Game management

[BigJon]

Originally Posted by surhuntsalot

A few years ago when there was a severe winterkill in the Peace Country, and claims reported of up to 80% in some areas, licences alloted went virtually unchanged. Does this mean the winterkill wasn't that sever ? Was the original amount of tags much lower than it could have been ? Did someone drop the ball and forget to reduce the amount of tags given out ?

I spoke with some F&W staff regarding this topic and what I heard is that they didn't want to be too quick to cut tag numbers b/c all it would take is a good winter and spring and mule deer #s would have been through the roof again causing all the same headaches as before. Seemed logical to me. There were, and still are plenty of mule deer to be found up here....not as many as 2005, 2006 but I don't think that's a bad thing.

It's interesting how 6 years ago many hunters complained that there is just too many damn muley does and no good bucks....now after some years of aggressive antlerless tag numbers many hunters complain that all the mule deer are gone. 'Round and 'round we go.

I too have more faith in our wildlife bios to trust that they are not creating situations to keep themselves employed.

I also like to get together with my hunting buddies and complain about how descisions made by "dem gov'ment folks" aren't the best for me and my personal interests, but I can live with that, the resource is managed for more than just me.

Some earlier posts also hit the nail on the head that Fish and Wildlife needs more funding to conduct more surveys. I think this is very important. I also think that habitat degradation, loss, fragmentation (pick one) is and will continue to contribute to more lost opportunities than what some speculate as "mismanagement."

well, that's my piece...

[shedcrazy]

It may just be my opinion, but the need for Biologists is greatly increased when Fish & Wildlife populations are in trouble. In a time where SRD is greatly underfunded, and any jobs deemed "Not Necessary" are quickly axed, do you think that some of these decisions may be made more out the thought of Job Security rather than whts best for our wildlife populations ? If our wildlife populations are doing great, it is a lot tougher to justify spending the $$$ to moniter it... Hence the concept that "Influx = Work"...

You can't really believe that??? Just insult every SRD Bio out there. No wonder they hardly post on this site.
Game managemant is very complex and hunters are just one piece of the puzzle so no matter if the population is high or low there is work to be done. Hunters tend to think they are the only ones that are affected by wildlife populations and that is just not the case.
In all honesty game management is a very small part of their job now a days...most of their time is processing OG development. The way development is going in Alberta they will be busy for a while....

[RayM77]

Originally Posted by sheephunter

So you are saying that average hunters with no training in wild ungulate management are better able to manage our game populations than trained professionals? Come on. I totally agree that SRD does not always get it right and are sometimes slow to react but once we start relying on armchair management in this province, I think our game populations are doomed. If you don't want to fill your three tags that's totally your right but I don't see a need to denegrate anyone that does.....because most often, it is the right thing to do.

I am saying that the avarage hunter can use there common sense. If your hunting in an area that you used to see a hundred head of deer in and the next year after a bad winter your seeing ten or fifteen you dont have to be a trained professional to figure out that there is a reduction in the population. As hunters we do the leg work of game management and we might not be experts but most of us can tell the changes that are happening in our hunting areas and know what the right or wrong thing to do is(if they care about our wildlife).

[surhuntsalot]

Originally Posted by shedcrazy

You can't really believe that??? Just insult every SRD Bio out there. No wonder they hardly post on this site.

I did not intend to insult EVERY bio out there... Undoubtably there are good, and genuine individuals out there doing the best they can with what they have... I still believe that there are also individuals that may not always choose the best for our wildlife.... If there is factual evidence that they have to back things up, I would be happy if they would post here and remove all doubt as to why things are done the way they are....

Just like sayin All RCMP are good.... Then you see one kicken the crap out of some handcuffed guy in a Laclabiche jail...

Then one has to accept that MOST of them are good...

Originally Posted by Stinkhammer

I am saying that the avarage hunter can use there common sense. If your hunting in an area that you used to see a hundred head of deer in and the next year after a bad winter your seeing ten or fifteen you dont have to be a trained professional to figure out that there is a reduction in the population. As hunters we do the leg work of game management and we might not be experts but most of us can tell the changes that are happening in our hunting areas and know what the right or wrong thing to do is(if they care about our wildlife).

As I said, if you don't want to fill them, that's your right. Just don't criticize those that do

[pope]

I tracked down regional biologists in the past and asked for explanations- they were all super to deal with and gave their reasoning. Still don't always agree, but I would rather depend on them than tailgate beer management. They also rely on stats and realize just because you have 3 tags doesnt mean you harvest 3 deer.

[BigJon]

Originally Posted by Stinkhammer

I am saying that the avarage hunter can use there common sense. If your hunting in an area that you used to see a hundred head of deer in and the next year after a bad winter your seeing ten or fifteen you dont have to be a trained professional to figure out that there is a reduction in the population. As hunters we do the leg work of game management and we might not be experts but most of us can tell the changes that are happening in our hunting areas and know what the right or wrong thing to do is(if they care about our wildlife).

You also don't have to be a trained professional to realize that there are more variables in the equation of population dynamics than what you are identifying.

I am not saying your idea is wrong though, I have practiced exactly what you are preaching and chose to hunt antlerless mulies in a different location rather than to take 1 of the 4 in an area where there were 20 the year prior. I am not a game manager, so I don't if that was a sound management descision or not but it makes me sleep at night.

[name]

we hunt in 200, every year there is less does, lots of little bucks. I don't think it should be a general tag for does. put it back to a draw, get a doe day every second year, and make it a general 3 point trophy buck zone