New Brooks Range sheep archery season

[Yellowknife]

Looks like the Board of Game just established a new archery sheep season in the Brooks. Aug 1-9. Prop 32.

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=gameboard.meetinginfo&date=01-10-2014&meeting=kotzebue

Idea was the spread the pressure out a bit. Curious what people think about that idea. It may slightly spread out the resident hunters (good), but it also added 10 days that the guides can book additional hunters which may just add to the overall pressure. And the truth is, the guided archery guys are about the only ones that have any regular success. I know the Fed's regulate the guides up there to a certain degree... does anybody know if that includes a limit on the number of hunters they are allowed to book in a season?

Oh... and you archery guys that were too late to book your flight into the Brooks this year might now have second chance. Good luck!

Yk

 

[60x]

thanks for the heads up YK may have to look at a brooks hunt...

I am not sure on the lands up north but you bring up an interesting question. I guided in several refuges and the feds are very strict and the areas I was in the harvest was limited to a certain number of critters harvested. But your question is one that I would have to look into... does it mean you can over book until harvest is met...hmm dont really know.. I sure hope not but there are lots of bad apples out there to look for loopholes.. I do hope lots of residents take advantage of this great oppurtuinity...

 

[luke moffat]

That is awesome!!! I'm working but a longer sheep season isn't a bad thing

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Bambistew]

I'm a bit confused as to what was approved. The proposal stated "Arctic and Western Regions", but reading further into it the proposer wanted to included all "northern and north-central units." The BOG approved it for Region V (Arctic and Western Regions), which is 18, 22 23 and 26A. There are no sheep in 18 or 22. 23 is a draw (no permits issued this year) and 26A has minimal area to hunt outside the park.

I honestly can't imagine there being more than 1-2 bow hunters utilizing these areas each year, and absolutely no reason to give them their own season. in 2012 there was a total of 16 hunters in 26A...

I sincerely hope they didn't intend to approve this for the entire Brooks Range. IMO, It will not alleviate hunting pressure but will increase it. If you want to reduce pressure make the bow hunters choose a bow hunting or rifle permit, or many will do both... Think about it, you're a NR paying $15,000 for a sheep, or even a resident... you get to have the mountain to yourself for a week, then when you can't fill your tag, you stick around for a few days and try with a rifle. You just increased hunting pressure by selling the solitude of an archery hunt, which carried into rifle season. We don't need to increase hunting pressure, and surely don't need to increase harvest.

Bad idea unless you make the bow hunters only hunt the bow season.

I will be citing approved "issue" portion of the proposal of it in the near future

 

[Snipershirt]

Typically I can only get 7-10 days off to hunt and if I have an opportunity to do it starting 1 Aug then I'll be one less hunter come the 10th to crowd the place.

Of course this would mean more guided hunters over a longer season thus an overall increase of non-resident hunters in the area.

 

[Ray]

Looking into the ADFG comments the Board has a committee looking at all sheep proposals state wide. There was nothing actually approved by the "carried" forward vote during the meeting in Kotz.

So, maybe in March there will be something that comes out of this.

What is interesting is that there are additional state wide proposals for March requesting a definition of "full curl" that is consistent across all biologist and troopers. And the troopers want a definition of "broken" in the sheep rules. Proposals 169, 170, 171. Proposals 170 and 171 were authored by someone that might know something about ram judging. In 171 the author comes across as kind of mad.

 

[Yellowknife]

I'm confused about that also. Wish I could have listened in. I assume it was passed for the entire range, as that was clearly the intent of the author.

Am also not a all convinced this is going to reduce pressure even a tiny bit (which was the reason given for the proposal). The limiting factor on residents for most of the Brooks is simply the amount of hunters the transporter can fit into the first week of the season. This just adds some additional people to the front end of that guides and transporters can put on the ground. Will it effect the sheep? Probably not. Archery success rates are very poor. Will it make them feel pressure before the regular season opens? Likely some. Depends on the number of archery hunters that actually want to do this.

I haven't hunted the Brooks, so I'm not at all sure if this is good, bad, or indifferent. I do seriously doubt that it will accomplish the stated intent.

Yk

 

[Yellowknife]

Looking into the ADFG comments the Board has a committee looking at all sheep proposals state wide. There was nothing actually approved by the "carried" forward vote during the meeting in Kotz.

So, maybe in March there will be something that comes out of this.

Ray,

C = Carried = Passed. Look at all the other proposals and you will see what I mean. CA = Carried as Amended, which this one didn't get.

If they meant to defer it to a later meeting, you would have seen "D" for Deferred.

The committee on sheep proposals is just starting up, and won't have findings until the 2015 cycle.

Yk

 

[Yellowknife]

I'm a bit confused as to what was approved. The proposal stated "Arctic and Western Regions", but reading further into it the proposer wanted to included all "northern and north-central units." The BOG approved it for Region V (Arctic and Western Regions), which is 18, 22 23 and 26A. There are no sheep in 18 or 22. 23 is a draw (no permits issued this year) and 26A has minimal area to hunt outside the park.

I honestly can't imagine there being more than 1-2 bow hunters utilizing these areas each year, and absolutely no reason to give them their own season. in 2012 there was a total of 16 hunters in 26A...

It dawned on me tonight what the deal was with this. Just checked and sure enough there is a twin proposal (Prop 47) that will come up before the BOG in February covering Region III (which includes the rest of the Brooks). I would assume they plan on passing it, or why would they have bothered passing the Region V one?

Again the author defines it as "northern and north central units", which sure leaves a lot up to interpretation in my mind. For instance, does that include GMU 25 (White Mts, YK-Tanana Uplands)?? I'll be watching this one with interest.


Yk

 

[R Miller]

I bet you're right. There is going to be a lot of two man teams carrying a bow and a rifle heading in for the new opener. Great for business if you own a Archery shop in AK, this will be a nice shot in the arm.

 

[Yellowknife]

Whoops. Looks like a false alarm caused by a typo. Yesterday it read like this:



This morning it was adjusted to read like this:



I really wasn't expecting any of the sheep proposals to pass, so this makes way more sense.

Yk

 

[luke moffat]

Good...they need to make it next season anyway when I can take advantage of it I have a snowballs chance in hell getting within bow range of a legal dall myself but it would atleast be hunting and scaring sheep for a few more days than normal.

 

[Akshphntr]

That's my feelings exactly. It would take a miracle for me to get a sheep with a bow but I'll take any excuse to spend more time in the mountains. Let's open some bow seasons...

 

[Snyd]

That's my feelings exactly. It would take a miracle for me to get a sheep with a bow but I'll take any excuse to spend more time in the mountains. Let's open some bow seasons...

Aug 10-Sept 20 bow only sheep area 10 miles wide, couple hundred miles long with a road right in the middle of it, harvest ticket. Been there since the 70's. Have you tried that one? Not to mention the rest of the state. Plenty of opportunity right now. Jump in your truck this August, take your bow and go find a ram!

The last thing we need is to open longer sheep seasons for anyone.

 

[Akshphntr]

Thanks for the challenge Snyd. As a fellow walk in hunter I value your advice. I actually have hunted that area two of the last three years. I haven't found a legal ram in the bow area yet and even if I did the bow makes the odds of harvest pretty low for me. But a great opportunity nonetheless, which is why I would support an expanded bow hunt. Keep up the good work!