Wyoming NR General Elk Regions

[Deleted member 18333]

I'm missing something. @mulecreek replied to my post and makes it sound like region sizes are irrelevant. Unit level management is fully doable with the current approach and management decisions will not be impeded by large region surface area. But then this makes your second post that insinuates that there is some drawbacks to management decisions affecting such large areas.

What am I misunderstanding?

Thank you for clarifying for my measley brain. I agree with your thought process.

The size and number of regions is relevant to people management more so than elk management. IMO

 

[TOGIE]

The large regions take away the ability to change quota's (both up and down) in smaller geographic regions.

Again I'll use the proposed southern Region as an example. It covers an area from Laramie to the Utah/Idaho line and South of I-80.

Lets say the Snowy Range has a tough winter year, but elk are booming around Evanston, clear across the state.

The GF will be reluctant to cut the southern region total quota with elk doing very well in say the Sierra's and the general units near Evanston.

So, their only option would be to adjust season length in the Snowy Range to take pressure off a depressed elk herd. That would in turn, drive both Resident and Non Resident pressure to the Sierra's and the far Eastern units near Evanston.

What would that do? Likely create a crap experience due to hunter density, reduce total elk numbers, reduce bull to cow ratio's etc.

It would make way more sense if the Sierra's were a region, the Snowy Range was another Region, and the Evanston units were their own region. They could increase or decrease tags in a specific region, rather than just trying to shift shift pressure from one unit to another.

It wound also allow the Resident hunters that primarily hunt their specific region to work with the Department and regional wildlife managers to make sure NR tags and seasons were ensuring recreation management objectives. Tough to do that when your regions covers 1/4 of the state like the Southern Region would, or about 2/3 of the State in their Western region.

The Department had it wayyyyy more correct with the 13 regions, and then pivoted to 3 at the request of the outfitters, making the whole idea complete trash.

i think people are confused as to how three is so much worse the one. not how 13 is better than 3.

maybe i'm wrong.

 

[BuzzH]

i think people are confused as to how three is so much worse the one. not how 13 is better than 3.

maybe i'm wrong.

If it were up to me I would leave everything with NR elk as it is now. Worked great for decades, the new proposal is a solution looking for a problem.

 

[Archer86]

@BuzzH whats the deal with the commisison meeting tomorrow no live stream kind of looks like there are going to try and pull a quick one tomorrow on elk managment for these nr elk regions. Shows elk managment tools on there agenda

 

[JM77]

@BuzzH whats the deal with the commisison meeting tomorrow no live stream kind of looks like there are going to try and pull a quick one tomorrow on elk managment for these nr elk regions. Shows elk managment tools on there agenda

They aren't taking up regions tomorrow. Most likely it's auxiliary management tags or other ideas on elk management.

 

[JAG]

I'm not very good at searching the WGF website, but when will we know if they are switching to 13, 3 or one region? Has this been finalized for 2024 yet?

 

[WapitiBob]

July meeting, regions are set at 3.

main page
get involved link
public meeting link
chapter 44 proposed regs
last page has the nr regions and quotas

 

[perma]

At least there are caps….

 

[Archer86]

At least there are caps….

They are not proposing caps they are a quota they can change at any time with the current proposal.

 

[BuzzH]

They are not proposing caps they are a quota they can change at any time with the current proposal.

I'm going to the meeting. Residents are going to have some things to say about this new idea.

Residents will have to stay vigilant on the quotas and I'll be asking for less NR general tags in the region I hunt. When was the last time you heard a resident say, "there's just flat too many bulls in this general area, we need more NR hunters".

If they want to control elk populations you kill cows, not bulls.

 

[Treeshark]

I'll be asking for less NR general tags in the region I hunt.

Knock me over with a feather.

 

[perma]

They are not proposing caps they are a quota they can change at any time with the current proposal.

Yeah quota is what I meant, thanks for that.

 

[BuzzH]

Knock me over with a feather.

And 90-10 for limited quota elk as well. Right now, residents aren't gaining anything.

 

[Washington Hunter]

As a non resident I'm fine with only hunting cow elk, if they'll allow me to do that.

 

[Archer86]

The biggest thing I think most nr and outfitters are not looking at is 90 percent of the guys will want the western region so the point creep there is going to be crazy, then the other 2 general regions will be 2 or 3 points.

 

[Archer86]

Any updates on how the last commission meeting went? @BuzzH @JM77

 

[BuzzH]

Any updates on how the last commission meeting went? @BuzzH @JM77

Yeah, like shit.

There were 3 people who spoke up about the 7250 cap and the NR regions, all 3 post on this board.

@mulecreek, @JM77, and I were the only ones to testify.

The one good thing we converted mulecreek to a strong supporter of going 90-10 for LQ elk!

 

[perma]

I’m such an idiot for missing this. I sent an email to the commissioners, not sure how good it’ll do. Going to try and attend at Gillette in September.

 

[BuzzH]

I’m such an idiot for missing this. I sent an email to the commissioners, not sure how good it’ll do. Going to try and attend at Gillette in September.

The written comments were ignored, which I pointed out in my testimony.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

The one good thing we converted mulecreek to a strong supporter of going 90-10 for LQ elk!

Well, we got to try something. After removing the 7250 cap, going to 90/10 is the next best way to solve all of Wyomings elk issues.