So, the 5 year wait idea was put forward by AFGA and FNAWS? It does make you question their reasons if the population numbers do not show any problems. Now, examining our current system to see if things could be better - always a good idea for any game management strategy. But to make changes because of some other agenda, which you can't help think is at play, is just plain wrong!
Having said that, I see it has been said a couple of times now that changing our system slightly may help result in better balanced age structure for rams. Not sure if I said it first or not, but the idea I wrote down was that after the first or even second legal 4/5 ram, a hunter is still allowed to take another 4/5 ram. No change to that part of things and the one year wait would also be unchanged. If, however, the following rams taken are under 8 years of age the wait time before that hunter can hunt sheep again is increased (not sure how long, but longer) from the one year wait. The idea is to encourage hunters that have taken a few rams to hold out for larger, older rams. This should stop the every other year ram meat/cape hunter. The flaw in this system would be disputes in the aging of rams by the hunter and F&W.
So, if there is a problem with age structure of rams, this system could help. And, a problem I have seen written about here a number of times, it should stop the every other year meat/cape hunter from taking those younger rams. If they do they are penalizing themselves.
It was interesting a couple of years ago when my son was taking some biology courses at the U of C. The one theme that came up in a wildlife management course he took is that wildlife management is not rocket science - it is in fact much more difficult. This is the same thing we said in classes I took some years ago at the U of A. Wildlife management is difficult - rocket science is much simpler!
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