Well hopefully we all had a our say now. As has been pointed out I guess you can't look at every single area the same even though Muledeer are hurting throughout the west. I said your extreme plan because I didn't want anyone to hold back. So here is mine but let me state that I'm not a trophy hunter. I want healthy herds with decent buck to doe and bull to cow ratios but I want opportunity more than trophy bucks/bulls that I have to wait 15 years to get a tag to hunt. Healthy herds with good buck to doe and opportunity "how do you get that? Here are my extreme thoughts
which are like most of you with one exception that I'll point out last. Also some are forever rules and others could be eased once populations came back. I will capitalize thing I don't feel got much attention, NOT because they are more important but just to differentiate them. These are not listed in a particular order of importance either.
1. Reproduction - No doe hunts.
2. Predator Control - For states that have outlawed hunting cougars with hounds reinstate using hounds. Oregon changed to over the counter tags for cougars years ago and that hasn't done a damn thing, we need hounds back with harvest quotas like we use to have to help control these cats. Bring baiting back for Bears where it has become illegal. Bounty on coyotes funded by a sportsman's tax if necessary. Keep fighting to keep the hunting of wolves legal. WE ARE PREDATORS - CARRY OUT STIFFER PENALITIES THAT ARE ALREADY ALLOWED UNDER THE LAW IN MANY STATES FOR POACHING. IF YOU START TAKING PEOPLE TRUCKS AND RIFLES IT WILL STOP A LOT OF THEM.
3. Drain the swamp of fish and game - Sportsman by far put more $$ toward wildlife and wildlands. They need to remember our forest aren't zoos and need to be managed with large consideration to the groups that fund wildlife and wild places "hunters and fisherman" Get managers with the right priorities.
4. Habitat improvement - protect winter range, control noxious weed and overgrazing. Water projects in area's that need them. Eliminate CRP program. MORE ROAD CLOSERS
5. Traffic mitigation - More over/under passes/wildlife corridors. More blinking wildlife signs with stiff penalties for going to fast in them somewhat like school zones.
6. Age restriction - Not a perfect science as we know but I would go with at least a three points on one side 'not including brow tine" antler restriction.
7. Limit technology - No trail cameras, no drones, no ATV's or ebikes on roads that say closed to motorized vehicles. It varies per forest but some allow these behind closed gates, I would add more logging road closures. Last, this was mentioned by one or two people but I'm more of an advocate for it especially as human populations grow. MANY MORE PRIMITIVE WEAPONS UNITS UNTIL POPULATIONS INCREASE. I don't think we need to go muzzleloader but I would go a lot more units with traditional archery only during archery seasons and rifles can't have optics/scopes on them of any kind. I think you could let a lot more hunters in the field with the same impact on wildlife. I would rather be limited with what I hunt with and be able to go every year than be able to use whatever I want and only get to go every three years or more. I looked up the human population estimates for some muledeer states. Here are the rough increases from 1985 to present. CO 3.2mil to 5.9mil. Idaho 1mil to 2mil. UT 1.65mil to 2.8mil. WY 500K to 700K. MT 830K to 1.25mil. We have to do something?
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