That's a good point. It's likely the 60,000+ bow hunters are pushing a lot of elk onto private under the current system before the general season starts. Under the proposed season structure, there would undoubtedly be some mule deer hunters pushing elk around in October. However, it might be a...
That’s really interesting to see that things were managed tighter back then as far as district size and season length. I would have guessed management would have gotten stricter over time rather than looser.
Does this mean BHA would oppose any recommendations by the CAC that would shorten the season length or limit and/or eliminate rut hunting? I’m just curious what is considered equitable opportunity.
The main reason for adjusting elk seasons is to get rid of the overlap of elk and mule deer seasons. There are a lot of mule deer killed by opportunistic elk hunters that happen to have a deer tag in their pocket. It will also spread out hunter pressure.
This proposal is a balance of improving things for the resource as well as considering what’s socially achievable. If it was entirely about the resource or entirely about trying to accommodate the desires of one user group, it would look totally different.
I have a hard time believing the...
The first legislative priority in the document would be to change the statute to give the commission flexibility in setting the muzzleloader season dates.