ODFW Seeking Hunter Comments on Deer/Elk Season Structure

[rtraverdavis]

It will be interesting to see what kind of influence this has. There are already some comments that I would love for ODFW to take under advisement and implement, and some others that make me cringe. I’ll be asking for a push for habitat studies and improvements, a drastic decrease in spike elk tags, higher buck-to-doe ratios, and a decrease in tag numbers for struggling mule deer units.

If you’d like to make suggestions, do so HERE by March 3rd.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

all the above plus,,,do something about the wolfs and cougars predatating on animals//reduce predator numbers to give the deer ,elk and others half a chance..also livestock overgrazing our forests,,,also better access to our public lands via easements??when i hunt in my home state ,it seems that it is more of a camping trip than a hunt,,,we really need some animals back in the woods.

 

[dan.kirkpatrick]

I would like to see more variety of muzzleloader hunts added///trade for rifle tag numbers.

 

[TheKnigit]

I have already voiced my opinion on a couple of items. We will see how effective/any of the reg changes that come out of this.

 

[Oregon_Ryan]

Thanks for posting this

 

[Joe Hulburt]

I would like to see more variety of muzzleloader hunts added///trade for rifle tag numbers.

It seems to me that moving to more primitive weapon hunts would be one way to reduce harvest (which is badly needed) while still allowing some hunting.

 

[rtraverdavis]

It seems to me that moving to more primitive weapon hunts would be one way to reduce harvest (which is badly needed) while still allowing some hunting.

I agree. Range improvement would go a long way as well. A lot of winter range east of the Cascades is 50% juniper/50% cheat grass.

 

[TheKnigit]

Range improvement and predator culling. I understand that we can't do anything about the wolves, until their status changes, but I would like to see baiting and dogs brought back for both bear and cougar. Even if it was limited to a certain time of year/season or WMU's with abundant populations.

 

[rtraverdavis]

Range improvement and predator culling. I understand that we can't do anything about the wolves, until their status changes, but I would like to see baiting and dogs brought back for both bear and cougar. Even if it was limited to a certain time of year/season or WMU's with abundant populations.

I’m all for using hounds to hunt cats, but that’s a legislative decision. And with our legislative makeup, good luck on that. I think the best we can do is make range conditions good enough to support high populations of wildlife, and fight expanding habitat encroachment as much as possible.

 

[Joe Hulburt]

I’m all for using hounds to hunt cats, but that’s a legislative decision. And with our legislative makeup, good luck on that. I think the best we can do is make range conditions good enough to support high populations of wildlife, and fight expanding habitat encroachment as much as possible.

I think your right on the money on habitat being a top priority. Because it's certainly a limiting factor and it's very socially acceptable in that it doesn't just help huntable wildlife.

I doubt we will ever see hounds again for sport hunters but the state does have the authority to use hounds to manage cougar populations and given all the conflicts cougars are causing it's very justified for more reasons than increasing huntable game.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

It's time to start managing for every single deer. I would say close the season on mule deer in E. Oregon for awhile but it would be a big court battle to reopen the season. It feels like we are watching the start of the extinction of a species. Without being able to return game management policy back to the hands of professionals the future is bleak. For sure cougars kill deer but just because of sheer numbers I think coyotes kill as many or more. There's no fawn recruitment to speak of mostly due to coyotes and in the winter when they pack up they kill adult deer just as well. They'll clean up a whole deer in a night. Aerial gunning done at the optimum times would help but once again ODFW's hands are tied to where they can fly. No doe hunts under any circumstances. Do away with the Premium Hunt. During the rut we used to have several big mature bucks wander through looking to breed. Last Fall we had 1 come through mid- November and he was killed 3 days later in a pasture by a the Premium tag holder. Does get bred by immature bucks resulting in later birthing and tiny fawns going into winter. I hope ODFW realizes just how serious this decline is.

 

[rtraverdavis]

It's time to start managing for every single deer. I would say close the season on mule deer in E. Oregon for awhile but it would be a big court battle to reopen the season. It feels like we are watching the start of the extinction of a species. Without being able to return game management policy back to the hands of professionals the future is bleak. For sure cougars kill deer but just because of sheer numbers I think coyotes kill as many or more. There's no fawn recruitment to speak of mostly due to coyotes and in the winter when they pack up they kill adult deer just as well. They'll clean up a whole deer in a night. Aerial gunning done at the optimum times would help but once again ODFW's hands are tied to where they can fly. No doe hunts under any circumstances. Do away with the Premium Hunt. During the rut we used to have several big mature bucks wander through looking to breed. Last Fall we had 1 come through mid- November and he was killed 3 days later in a pasture by a the Premium tag holder. Does get bred by immature bucks resulting in later birthing and tiny fawns going into winter. I hope ODFW realizes just how serious this decline is.

Tell them. That’s the stuff they need to hear. Lots of other commentators saying the same thing.

 

[WapitiBob]

The first thing joe public needs to understand is how ODFW is funded. There will be no substantial decrease in license/tag revenue, and joe public won't stand for an increase in those fees to offset reduced tag numbers. ODFW and the Commission manage for opportunity and that isn't going to change until there is a wholesale replacement of the people making decisions. Even if that change happens, it circles right back to revenue, and they can't function without it.

 

[rtraverdavis]

The first thing joe public needs to understand is how ODFW is funded. There will be no substantial decrease in license/tag revenue, and joe public won't stand for an increase in those fees to offset reduced tag numbers. ODFW and the Commission manage for opportunity and that isn't going to change until there is a wholesale replacement of the people making decisions. Even if that change happens, it circles right back to revenue, and they can't function without it.

Yup. It’s pretty disheartening to read all the comments of guys bitching about license and tag prices. Absolutely no connection in their minds between the things they want the agency to do and how it’s funded. I’d happily pay twice as much for better management.

 

[FI460]

Eastern Oregon archery elk hunting changes being considered

Here is the new elk proposal.

 

[MarvB]

Absolutely no connection in their minds between the things they want the agency to do and how it’s funded. I’d happily pay twice as much for better management.

^^^^ This big time!!

 

[Bullbrl]

A lot of good comments above, especially about winter range improvement.

I'd like to see tags cut for all mule deer tags and an increase in fees to support habitat improvements. Although, I truly don't trust those increased fees would be used for what they're supposed to used for. I wouldn't even mind having NR allocations moved to 10% to increase funds as well. Look at all the other states, and conversations about NR tags, and how much money that brings in to other states.

It just boggles my mind that our state can't see the money that is being left on the table in regards to our hunting and fishing. If managed correctly, in regards to both fish and wildlife, we could be raking in 100's of millions more in revenue if our fishing and hunting was managed correctly. We could have great hunting if we managed correctly and no other western state besides Washington or Alaska could compete with our fishing if we managed that correctly as well.

I know it's just pie in the sky thinking, but I can dream.

Oh, btw, we need to make a decision if we are going to be an opportunity state or quality state because we can't be both.

 

[WapitiBob]

Yea, that decision was made long ago and if you read facebook you'll see "opportunity" to shoot the last dink on the mountain is still strong with Oregon archers. You'd think they were losing their welfare checks.

 

[TayBou]

Yea, that decision was made long ago and if you read facebook you'll see "opportunity" to shoot the last dink on the mountain is still strong with Oregon archers. You'd think they were losing their welfare checks.

I think there's more to it than just "shooting a dink". I value being able to hunt elk every year, more than I value big/mature elk being on the mountain, assuming the overall elk population is stable, and hunting is sustainable.

It's important to me that I have a way to take new folks hunting without the hassle of having to draw a tag, and they potentially lose interest. I was able to take my dad and a friend on their first elk hunts last year thanks to the spike general season out east. We had a great hunt, saw some spikes, didn't get any shots, but without those general tags, they'd not have gotten to have that experience at all.

It's a balance, but assuming the existing system is sustainable in terms of populations, I'm fully in the camp of opportunity over quality. I greatly prefer to get an opportunity to "shoot a dink" every year, vs an opportunity to have a "quality" hunt every 5+ years.

 

[WapitiBob]

The Elk population is declining, the best management objectives in the state are 20/100 Bulls/Cows with most at 10/100, and few are reaching those objectives. I've often said ODFW manages with a sustained yield approach, similar to private timber lands. Based on their surveys, Oregon hunters want opportunity and that approach provides it. The problem, as with private timber lands, it isn't really sustainable. You can cut 100 million bf of timber if your forest regenerates that same 100 million but the problem is you cut marketable timber and you're regenerating that 100 million from 6" dbh trees. Similar but different with our Elk herds, we're killing every bull over the M.O.'s and with no effective predator management due to legislation and our Wolf Plan, our calf recruitment can't keep up with the decline. It only takes a few years of minimal recruitment and you can see the effect.

With declining herds and no predator management, they only have a few options; manage the number of people or manage the number of tags. You simply can't manage the resource when you have unlimited OTC hunting in any given unit on any given day. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on a persons take, ODFW has a history of maintaining hunter pressure when going to a controlled hunt from a gen hunt, and that appears to be the case here from the last numbers I've seen. They're issuing controlled hunt tags equal to the number of otc hunters that were in the unit so not much will change.