Wyoming slashed NR Western Wy tags?

[robby denning]

Anyone hear this?
Vandal1 was getting me all caught up on research today as I haven't done any since Rokslide got up. Apparantly Wyoming cut G and H tags NR quite a bit!

Anyone else up on this?

David Long- good year to have that tag if you draw.

 

[ScottR_EHJ]

I haven't heard this, but I have heard that there are some changes coming to mule deer management on the Western Side. This may be a start to it.

 

[orionthehunter1]

Yeah they cut a bunch of tags there is a post about it on monster muleys

 

[gil_wy]

They need to do something statewide... Our herds are in trouble everywhere...

 

[dcestnik]

Still a ton of residents hammering it. Most friends I've talked to from my hometown(Rock Springs) would welcome G being limited quota until an improvement is made. I've also heard D going limited quota for 2013 and the people were saying it with certainty. Time will tell.

I was hoping they'd slash NR G tags anyways. With my points I should still be safe to draw.

 

[a3dhunter]

they need to limit region d, hunted there a few years ago and saw nothing but small bucks. saw over 100 bucks with over 90 being forked horn or smaller during one week of hunting.

 

[dcestnik]

Sounds like a similar experience had in 66. Seen a ton of deer but all dinks. Probably could do a lot better now knowing the area more. Everyonce in a while someone pulls a monster out.

 

[bearguide]

at all the public meetings held by the game and fish, everyone was asking for some sort of restrictions to help the poor deer out. cutting tags was one of there choices

 

[In God We Trust]

I am glad the G and F is doing something about the declining deer numbers. I would rather have to wait a couple of extra years to hunt a unit as a nonresident and it be a good hunt then Wyoming just keep selling tags and setting good Mule deer country back 10 years.

 

[robby denning]

Thanks for updates.

I'm glad they are taking some steps to improve. However, I'd ask this:

1) Cutting out a few hundred NR and leaving Res unlimited, there may not be much of a net effect. AND G&F is losing way more revenue when they limit NR and not Res.

2) In 25 years of participating in deer management debates, I've heard this hundreds of times: "I'd rather wait a couple of extra years to hunt if I could have a good hunt, rather than hunt every year and not see much."

I will go out on a limb and say this doesn't pan out in the real world. As soon as hunitng improves in a limited quota unit, the draw odds get so bad that you won't get to hunt it every few years but maybe once in 20 years. Examples:

-Idaho's unit 44/45/ and virtually all of our late buck hunts. When the late hunts were created in '91, we all thought "great, I'll get to hunt a quality hunt every few years" ha ha- in 20 years I've never drawn a good one. Had better success when the general season was longer.

-Wyoming units 101/102- can't hardly draw now and they aren't fantastic units. Went to limit quota in 80's if memory serves me well.

-Colorado units 54/55/67/66/44/21/30 on and on. Yes, you can get a archery, muzz, or 2nd season tag, but the odds on the third season are worse than sheep tags in some states.

-Utah Pauns, Henry Mountians, Elk Ridge (and Book Cliffs heading that way)- enough said

-Montana unit 300- horrible draw odds in a mediocre-at-best draw unit formerly general season

-AZ late strip and Kaibab tags- always were tough to draw, but now IMPOSSIBLE for non-max-point NonRes since AZ put those units under their quality deer managment strategies.

Not saying we shouldn't manage for quality at all, but I'm beginning to doubt the presumption of "I'll sit out a few years for a chance at a better hunt." Isn't happening in many units that were formally general or easy-to-get hunts. Too much demand for high quality hunts. Statistically can kill more big bucks in average units you can hunt every year.

Like my friend Mark G. from Rock Springs says: "by the time a draw unit gets good, you can't draw it!"

My 2 cents or less.

 

[VANDAL]

Here's the link with the new changes...quota's are on pages 11-12. Looks like it will be final once the Governor signs.

http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/Departments/Hunting/pdfs/REGULATIONS_CH6_DMAY20120002130.pdf

 

[robby denning]

G was already at record low NR numbers and now likely going lower....

This will help IF the residents don't take up the slack. My experience in Wyoming has been the residents are pretty hard core compared to other states as far as getting in where the bucks are, so I wonder about how well just limiting NR will help.

Glad I'm not an outfitter on that side of the border.

 

[Muleyhunter92]

Robby your on the same page as me. I've killed most of my good bucks on Idaho general season units. Yes, the limited entry units have more big bucks, but I've never had a chance at hunting one, put in for eighteen years for an Idaho LE tag never drew. Went to putting in for sheep, better odds!

 

[david long]

Robby.....yes, I think it may be a good year to have the tag....we will see.

While cutting the NR tags is a step in the right direction, they will not accomplish much as long as the resident tags are unlimited.

 

[Evan Williams]

Glad to hear that Wyoming is taking the steps to improve their Mule Deer but I agree completely with David...it isn't going to do any good with resident tags being unlimited. And that goes for ANY state trying to rebound Mule Deer numbers.

 

[robby denning]

Muleyhunter92- I can tell you've been through the school of hard knocks.

The great thing is if you can kill a good buck on the general hunt, you will be very prepared if you ever pull a draw tag.

 

[Muleyhunter92]

Thanks Robby, there's a lot of satisfaction in looking behind you at a set of antlers rocking back and forth on a pack horse, knowing you beat the odds on a general season tag!

 

[J-Daddy]

Well that's probably gonna ruin my chances of drawing in "H" next year then...I understand them cutting Non-Res back but at the same time if they are gonna do that they need to limit Res tags too...We go through the same crap in Iowa with whitetails, hard for Non-Res to draw and expensive "for a whitetail tag", but the Iowa DNR let's the resident Party hunting go on and like 1 DNR officer for every 3-5 counties...I know certain people in Iowa who shot around 10 bucks during shotgun season last year...Yes 1 person shot that many, get mom/grandpa/grandma/lil' bro/sister/ or whoever to buy a tag and tag it in..Stupid ass laws.
If they really want to help the deer population in certain areas they need to limit tags on everyone, not just those of us who have to draw a limited number of tags to begin with.

 

[JP7]

Like everyone has stated I'm happy to hear that steps are being taken in Wyoming to help the deer population, but like everyone else has said I believe that resident tags need to be limited as well. I'm a Wyoming native and grew up in region G so I would really love for the deer population to increase. It would be kind of a bummer to not be able to grab a general tag and hunt every year, but the trade off of a larger population and hopefully healthier herds with some more of the hammer bucks that region is capable of is worth it in my opinion.

 

[robby denning]

If G was managed well AND winters cooperated, it would become one of the premiere areas in the West- incredible genetics, habitat.