buck slayer69

I live around the willapa hills. and the deer population has declined rapidly since the outlawed dogs for cougar and bear. We have had some hair loss problems, but cougars are rapidly increasing in numbers. i am disapointed in the last 3-4 of hunting. i hardly see anything. let alone to shoot. i also think we need to change it to 2 point or better. and no doe permits.

Have 2 Hunt

Yes, It's not just the Willapa Hills. I live in and hunt deer in the Satsop unit and hunt elk in the Williams Creek unit and deer in both units are taking a beating from the cats.

BrushChimp

I live right near buck_slayer69 and the deer population in the Williapa Hills Unit is down drastically from past years. It's terrible hunting. You used to see 20-40 deer per day. Now your lucky to see one (not counting deer in farmers fields). The WDFW needs to enforce a 2 pt. minimum restriction as buck_slayer69 said. Half the bucks I've heard of killed this Modern Firearm season so far have been spikes. I'm 16 and will refuse to shoot spikes. You think these adults could do the same, eh?

slee

It's a mentality that isn't easy to change. People spend a lot of time and money to hunt each year in this state. They think they need to shoot the 1st thing that comes by that's legal, but then they complain that the deer numbers are down(not referring to you guys). You can't convince people to do what you are asking, so it HAS to be regulated by game laws. They needed to step up in eastern WA and make it 3pt or better and give out a lot of doe permits just about everywhere. Instead they were too concerned with public input instead of good management strategies and caved to the public. I don't understand why the WDFW won't admit the cats are getting more plentiful. They need to step up and grow a pair. Sometimes doing what's right means going against the populous. I guess they don't want to make their anti-hunter bosses mad.[:@]

Rich Baker

The only big game animal we saw in starky unit

PacNWhunter

Slee, here in eastern Wa. they do have a 3 pnt min. for all mule deer, and I know in my area the enforce it. Also Starting Dec. 1st there will be cougar hunting with the use of hounds under a new program that the state and local authorities have worked out. Tags will be on a drawing basis. This hunt will run till March and is for the northeastern part of the state, check the WDFW web site for details. The reason for the hunt is because, at least here the WDFW does feel there are too many cats.

slee

Pac,
I was referring to the whitetail season over in the eastern corner. When you have as many deer as they do, the ONLY way to manage the herd is to remove the does and limit the buck harvest to older bucks. Why they didn't do the "B" tags in all units over there I don't know. Over by Wayne's place, he wasn't in one of the "B" tag areas, yet I counted over 30 deer in one evening from one spot. That is a deer problem.

As far as the cougar issue, they are appeasing the people of eastern WA because they threatened to handle the issue themselves. They(WDFW) actually stated that the cougar population was down over there. But they had their hand called by the citizens of those communities, and had to $h!+ or get off the pot. I don't feel it was their idea at all.

8x8bull

too bad we cant get some of you cougar hunters here in CALI because they are chewin up everyone here.

metalback

Nice Cat!!!!! How'd you prop his head up so alert? Good pitcher!!!!!