ODFW is a joke.

[jmad_81]

Nobody is going to donate to a fund to hire a state trapper to do what hunters would gladly pay to do. This is embarrassing. What a waste of taxpayer money.

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/news/2011/de ... 122811.asp

 

[SJB358]

Man, don't try lowering the prices of licenses, just ask for more money! Jeeze, if these states would lower their license costs, I bet that would sweeten the deal for more out of staters to get there and help out... It's funny what they think is the right thing to do is?

 

[DrMike]

Programs that begin by asking for donations have a way of evolving into programs that take moneys. When it becomes apparent that the fifteen dollars donated each year by unwary neophytes don't quite amount to what the bureaucrats hoped, it will become a mandatory fee (otherwise known as a tax).

 

[JD338]

Wow, I agree with Scotty and Mike.

Why not offer a low cost predator/small game license and incentivise hunters to take predators.

JD338

 

[jmad_81]

Tags are pretty cheap. Bear and cougar tags are $14.50 I believe. But they don't issue enough bear tags, and we can't hunt cats or bears with bait or dogs. But the state has hired a bunch of guys to go hunt cats for them, with dogs! They could make a big dent in their budget if they would allow hunters to use dogs, and charge 3X the price for tags. I bet they would sell more cat tags that way. After a few years of propper predator control they could maybe up some of the deer and elk tag numbers and generate more income.

I don't believe that it is the price of the tag that is limiting the number of predators taken. I have heard stories of poeple killing 50 bears a spring up where I hunt bears. So there are a lot of bears getting shot with or without tags, why not give more tags. I have spent a fair amount of time in the woods, and have not once, have I ever laid eyes on a cougar. They are so much harder to find and control. Without the use of dogs, a cougar population can't be controlled (IMO, but I'm not a biologist).

 

[DrMike]

Yes, Jake, but that assumes they truly want to encourage hunting. I suspect that Portland controls the rest of the state, just as Vancouver and Victoria controls British Columbia. People that are detached from nature have no concept of proper management. All they want is a feel good policy that allows them to "coo" and "ah" over cute cougar and bears and coyotes.

 

[jmad_81]

Yes, Jake, but that assumes they truly want to encourage hunting. I suspect that Portland controls the rest of the state, just as Vancouver and Victoria controls British Columbia. People that are detached from nature have no concept of proper management. All they want is a feel good policy that allows them to "coo" and "ah" over cute cougar and bears and coyotes.

YOU NAILED IT!

 

[Guest]

The whole idea behind the folks in the city managing wildlife when their only view of it is the National Geographic Channel, will result in more of this:

Our family started hiking because of one of my husband’s brilliant ideas. We often do new things because of his brilliant ideas.

"We should climb Mount Washburn today."

"What? We don’t know anything about climbing mountains in this part of the country. I haven’t even read about that in my books."

"Well, you read your books. I’m getting dressed and I’ll buy us some lunch."

So while my husband was getting ready, I read.

"Hm, Mount Washburn is about the same distance a hike as Hadley Mountain and about the same change in elevation. Hmm, from the top, you can see not only Yellowstone National Park, but also the whole Grand Teton mountain range to the south. Hmmm, there are two kinds of bears, black bears AND grizzly bears. Hmmmm, bears have never been known to attack parties of 5 of more. We’re just a party of 3 – I’ve got to talk to a ranger!"

So I got dressed and went over to the ranger station. There was a line to talk to the rangers behind the counter. But I noticed a ranger over to the side. He was pretty cute, and he had just answered someone else’s questions. So I went over to him.

"Could you answer a couple of questions about Mount Washburn?"

"Sure, ma’am."

"MA’AM ?!?," I thought.

"I read in my guide book about bears not attacking parties of 5 or more. I’m going to be hiking with just my husband and our 9-year-old son. I know Mount Washburn is a popular hike, so we should be OK. But do you have any suggestions to help us?"

"Well, ma’am, I think you should buy some bear bells for hikers. They’re two big jingle bells on a leather thong that you attach to your backpack. That way, you’ll always be making noise and not startle any bears. Usually the bears go the other way when they hear noise."

"Oh, can I get the bells here?"

"Sure, ma’am, they sell them in the store."

"Is there anything I should get?"

"Well, today, ma’am, I’d suggest you also get some pepper spray, sort of bear mace, just in case."

"Aaah, why the pepper spray today?"

"Well, ma’am, a grizzly bear has been sighted on Mount Washburn, NOT on the main path, but a couple of miles further into the back country. And that grizzly doesn’t seem to go the other way when he hears people. We’re keeping an eye on him – he might need to be captured and relocated to the back of the park."

"Oh, ah, I see. Jingle bells and pepper spray. Anything else?"

"Well, ma’am you could do us a big favor."
"I could? How?"

"Well, ma’am, when you’re hiking, if you find any bear scat on the trail, it would be good if you could tell if it were black bear scat or grizzly bear scat. It would help us learn more about that grizzly."

"You want me to poke around bear scat??? I mean, I’ve dissected an owl pellet with my son, when wearing gloves, but scat ???"

"Oh ma’am, you won’t have to poke around the scat. I can teach you how the difference real easy."

"OK, I guess. So what does black bear scat look like?"

"It has nuts and berries and other vegetable matter in it."

"OK, so how is grizzly bear scat different?"

"That’s easy, ma’am. Grizzly bear scat has bells in it,

and it smells of pepper."

 

[backcountryhunter]

Man ! You hit on a pet peeve of mine - For the past 5 years I volunteered fulltime, mostly at hatcheries here in Oregon (just quit within the past 10 months)- Last year I accidentally forwarded a wolf email to the volunteer coordinator at ODFW (it was an honest oversight on my part) and within 2 days I was called into the manager's office and sternly talked to about the potential of my being banned from VOLUNTEERING - I was also told in no uncertain terms, to my face, by the hatchery manager that "THE DEPARTMENT IS PRO-WOLF, PERIOD"

THAT, coupled with what I saw in spending and the way "the dept" treats it's working people gave me an entirely NEW perspective on "Oregon politics"

 

[6mm Remington]

There are lots of hunters and sportsmen who already would love a chance to harvest a bear or mountain lion. There is no need to pay someone to do the job that people themselves would pay to have the opportunity to do. It just makes no sense, but then when does making sense come into play in some of the decisions these agency's make?

 

[backcountryhunter]

Agreed ! "common sense ain't all that common any more"

 

[onesonek]

"can't fix stupid" comes to mind