will create an exponentially more robust opportunity for the coming years?
 
Can’t the case be made that the deer that don’t get killed with those tags will create an exponentially more robust opportunity for the coming years?
Not so sure about that. I hate to be negative but common sense tells me the hunters that will be hunting will have higher success rates than if the other donated tag holders hunted. Yes some will be saved, but not the numbers you might think. If I’m hunting a chunk of ground and the normal success rate is 25%, and then 50% of the hunters in the area turn in their tags, the other hunters that didn’t will have a higher success percentage due to less pressure. It Will actually make the hunt much more enjoyable for the guys that kept their tags with less people in the field and less competition. This whole thing from my point of view is extremely flawed. The principal behind the idea is just and good. But the human greed factors flaw it. To many people having their entire family (non-hunters) turning in tags to guys going in now and purchasing duplicate (lost) tags and so many other loopholes. I do hope the herds recover.
 
I'm guessing tomorrow will be a record sale of duplicate licenses for the game and fish from people who turned their tags in ?
 

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