SE Idaho public meetings for big game proposals

[BrianID]

The Idaho State Journal had an article about big game proposals for SE Idaho last Friday. Here's a list of the public meetings that will take place during the next week.
-March 11: Malad, Senior Citizen Center
-March 12: Pocatello, ISU Student Union, Salmon River Room
-March 17: Soda Springs, Senior Citizen Center
-March 18: Preston, Bear River Bowmen range
All of the meetings start at 7 PM.

The biggest change would be turning units 70 & 73 into controlled hunts. Personally I think this is a bad idea because it will displace over 3000 hunters (about 3500 people hunt units 70 & 73 minus 400 hunters that will get tags for the proposed controlled hunt). This will make the surrounding general season units more of a war zone than they already are. All of you guys from Utah that hunt the SE Idaho tag units (75, 76, 77 & 78) should consider going to one of these meetings because you will have to compete with one or two thousand extra resident hunters in the SE tag units if this proposal passes. I know that the controlled hunts would be good for units 70 & 73 but it would be a bad thing for surrounding units that will have to take the extra hunting pressure.

Here is a link to some additional proposed changes.
http://www2.state.id.us/fishgame/news/NewsReleases/view.cfm?NewsID=1952

What are some of your thoughts?

 

[wilecoyote76]

If they do pass the 70/73 unit proposal to controlled hunts, I would hope they would still have a general season for archery in those units for any buck. I don't see it happening but one can have a glimpse of hope anyway. I know there will be a lot of pissed off people there in SE Idaho if they do go to a controlled hunt. If hunters thought 71, 73A, 74 or any other units were bad before, wait until these proposed regulations go through. I guess I will have to settle for shooting fork`ed horns in unit 40 because my luck on drawing tags in one of those units will be nearly impossible.

 

[Washington Hunter]

Maybe Idaho needs to go to mule deer hunting by permit only, statewide, like most other states are doing. Except for Washington of course, and I'm sure the reasoning for not doing so is the same...#1, too many hunters would complain, and #2, the state would make less money. Of course they could make up for it by raising the price of tags, but that brings us back to reason #1 (many hunters would whine and complain)

 

[kirkl]

Hell ya id whine and complain if they went to permit only to even hunt for mule deer in washington like states like arizona and some others. I dont want to be sitting on the couch when deer season comes around cause i didnt draw a permit. Theres enough deer to go around.

 

[Washington Hunter]

kirkl, well it wouldn't necessarily mean you couldn't hunt every year, it would just mean you may not be able to hunt the unit you want to hunt every year. For example, in Oregon, if you apply for the units that are managed for quantity of deer rather than quality, you could hunt every year. The units with tag numbers more limited you may only be able to hunt every other year, or every third year.

 

[kirkl]

Gotcha, i thought you were referring to some states that if you dont get drawn for a permit you plain just dont hunt, your sitting on the couch till next year.

 

[BrianID]

I have heard rumors that units 70 and 73 would remain open to any buck during archery season if those units become controlled hunts. I will be going to the meeting tomarrow night so I will have more details then.
Anyone else going to one or more of these meetings?

 

[wilecoyote76]

At this point, public and sportsman's opinions on upcoming events are simply a formality. They (F&G) already know what it going to happen and all they want is to see how well it will be accepted or rejected by the general public. I think they should just tell the hunters what is going to change and if they don't like it, tell them to piss up a rope. I have seen things change too many times in the past and public opinion doesn't mean squat to fish and game.

 

[BrianID]

I went to the Friday meeting in Pocatello and was surprise that only 20-25 guys that showed up. If you don’t go to the meetings or at least let the F&G know what you think about their proposals don’t complain about the changes that will be made in a few weeks. I think the F&G did a great job with the meeting and was very open to comments.
The F&G came up with only two new things that I hadn't already heard about. First was decreasing the 75* Muzz hunt from 400 tags to 200 tags and making it a "traditional muzz hunt" (See page 12 of 2003 regs). Second was creating a new youth controlled hunt that would have 1000 tags and allow the youth to shoot a buck or a doe during the general buck season in SE Idaho.

Most of the meeting was spent talking about turning units 70 and 73 into a controlled hunt that would have 400 tags for October and 50 tags for November. Almost all of the hunters at the meeting seemed to be against turning these units into a controlled hunt but the F&G seemed to be in favor of turning these units into a controlled hunt. The F&G told us that our comments would make a difference in what are made but with their past history in considering public comments I don't know what to believe.

Hunters at the meeting and the F&G were in favor of including the ATV restrictions to all big game hunting in units 75, 77 & 78 so this will likely happen.

General any weapon deer season options that the F&G presented were 10/5-10/19(same as last year), 10/9-10/24 or 10/9-10/31. I think that the 10/9-10/24 is what will most likely happen to the SE region and 10/9-10/31 will most likely happen for most of the other units in Southern Idaho.

You could go into or call the SE region F&G office and ask questions/complain but it would be better to go to one of the meetings.

 

[BuckTrack]

I would agree with wylie, They know what they want to do, Its allready been decided. I would not waist the gas, to attend a meeting that pertained to changing regulations. Save your gas for what ever tag you end up with.