.... still manages based on Biology. ESPECIALLY if they manage for maintaining and growing numbers of ungulates... Some thought and ACTION might be a good idea, before your bigger cities grow to be majority voting blocks and supersede common sense!

With the banning of this that and the other thing on the left coast, (hounds, cougar hunting, etc.) and with the efforts to reintroduce large predators like wolves and brown bears (in order to remove human hunters from the equation) you guys in states where the game department is still on your side might consider taking action NOW to prevent this kind of thing....

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisd...state-wildlife-agencies/?sh=79eeac212d3d


I wish we had language in place for this kind of thing in WA here. The apartment dwellers and subdivision kingdoms have long since taken over wildlife management here in Washington. You guys who are still free and can buy hunting opportunity over the counter be forewarned.

Get language put into your legislation that gives management power to the biologists, rather than the voters!

This is an incredibly important topic for hunters and gun owners. Its good articles are being written. Unfortunately, state agency biologist are going to be come a rarer and rarer as the new batch of public scientist will have a ton of woke clowns. Not all of them but a lot will be total clowns.

Our DNR makes decisions based on revenue.

I think TN is a constitutional right to hunt and fish state.

Used to manage deer for huntable numbers.
Now it's "Quality" ot The Environment".
[bleep]èrs aren't even consistent in their BS.

Total coincidence that almost every decision benifit$ some powerful lobby in this state.

Just like it's a coincidence that in-line manufacturers started advertising in or regulation book. 2 years before they created a season allowing in-lines.

Or, ads for crossbows appeared.
Being a damn genius, soothsayer, I forecast crossbows becoming legal. And they did.

My state is trying to do everything it can to minimalize Rifle hunting by allowing archery and muzzleloader hunters to preempt rifle season in Bucks, Does , and Bears

At the moment, I'm only concerned with OK and TX.
Both states have taken the initiative to pass legislation that protects hunting and fishing.
Probably wouldn't hurt to check and be certain it hasn't been amended or "blended" with something from the sinister left!

As long as you buy all the proper licenses, permits, stamps, etc. and be mindful to obey all the everchanging regulations.

MooseMike, I may not understand what you’re saying, you mean Rifle season is before bow and muzzle loader season in PA ?

At the moment, I'm only concerned with OK and TX.
Both states have taken the initiative to pass legislation that protects hunting and fishing.
Probably wouldn't hurt to check and be certain it hasn't been amended or "blended" with something from the sinister left!

I am surprised some animal rights wacko hasn't chimed in about the wholesale slaughter of the wild hog. After all just like wolves they are highly intelligent, live in family groups, and lovingly care for their young.

So far I haven't heard a word about protecting hogs, but the highly destructive horses and donkeys are stridently defended. As are wolves and lions.

There are white people braying like jack asses over the poor black livestock owners in Africa killing predators.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating the protection of feral swine.

Ours in Arkansas is based on politics. Fortunately we have lots of woods and water so they can't totally screw it up. The animals reproduce on their own.

Opposite. For archery.

He was a little off on muzzle loaders, we only get a crack at does before rifle.

Archery gets a good month before rifle season to kill deer.
And crossbows are legal.
They also get a bear season.


Muzzle loaders have been crapped on forever.
A season after Christmas, after a month of bow, 2 weeks of rifle.
Flintlock only, no optics, RB only until the early 2000s.

In-Line companies bought off the PGC, and they created a season for them. 1 week, late October. Does only.
It was created to sell guns and nothing else.

We still only get a chance to hunt bucks competing with modern guns, or after most have been killed. And we share our season with archers second 3 week season.


Sour grapes? Absolutely.

Flintlock has been my favorite hunting. I'd love to be able to hunt an early season for buck. With a flinter. .


I'd like to see a 3 week deer season.
Run what you brung.
Let everyone have the same crack.

Never happen, $$$, archery stamps are $17 and probably the best selling add on tag.

I know that Idaho is often accused of being revenue driven but you have to look at how they do things. For example, there are 2 late cow elk hunts near here. 2 yeas ago, each hunt had 2500 tags. This year, one hunt was reduced to 500 tags. The IDFG said that elk numbers had been too high for the capacity of the land so they thinned them out. When elk numbers reached their goal, they dropped the tags accordingly.
The other hunt was the same. Last year they dropped the tags from 2500 to 700. They said they'd reached their goals.
If they were strictly after the money, they sure wouldn't have dropped the tags so drastically.
When I was a kid, deer seasons were generally either sex. As hunter numbers grew, they had to make does draw hunts and eventually, most of the doe hunting is history now.
Resident tag prices are very reasonable, too. They're raised non-res prices, but what state hasn't? They haven't kept up with inflation, for sure.

Idaho had the additional problem of wolves being dumped on us. When wolves were delisted, the feds gave the IDFG orders to manage the wolves but no money to run a program. Idaho was able to sell tags, though. They kept the price way down, about $11 for a resident tag and around $30 for a non-resident. There's no limit on them as long as you have a tag for each wolf and seasons are year round in much of the state. They're cheap enough that many hunters buy 1 or more just in case. It generates some money to run the program.

When you have a biologist, they make decisions from their lazy Work-from-home climate controlled computer bubble.

It's even worse in KY. Archery deer season runs from September 2 to January 15. Modern gun season is a whopping 15 days in November.

If they could get away with it, they would probably make KY an archery only state. For some reason the KY Fish and Wildlife people are anti-gun.

Forgot to add, half of their public WMAs are 100% restricted from using modern gun as well. Bunch of Commies in charge.

Colorado fits into that picture. Management by revenue and politics.Gov Polis follows his liberal fans and pushed the wolf introduction and will more than likely push the ban on hunting cats.His appointments of the CPW Commissioners are pathetic.

Not all sir, I know some of ours and they spend countless hours in the field, not in their offices or homes. Hard to helicopter capture sheep from a computer, or do aerial counts.
Some of these states sounds depressing, glad we live in Wyoming.

Our wildlife and fisheries in Louisiana does pretty well, overall, with the main exception being the re-introduction of the black bear in recent years. The general population was not allowed a say on this, as far as I know. A deer around here was already having to compete with the growing feral hog infestation and really did not need a new predator to worry with. Deer and duck hunters pay the bills around here, both with licenses and spending in the local economy. Putting the bear back in the game after a century of absence seems awfully short-sighted from the perspective of most hunters and landowners.

This.

Yep.

Well, I nean, what state......?

Missouri is still based mostly on biology/animal numbers.

But I have been hearing scuttlebutt about an organization called
The Missouri Deer Hunters Association trying to get legislation introduced that would end all hunting with dogs during all of the deer seasons in Missouri. Yes All, including hounds,bird dogs, duck dogs,etc..

Not sure if the rumor holds water or not and there website is schitt.
I don't have FB or any other socialist media to see what info they share on there.

The Idaho Fish & Game has a dilemma with elk depredation. Several times in the last few years they've had to thin out elk on private land because of the damage they're doing. The elk are only there at night and they use hired sharpshooters to do the shooting. They've been heavily criticized by hunters for not letting hunters shoot them instead of paying shooters. The problem is that nighttime thing. Idaho law prohibits hunting at night. Only the state legislature can change that so it's out of the IDFG's hands but they're the ones taking the heat.

In the same vein, it seems we have more bunny huggers getting degrees in wildlife management and going to work for the G&F departments, all the while trying their best to cut opportunities. Also, how many female game wardens have you seen lately?

Ain't that the truth.

Maine made some move to protect wintering yards in T,s
( unincorpated townships) long ago IIRC .
At least it was being talked about in 01 when I left.
Dunno.
Might or might not have gone down.



Rampant bush hogging of fallow overgrown AG Lease fields 8 9 years old have taken their toll also
Nesting, fawning, sanctuary areas on FTCKY.

Can't be near bottom of the DOD installation area improvement list like they were 5 or 6 years ago.
Never touched for decades and then all it took was for 1 GS 15 in charge going to his 1st conference and getting questioned and mud smeared on his face.

Our resident post Bio type blames it all on coyotes and raccoons from the comfort of his electronic bubble world safe space he has groomed for himself.
Don't talk loss of nesting, fawning, sanctuary fields to him.
He don't wanna hear that uncomfortable truth.
#gowiththeflowlackey....

Nice central park looking stuff now....


Desolation waste lands for wildlife in areas.
Those transition zones from heavy dense cover to mature hard woods ..
Primo spots to hunt.

Mostly mid back 40 areas and outside areas of the impact zones.


Same schit with suburb creep in Montgomery County.

All it takes is one generation riding the coattails of another generation thru inheritance to turn farm, cattle land, or woodland into desolation suburbia wasteland.

Rainshadow1: Since "my" state wildlife department (Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department!) incorporated the Montana State Parks Department a few years back their "agenda" (mission!) has drastically changed - for the worse!
The "state wildlife department" here has become a money scamming device that blatantly over-charges and has come up with numerous new scams to fleece Hunters and fishermen!
And to top that the "state wildlife department" here has put an emphasis on protecting and proliferating all manner of predators at EVERY turn - saying to hell with our once robust Mule Deer herds as just ONE example!
No "biology" to it - my states wildlife department is now run by woke libs and berkley type, birkenstock wearing liberal twits intent on fleecing Hunters and ignoring protecting Big Game.
Sad that.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

You can insert Colorado Wildlife department. Same as Montana.

Yep read the bios of the CoLorado CPW Comissioners

Yep, read the bios of the CoLorado CPW Comissioners

They hire brainwashed kids right out of college biology departments, so it's no wonder they are starting to turn into Leftist bunny hugger entities. I'll bet the percentage of actual hunters in these departments has plummeted in the last couple decades.

I can guarantee you they have! I saw it when I was in college as a Forestry major and we were told by the Wildlife Management professors in the mid 90’s that animal rights activists were trying to get into state DNR spots so they could make future decisions and stop/impact hunting. I see it here in AK and I see it on the Fed side as well. Of all the fisheries and wildlife biologists in the agency I work for now, only a handful hunt and fish. Most were raised in the city and are more interested in hiking, skiing, and hanging out at REI than hunting or fishing.

Glad you posted that about Missouri. I had not heard about The Missouri Deer Hunters Association. I don't agree with their agenda at all and am an avid deer hunter. Another thing I have noticed in our state is the magazine the conservation dept. puts out every month. There are fewer hunting related articles as time passes and more based on hiking, biking and other outdoor activities. We as hunters have paid the bill on much of what those folks can enjoy. Allot of politics are involved it seems.

I know one personally.

I have heard numerous complaints of being given tasks that required
a lot of work. Only to have their reports ignored, and policies instituted that countered the recommendations.





PGC really tipped their hand a decade ago regarding turkeys.

They decided that our flock could handle harvesting 2 Toms,
and our licenses came with 2 spring tags.

Then they discovered that they couldn't charge for it without the approval of the legislature.

And suddenly, we were told we couldn't kill 2 birds because they couldn't rap..........charge us more for it.


If that isn't solid proof of managing for dollars instead of wildlife
there isn't any.

Once the legislature had time to approve a fee for a second tag,
we were able to have a second tag.

Nail in the coffin!⚰️

We've had a female GW for the last few years around here. Seems WG&F along with most states are having retention issues for all GWs.

Like saddlesore mentioned, it goes a LOT deeper than fleecing and ignoring... Look at the bios of the commission members! WA is the same, all anti's and earth muffins. They're trying to manage humans out of the woods. It's leftist politics. They're going after hunters and gun owners by removing us from wildlife management.

Very true!

In WV we have generous seasons and limits for deer, bear, even the genuine wild boars we have. Lots of extra opportunities for seniors and youth. Archery season, including xbows, for deer and bear opened Saturday, runs through Dec. 31. Dogs are legal for bear in some counties. This month, I’ll have six days when I can hunt does and bears with firearms, and during the two senior days, Fall Turkey is also in. Basically, from Sept.30-Dec.31, I have the chance to hunt big game every day with one thing or the other, and four more days in January with sidelock MLs or stick bows. If crossbows and inlines have negatively affected the hunting here, I can’t see it, and the generous limits we have support that. There are no draws, just a small fee for the Bear Damage Stamp, and as a geezer I don’t even need to buy that; it’s part of my lifetime license, as is my fishing license and Trout Stamp.

Still early in the season, but it seems I see fewer hunters on my WMA than previously, even during the firearms deer season. I have run into some from nearby MD, PA, and even VA, maybe because of our regs allow doe harvest during the buck season in most places, or just the easy access to our WMA from nearby areas where access is difficult otherwise. After the first few days, pressure drops to almost nothing, and there are lots of days when I have the whole place to myself.

Pappy, if the political environment is right, then NOW is the time to encourage your politicians to make legislation that will prevent the voters from managing wildlife (in the future.)

That's where the leftists get their stick the whack us with. They lead the voting sheep around to do their bidding. They don't have to use the truth, they get what they want, call it the greater good, and stride happily across your traditions and rights.

You might be in a good spot, but your grandkids might lose dogs, firearms, over-the-counter tags, numbers of deer lost to protected and "re-introduced" predators, etc etc etc. Prevent it NOW if you still can!

Dog pile on KDFW being revenue driven. Spent our tax dollars to build an elk herd in a 12 county area. Got the herd built. Now number of ELK tags drawn each year has been DROPPING while the KDFW continues to EXPORT ELK to surrounding states for $$$$'s.

Two years ago when they televised the elk lottery draw, the azzholes had the nerve to say that there were only 5 people in the entire state who had applied for an elk tag every year they were available, and had not been drawn. I called Bullchit. I knew double that number of family and friends who had applied each year and never been drawn. Last year, they walked it back and said there were only about 100 people. To which I also called BS. But, liars gonna lie.

In KY, outfitters have the vast majority of the prime elk habitat leased up. Unless you live in, or have family in, the elk zone, your only choice for a decent probability hunt is to hire an outfitter. Daughter drew a December cow tag 6 or 8 years ago. Daughter and SIL made 3 trips scouting public land with help of a work buddy (3 weekends of gas, food, lodging). Saw plenty of elk sign. During season, saw nothing. Fourth day, based on a tip, they cornered the local Conservation Officer. He admitted that KDFW had come in between seasons and trapped and relocated 20-30 elk to another state. "She could apply to Frankfort to have the cost of her elk tag refunded, if she was not successful."

I think Forbes archived the article.

What a fugging scam. And yet every year that host on their TV program takes some goober that supposedly won a tag somewhere with one of the game wardens, and said goober nails a monster while the camera is rolling. Funny how that happens.

And NM is a leader in this type of thinking, I believe.