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From: marko@hutch (Mark O'Shea)
Newsgroups: rec.hunting
Subject: Re: Question on Oregon Elk hunting.
Message-ID: <497@erb1.engr.wisc.edu>
Date: 5 Apr 91 12:40:52 GMT
References: <489@erb1.engr.wisc.edu>
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In article <489@erb1.engr.wisc.edu> ralphk@hpcvra.cv.hp.com (Ralph Kinser) writes:
>
>Oregon normally has two general seasons in which you can rifle hunt
>for Bull Elk. This is for either Rocky Mountain or Roosevelt Elk.
>You must pick which type of Elk(by region) and which season you
>want to hunt. This year the Rocky Montain Elk seasons are Oct. 30-
>Nov. 3 and Nov. 9-17. (sorry, I don't have the Roosevelt dates with
>me) This year Oregon closed all First season Rocky Mountain Elk
>hunts to the general public. You can hunt First season only by
>permit. The permits are issued by drawing and the quanities are
>limited. However, most of the Rocky Mountain Elk regions closed
>for First season are open to the general public for second season,
>there are no limits on tags(other than non-resident) that I am
>awhere of. My question is "What is the benifit of having a limited
>number of hunters in the First season if there is no limit on tags
>for the Second season hunt?". Does anyone know the reason or have
>a good guess?
>
>regards
>Ralph 

A few years ago The F&G did a study with the idea of balancing hunter
desires, game management and (unspoken but nonetheless true) income
>from tags.

The hunters overwhelmingly preferred controlled hunts (permit only)
with closed areas and closed roads.  The following year ~1984.  Most
of the first seasons became controlled.  Soon, I believe, all elk
hunting will be controlled only.

The idea is that the elk are easier to get in the first season.  By
the time the second season rolls around they are naturally in smaller
herds (the rut is well past) and generally spooked from the first
hunt.  So limit the number of first season hunters

The F&G in order to maximize income will always try to leave a few
areas open to all comers so that hunters who don't draw can still buy
a tag (most important) and go out to enjoy a hunt.  Even if it is
overcrowded.

I am not defending the policies of the F&G.  I know what happened as a
result of the study and how the bureaucratic minds work in the F&G.
The head of the ODFW is not a game biologist.  He was is a bureaucrat
with no prior F&G dept experience.  That is my view of how they work
based on what I know and observe.

May the sun always be at your back and the wind in your face.
Mark O'Shea
marko@ijf1.intel.com