Splitting mule deer and whitetail tags, the Task Force can't see the forest for the trees.

[BuzzH]

Sorry Jeff, back to task force blunderings.

Yes, back on track, this Wyoming proposal needs to go away.

 

[WYelker]

There is absolutely no upside to this proposal. Without a doubt it is going to increase pressure on both species. It will lead to even greater mule deer harvest.

When I have the option of either one, it allows me to either find a big mature mule deer or a white tail to fill the freezer.

This mean that every year in WY I pass a dozen bucks that I would shoot in other states where I am only allowed to shoot mule deer.

In MT where we can hunt both we have filled 75% of our tags with white tails. The 25% that were mule deer were larger mature mule deer. Ever buck under 4 we did not even look at twice because we would rather shoot a white tail…

As many said this is a solution looking for a problem. Much like the idea of forcing a person to pick a region

 

[appaloosa]

I am one of the few people willing to speak up in favor of this proposal. I want the opportunity to apply for a limited quota whitetail tag and a limited quota mule deer tag, just like I apply for elk, and moose, and antelope, and everything else separately.
All I know for certain is that mule deer and whitetail deer are two separate species of wildlife. Everything else that has been described here is purely speculation and hyperbole. Having a whitetail deer tag in my pocket or not, will have exactly zero impact on whether I kill a mule deer.

 

[wytex]

I am one of the few people willing to speak up in favor of this proposal. I want the opportunity to apply for a limited quota whitetail tag and a limited quota mule deer tag, just like I apply for elk, and moose, and antelope, and everything else separately.
All I know for certain is that mule deer and whitetail deer are two separate species of wildlife. Everything else that has been described here is purely speculation and hyperbole. Having a whitetail deer tag in my pocket or not, will have exactly zero impact on whether I kill a mule deer.

I guess if you can only have one of the limited quota tags, whitetail or mule deer, not both it would affect you. As it is now we can have both but if this passes you have to choose which to hunt from what I gather.
If folks have to choose between mule deer and whitetails most will choose mule deer and those licenses will be harder to draw or have more pressure on the general areas.

Am I wrong about this proposal ? Sounds like to me they want to do away with Type 3 whitetail licenses and make them Type 1s so we have to choose which species to hunt.

 

[madtom]

I guess if you can only have one of the limited quota tags, whitetail or mule deer, not both it would affect you. As it is now we can have both but if this passes you have to choose which to hunt from what I gather.
If folks have to choose between mule deer and whitetails most will choose mule deer and those licenses will be harder to draw or have more pressure on the general areas.

Am I wrong about this proposal ? Sounds like to me they want to do away with Type 3 whitetail licenses and make them Type 1s so we have to choose which species to hunt.

As I understand it, you could draw a type 1 mule deer and type 1 whitetail. They would be as different as antelope and elk are now. I think gen whitetail and gen mule deer would/could also be two separate tags.

 

[JM77]

I guess if you can only have one of the limited quota tags, whitetail or mule deer, not both it would affect you. As it is now we can have both but if this passes you have to choose which to hunt from what I gather.
If folks have to choose between mule deer and whitetails most will choose mule deer and those licenses will be harder to draw or have more pressure on the general areas.

Am I wrong about this proposal ? Sounds like to me they want to do away with Type 3 whitetail licenses and make them Type 1s so we have to choose which species to hunt.

With splitting deer licenses, each species would be managed entirely separate. That given, a hunter could apply for both. Obviously, that would put more applicants in each pool, making already low odds type 1 tags even harder to draw and the present type 3 whitetail seeing a drastic decrease in drawing odds.(@appaloosa speculation maybe, but let's be realistic) Also, a hunter could hold two general tags if unsuccessful in the drawing. One for each species.

This idea started when whitetails really took hold in Wyoming. Many areas saw well over objective whitetail herds. After several studies, it was determined to issue the "type 3" whitetail only tag and allowing those holders to also buy a general to incentivise hunters to apply for the type 3. Also, reduced price doe/fawn were implemented. Managers were looking for a way to harvest more whitetails.

Bottom line is with all the studies, it was determined the present system of managing both deer through license types, seasons and regulation was the best choice. With the plight of mule deer changing over the last decades, I believe splitting tags an even worse idea now than before. It could surely lead to statewide LQ and loss of opportunity for many hunters.

The Task Force wasn't supposed to be involved in direct management of wildlife and in this case they are opening that door. Check with your local folks at G&F and see what they say. They should be involved more with the TF IMO.

 

[wytex]

Thanks JM. I tried to find the language for the bill as written.
I see that LQ possibility also.

This TF needs to go!!!!

 

[JM77]

Good news on this today. The Travel, Rec and Wildlife Committee, citing negative public comment, did not motion on this bill and it died.

The power of comment!

 

[wytex]

Any way to promote public comment to do away with this WTF ?
Thanks JM for spreading the word.

 

[WYelker]

Any way to promote public comment to do away with this WTF ?
Thanks JM for spreading the word.

I believe it is all but dead by design now. I think it was only a temporary group? I may be wrong!!

 

[West Sloper]

Colorado has a pile of whitetail-only tags for units east of I-25, and even for a dozen or so units west of 25. I guess I don't understand your reasoning for why this is bad for managing the deer herd though. If either deer herd is suffering or booming the state can issue less or more tags accordingly, instead of people just going out there and shooting any buck or doe they feel like.

True in Colorado there are no combo tags. South Dakota has combo tags. Probably better for revenue to separate the two.

 

[JM77]

True in Colorado there are no combo tags. South Dakota has combo tags. Probably better for revenue to separate the two.

I don't think that is true about Colorado. @Oak

 

[Oak]

I don't think that it true about Colorado. @Oak

The vast majority of deer tags in CO are valid for both species. Some WT only tags in eastern CO.

 

[WYelker]

I don't think that it true about Colorado. @Oak

Yeah the tags simply say antlered deer or antler less deer… No species designation at all… Except for some
Eastern tags…

 

[BUncommon]

The Wildlife Task Force, with relatively little discussion and no insight from 'on the ground' wildlife managers, voted to recommend that mule and whitetail deer be managed with a completely different set of licenses. In other words, there would be no more "deer" license. There would be mule deer only tags and whitetail only tags. There are several reasons this would be detrimental to management and drawing odds.

First, every sportsperson could apply for both limited quota(LQ) mule deer and LQ whitetail. Obviously, this would make drawing a LQ or NR region mule deer tag that much harder to draw and tank the odds to draw LQ type 3 whitetail tags.

Second, if you don't draw an LQ tag, you could purchase a general
license(resident) for each species. With the ability to hunt both deer separately, it's obvious mule deer buck numbers statewide could take a pounding. Do mule deer in Wyoming need any more pressure? Many hunters now hold out for a good mule deer and hunt whitetail in November or kill a whitetail during the antlered season for their deer. It is obvious not much thought went into this idea, given the reasoning was to better manage each species, when just the opposite could happen. Imagine the Black Hills in November if every resident hunter could buy a general whitetail tag to hunt there after killing a mule deer somewhere else.

Third, if a hunter chooses to buy a general for just one species, they could not shoot the other species during "deer" season. It would suck if you saw a nice whitetail and only had a mule deer tag. It seems G&F upper management is looking for a way to get every deer hunter to buy two tags. Meanwhile G&F employees on the ground do not support this idea in general.

Fourth, no state I can find manages deer any different than Wyoming does now; a deer license governed by regulation for season and take.

This idea is now going through the process in the interim session of the Travel, Rec and Wildlife Committee. The draft is 23LSO-0009 and will be discussed on Aug 30th in the afternoon. There has been one meeting already and sportsman spoke out against the idea and made significant headway with the legislators to kill the idea. I am attaching the emails of the committee members that are meeting next week in Thermopolis. It is important for sportsman either to attend and comment, or make phone calls if you know a member or send emails to each legislator. One more showing of public opposition and the committee will most likely not sponsor the legislation. If they do sponsor, killing this bill in Cheyenne will be tougher.
Get involved, show up, call or write.
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AZ increases their revenue by doing the same thing