WAG Thread

[Guzman]

A lot of it comes down to data. And actionable data. For years we have sided with the consumptive user and not the resources for who gets the benefit of the doubt. We may see that change here shortly.

Sea ducks have been relatively stable for the last 13 years. Working off a harvest management plan at 5% of winter index and 3 year average. We have now seen this huge pressure increase based on covid plus H41 & Social media. not sure how anyone could have planned for that but it certainly happened quickly. Maybe we should have got to it for this current season(21/22) but it has to be data based at that data wasn't available.

In speaking about change, so much comes back to the data. And we as hunters are our own worst enemy. We have a ~50% return on harvest cards. How do we account for 2000 missing harvest reports? One of the topics for this upcoming meeting is what do we do about that? Should we make hunters go through more steps to secure a card every year? (We have lot of issued cards that say they didn't hunt) There are issues with vendors, duplicate cards, people gaming the system etc. Do we need a greater impact than $10 for not reporting? There is a bill to make the penalty $20 but my guess is that won't fix our data issue.

On the snow goose front. It's bigger than just the snows. Loss of lessers, tavs, cacklers etc... It's recognized and studies are already in the works on pacific flyway geese.
For the current season setting and feedback that has to be done by the middle of March and there will be no data that moves the needle on snows. Wdfw can move quickly on the seaducks though.

As far as a conservation season my understanding is no, pacific flyway won't get one until it impacts the wrangle island breeding grounds. It doesn't sound like that's going to happen any time soon.

I just wonder what data they used to bump the limits and seasons up? In the last 30 years limits have only gone up and season lengths have only gone up. Except a few things like HarliS and Scaup. Yet as you go around birds numbers are fewer and fewer eVery year. I will say I thought lessers Canadas were up slightly this year over last few years.

The minute the state wants to reduce limits or days all hell breaks lose. They are talking about going to three geese on west side and lots of people are complaining.

Outside of this topic I am guessing turkeys are going to be next to take a dive like all other wildlife in this state. The state keeps adding fall tags, added a week to youth season. Added a tag in spokane county. Give it three years turkey numbers will be down but they won’t change anything back.

 

[EWUEagles]

I just wonder what data they used to bump the limits and seasons up? In the last 30 years limits have only gone up and season lengths have only gone up. Except a few things like HarliS and Scaup. Yet as you go around birds numbers are fewer and fewer eVery year. I will say I thought lessers Canadas were up slightly this year over last few years.

The minute the state wants to reduce limits or days all hell breaks lose. They are talking about going to three geese on west side and lots of people are complaining.

Outside of this topic I am guessing turkeys are going to be next to take a dive like all other wildlife in this state. The state keeps adding fall tags, added a week to youth season. Added a tag in spokane county. Give it three years turkey numbers will be down but they won’t change anything back.

My opinion the state cares more about revenue than wildlife or hunters. The more tags they offer for turkeys the more people will buy.

 

[Guzman]

My opinion the state cares more about revenue than wildlife or hunters. The more tags they offer for turkeys the more people will buy.

I am not so sure they just don’t want them all gone. ??? Like the bass and walleye.

 

[NWRINGNECK]

D3Smartie .. just wondered what if anything was decided by the WAG this spring for the WA Bio (WDFW representative to the Pacific FW Study Committee) to take to the PFWC meeting next week concerning season and bag limits for waterfowlers in this state.

 

[D3Smartie]

We had a good meeting last week that focused on Harlequins for the most part. We may see some changes on the seaduck side of things this year.

 

[NWRINGNECK]

Thank you for the report.

 

[D3Smartie]

Hey all -
Some noise recently around the early goose season, Snow goose dates, electronic calls and some other issues.
Anything that is top of mind for you all? Lets make sure he squeaky wheel gets the grease.
@billybob - Shoot me an email regarding the area 2 goose season so we can get that address.
@PGA2B - what weekend you want for early goose?
Snow goose hunters? how is that opening day on the east side? Push for a change in the closure dates and we can probably get some traction.

 

[D3Smartie]

also some exciting news to come in regards to better data on eastern wa small geese, and snows.

 

[Billy Bob]

Hey all -
Some noise recently around the early goose season, Snow goose dates, electronic calls and some other issues.
Anything that is top of mind for you all? Lets make sure he squeaky wheel gets the grease.
@billybob - Shoot me an email regarding the area 2 goose season so we can get that address.
@PGA2B - what weekend you want for early goose?
Snow goose hunters? how is that opening day on the east side? Push for a change in the closure dates and we can probably get some traction.

It's really simple. They take weeks from the average hunters and give it to those that have access to private land that is near impossible to gain access to in area 2. It gets called a depredation season but if that were the truth of it there would be additional days available without poaching days from the regular season.

Why not just start the regular season earlier when thousands of specks that are as dumb as a rock come through?

 

[Wareagle1]

Hey all -
Some noise recently around the early goose season, Snow goose dates, electronic calls and some other issues.
Anything that is top of mind for you all? Lets make sure he squeaky wheel gets the grease.
@billybob - Shoot me an email regarding the area 2 goose season so we can get that address.
@PGA2B - what weekend you want for early goose?
Snow goose hunters? how is that opening day on the east side? Push for a change in the closure dates and we can probably get some traction.

Eastside snows- would be great to have them open with the start of the regular season , then at the start of our two day split, we close eastside snows down until later in November.
As for e-callers, I’m all for them in the spring season
Early goose, just my opinion but I’d rather it close then move dates, im talking eastside.
Don’t think we are doing anything to the population of geese that the early season was meant for, park geese, baseball fields, etc.
Seems like we are only harvesting birds that we could take during the regular season.
Just my observations