Brainstorm Solutions for the Western "Tag Crisis"

[BuckSmasher]

Whereas
* We all know that western elk and deer tags are getting harder to get.
* Western hunting has surged in popularity the last 10-15 years,

Multiple threads going on about how fish and game departments are navigating what we are seeing with hunt opportunity. Lot of threads about the first Idaho non-res draw, Idaho kicking around short range weapons only, Montana cutting deer tags, etc. Here are a few ideas I have about how to help solve the crisis. Rokslide is a big community and I am sure we are more vocal to our respective agencies than most. If these ideas are good maybe they could get implemented?

1. Antler point restrictions. I was just starting to hunt CO as a kid when they instituted antler point restrictions. Theoretically an agency could issue an unlimited number of buck/bull tags and not worry about eliminating all males. Obvious con is that issuing unlimited tags crowds the woods.

2. Higher price. This one is super controversial and as an American without my own yacht or private jet and likes to hunt out of state I feel this one to. However, balancing price with demand could very well help your average Jimmy and Joe that wants to be able to plan on having a fun hunt every once in a while. What I mean is, would your average Joe want to pay $2k and come home with a dead elk or $900 and not lay eyes on a legal animal? Using Idaho as an example, your average guy is would get a better value paying $2k for a Diamond Creek zone tag than getting a Lolo or Selway tag for half that. Con to this one is turning hunting 'more into rich mans sport' and possibly it getting so way out of hand that we see a situation like LandOwner tags in CO and NM. A lot of which are $10+. So maybe not completely free market but better balanced than they are now.

3. Habitat Focus. States have the ability to set all kinds of policy that could benefit wildlife. Like requiring new development to account for critical habitat, (i.e. something like how wetlands banking is done?) zoning, etc.

What else did I not think of?

 

[Chris in TN]

The largest landowner in the western US should do right by its stakeholders and start charging for access.

 

[nphunter]

Weapon restrictions! More traditional archery, more straight case & open site rifle seasons. We all dream of the good ole days, well that’s what they were using back then. Antler, width or some kind of age restriction needs to happen.

As long as we are using shooting animals at 1/2 mile away or 100+ yards with a bow harvest rates will go up and tat numbers will go down. Not that long ago archery success was very minimal across the board, now it’s similar to rifle success in many units.

Obviously predators, habitat encroachment, vehicle collisions are all playing a major role in herd health but those things aren’t going away and will likely get worse. Personally I don’t really notice a huge decline in numbers as much as I’ve see a huge decline in age class.

Numbers defiantly have declined since the 80’s and 90’s when I was a kid but we aren’t hunting does so reducing tags will have very little effect on age class.

Increasing cost will only change the demographic of who is able to hunt, it’s not going to help age class at all. If anything guys will likely shoot any deer after dumping more money to justify the huge expense and not wanting go home open handed.

 

[Steve300xcw]

It's a crisis now?

 

[Customweld]

The largest landowner in the western US should do right by its stakeholders and start charging for access.

Do that and watch how fast support for the states taking over federal ground goes up. It wasn't that far from being voted for transfer this year.

 

[Customweld]

It's a crisis now?

Apparently it is.

 

[Steve300xcw]

Apparently it is.

Sad really. "I dont get a tag every year that lets me go enjoy my hobby"......."We only saw 130" bucks this year, where are all the 140" bucks?" Its a crisis!!

Yes I know that wasnt said in this thread, but it's hinted around enough on here. Oddly enough its by the same guys who will shoot a dink because thats the best they could find due to last winters kill etc etc.

 

[Maverick1]

 

[Maverick1]

 

[Wrench]

Perhaps some urban dirtbag tags would suffice. I think a tree stand on a power pole over a bait bike sounds like a money maker.

 

[sndmn11]

Antler point restrictions are a farse. It isn't a coincidence that Colorado's "trophy" elk units don't have them, and Colorado mule deer populations have rebounded when they were removed. A proportional age class of animals needs to be killed in order for there to be a healthy population. *I have zero scientific peer-reviewed information to support this*
I would be interested to learn if Utah's spike only hunts also occur in their trophy units.

The best answer is to cater to residents with annual opportunity, taken from non-residents so that they are hunting once every several years. Everyone has a home state, and therefore nobody would be getting the short end of the stick.

 

[Maverick1]

 

[Steve300xcw]

 

[Chris in TN]

Do that and watch how fast support for the states taking over federal ground goes up. It wasn't that far from being voted for transfer this year.

Support from who?

The few tens of thousands of hunters? What percentage of us engage in consumptive uses of federal lands?

 

[Ten Bears]

the easy solution is adding more big game to the eastern states.

in my state of the Michigan the elk herd is stuck at 1500-2000 head because the state feels like farmers and auto accidents will go up-not kidding. we could easily support 50K elk.

crap we used to have a caribou herd and healthy moose population but those animals don’t matter.

instead we have have unsuccessfully tried to bring back grayling and let the wolf population explode…

 

[Q_Sertorius]

The solution to this “crisis” is to make everyone who wants to get an elk or deer tag fill a wolf or two coyote tags the previous year. And let folks sell “completed” wolf and coyote tags.

️

 

[wind gypsy]

the easy solution is adding more big game to the eastern states.

in my state of the Michigan the elk herd is stuck at 1500-2000 head because the state feels like farmers and auto accidents will go up-not kidding. we could easily support 50K elk.

crap we used to have a caribou herd and healthy moose population but those animals don’t matter.

instead we have have unsuccessfully tried to bring back grayling and let the wolf population explode…

Elk in row crop country will always lose out to big ag.

 

[wind gypsy]

It's not that complicated. Prioritize resident opportunity and build season structures that allow animals a sporting chance to not get killed.

 

[Customweld]

Support from who?

The few tens of thousands of hunters? What percentage of us engage in consumptive uses of federal lands?

Maybe you underestimate the desire the western states' politicians have to liquidate federal ownership into state hands.

 

[Mcribs]

Better season structures for better survival.

Hunt local and charge NRs enough to balance the scales. There’s a few people that go out of state on the cheap. They are the exception. The majority of NR are dropping a fraction of their budget on the tag. Fact (but I can only prove it by looking at the out of state rigs I see.)

In the Eastern state I lived in I got 6 deer tags, EVERY year. What gives me the right to go get cheap tags out West? People in lots of Western states will struggle to draw a tag while the commissions do idiotic things like sell under priced tags to NRs while screwing over the residents.