I have tried on several occasions over the past month to answer the survey questionnaire on your website, but it does not provide an appropriate format for me to answer. The survey seems to
be directed toward hunters and trappers and does not provide the general public any opportunity to provide serious input. Like 95% of the citizenry of Washington, I neither hunt nor trap animals, yet your survey only allows for me to answer agree, disagree
or neutral – not an alternative to modify the regulations. By the time this survey is shared with the public, most of the most important decisions have been made and there is precious little input allowed. If I filled out the survey and answered “neutral”
to each of the questions, most of my comments would be the same as I am writing in this note.
The questions in the survey presuppose that the rules are fundamentally acceptable and participants can only agree or disagree whether they support the rather limited options that are offered.
There is no ability to challenge the underlying assumptions of the department. For instance, I believe that trapping is, in every instance, cruel, barbaric and immoral and it should have no place in this state. But, somehow the choice to ban trapping is not
offered. The department simply assumes that trapping is acceptable, and we are only asked how much animal torture we prefer and how much risk do we want to take in exterminating certain species of animals.
In this proposal, the focus is on providing “opportunities” for hunters and trappers to kill animals to the maximum extent possible without driving them to extinction. I do not think that
is the right criterion. I think that our wildlife should be “managed” for their maximum benefit, not for the use by humans who wish to kill for pleasure. It is as if the department was running a for-profit game farm across the entire state. Holding lotteries
and selling tickets to kill is not a proper function for the department. The department should consult with all the citizens and understand how the majority of them believe that our wildlife should be treated.
Do we want to savagely slaughter our wildlife like Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Wisconsin where the crudest and most craven individuals carry out their destruction? Or, do we want to have a
civilized society that cares about all of its animals, both human and non-human?
I support the absolute minimum amount of killing to be permitted, and then, only for hunting for food. No trophy killing of wolves, cougars, bears, coyotes, lynx and other predators are needed
nor should they be allowed. How many more animals will we torture and kill solely for the amusement of humans?
General population hikers and others are given reduced opportunites to access wildlands because hunters are also out creating conflicts. The general population far outnumber hunters and should also have there access respected. With the spring hunt there is limited time without hunting pressure.
I have tried on several occasions over the past month to answer the survey questionnaire on your website, but it does not provide an appropriate format for me to answer. The survey seems to
be directed toward hunters and trappers and does not provide the general public any opportunity to provide serious input. Like 95% of the citizenry of Washington, I neither hunt nor trap animals, yet your survey only allows for me to answer agree, disagree
or neutral – not an alternative to modify the regulations. By the time this survey is shared with the public, most of the most important decisions have been made and there is precious little input allowed. If I filled out the survey and answered “neutral”
to each of the questions, most of my comments would be the same as I am writing in this note.
The questions in the survey presuppose that the rules are fundamentally acceptable and participants can only agree or disagree whether they support the rather limited options that are offered.
There is no ability to challenge the underlying assumptions of the department. For instance, I believe that trapping is, in every instance, cruel, barbaric and immoral and it should have no place in this state. But, somehow the choice to ban trapping is not
offered. The department simply assumes that trapping is acceptable, and we are only asked how much animal torture we prefer and how much risk do we want to take in exterminating certain species of animals.
In this proposal, the focus is on providing “opportunities” for hunters and trappers to kill animals to the maximum extent possible without driving them to extinction. I do not think that
is the right criterion. I think that our wildlife should be “managed” for their maximum benefit, not for the use by humans who wish to kill for pleasure. It is as if the department was running a for-profit game farm across the entire state. Holding lotteries
and selling tickets to kill is not a proper function for the department. The department should consult with all the citizens and understand how the majority of them believe that our wildlife should be treated.
Do we want to savagely slaughter our wildlife like Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Wisconsin where the crudest and most craven individuals carry out their destruction? Or, do we want to have a
civilized society that cares about all of its animals, both human and non-human?
I support the absolute minimum amount of killing to be permitted, and then, only for hunting for food. No trophy killing of wolves, cougars, bears, coyotes, lynx and other predators are needed
nor should they be allowed. How many more animals will we torture and kill solely for the amusement of humans?
General population hikers and others are given reduced opportunites to access wildlands because hunters are also out creating conflicts. The general population far outnumber hunters and should also have there access respected. With the spring hunt there is limited time without hunting pressure.
Hunting. I know the commission increased the season and bag limit
On black bears in 2019.
Will black bear hunting regs be coming up again in the future?
I did not really see much about black bear hunting in the new
Survey on the 3 year revisions that is now open for responses.
be directed toward hunters and trappers and does not provide the general public any opportunity to provide serious input. Like 95% of the citizenry of Washington, I neither hunt nor trap animals, yet your survey only allows for me to answer agree, disagree
or neutral – not an alternative to modify the regulations. By the time this survey is shared with the public, most of the most important decisions have been made and there is precious little input allowed. If I filled out the survey and answered “neutral”
to each of the questions, most of my comments would be the same as I am writing in this note.
The questions in the survey presuppose that the rules are fundamentally acceptable and participants can only agree or disagree whether they support the rather limited options that are offered.
There is no ability to challenge the underlying assumptions of the department. For instance, I believe that trapping is, in every instance, cruel, barbaric and immoral and it should have no place in this state. But, somehow the choice to ban trapping is not
offered. The department simply assumes that trapping is acceptable, and we are only asked how much animal torture we prefer and how much risk do we want to take in exterminating certain species of animals.
In this proposal, the focus is on providing “opportunities” for hunters and trappers to kill animals to the maximum extent possible without driving them to extinction. I do not think that
is the right criterion. I think that our wildlife should be “managed” for their maximum benefit, not for the use by humans who wish to kill for pleasure. It is as if the department was running a for-profit game farm across the entire state. Holding lotteries
and selling tickets to kill is not a proper function for the department. The department should consult with all the citizens and understand how the majority of them believe that our wildlife should be treated.
Do we want to savagely slaughter our wildlife like Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Wisconsin where the crudest and most craven individuals carry out their destruction? Or, do we want to have a
civilized society that cares about all of its animals, both human and non-human?
I support the absolute minimum amount of killing to be permitted, and then, only for hunting for food. No trophy killing of wolves, cougars, bears, coyotes, lynx and other predators are needed
nor should they be allowed. How many more animals will we torture and kill solely for the amusement of humans?
River game units. Currently have no Spring bear hunts in any of those
units.
***** If a late cow elk hunt is considered in the units above, it could be by
a drawing with possibly making more tags available for selection
instead of 5 tags.