How will the WIA changes affect things?

J

JHoch00

Member
So, just wondering on opinions out there... now that WIA is free, how do you all think will things change? (Particularly, a: will there be more hunters? and b: will there be less money and therefore, fewer properties in this or future years?)

Just thought it is a good discussion thread to get the pheasant thoughts flowing!

33 days left!:cheers:
 
May be more hunters initially, but I doubt for long. The guys who didnt spend $20 on the WIA permit didnt have much interest to begin with.
 
I hate to think about it but I believe that it will eventually cause less WIA for us. I know Hen Hen Rooster stated on another post that he went out to scout out some of the WIA and felt that the DOW may have stopped the fee because there were less participants and those that did participate well it wasn't much to jump for joy about. I really don't know as I haven't been out to scout yet but I pray it doesn't go down the drain. I grew up in KS so coming here and seeing that I could still enjoy a childhood passion as an adult has only made me fall in love with CO the more. I would be willing to continue to pay the fee if it guaranteed a future for pheasant and WIA in CO. As for more hunters I doubt it I think it will be like many other places and years a real heavy number early for the occasional hunter but as the weather gets colder and the birds are harder to hit it will just be us die hards!! Good Luck to all its just around the corner :D
 
Well put, Recon!!! I would glady pay $50-100 bucks a year to up CDOW's great WIHA program substantially from what it already is, instead of helplessly watching it slowly dwindle & die...WHO, either government or private continually gives much of anything for free these days??? Would you or I??? Nuff said...

Let's get together later in the season when I get back! I have already seen enough with my own eyes to know that there will be plenty birds left for at least this season when I get home - let all the slackers get in their early licks & bring on the snow!!! :D PEACE OUT, YO I'm rollin for India & Africa on church humanitarian/missions work for now!!!
 
I have a feeling and I may be wrong, but since they knew they were getting that grant money for walk in access they either had to not charge for a stamp or were being generous!!!!! Someone may dig into this a little bit and find the real reason!!!!!!!!! CURIOUS???????:cheers:
 
The majority of my hunts last year were more spur of the moment trips by myself so taking some tome to review the current WIA maps I find it very disturbing to see the direction of the WIA program. As a single hunter I relied on many of the smaller areas that I was capable of handling alone. In 2008 there were approx 120 pivot corners in Phillips county alone. Looking at the 2010 WIA maps for Yuma N, Phillips and Logan counties where I spent the majority of my times there are zero. Maybe they just have not been mapped yet. I doubt it. I too have no problem paying more than $20 for the priveledge of the access to land. It seems the Div of Wildlife is going the wrong direction for what appears to be some of the best hunting we've seen in over twenty years. According to this website, South Dakota invested $2.2 million aquiring over 1.2 million acres of public WIA bringing in $15 million to their economy. I am pretty sure that the reisdents of SD are more than aware that prime pheasant habitat is essential to there livelihood. I now start to wonder if I should start looking elswhere like Kansas, Nebraska or South Dakota to spend my hard earned money. Being a Colorado native I would prefer to spend my money here. I hope that those individuals who were not willing to put out even twenty bucks are still not willing to head east. I am afraid that many of the people racing out east to hunt because WIA is free are many of the same individuals that follow the fish stocking trucks and then brag about their angling skills. So now I am going to start looking into joining Pheasanst Forever to be part of the solution and not part of the whining problem. I would welcome any suggestions as to which chapters would be best to join or does it really matter. I live in the Westminster area and would be ok with traveling. Hope to meet some of you out in the field.
 
Wiha

I remember looking at the WIHA maps online before last season and comparing it to my map of the previous year and seeing a lot of good habitat not on the map. Then right before season opened there was an updated map with more land on it. Hopefully that will happen this year as well. Keeping my fingers crossed!
 
Don't fret "yet" about the loss of WIA & the corner's. I don't believe the late WIA Atlas is out yet. That atlas adds a substantial amount of acres to the program. Those usually do not open until Pheasant season starts.

I think the loss of WIA land has more to do w/ the loss of CRP enrollments than the ending of the $20 WIA fee.

Yep Joining Pheasant's forever is always a great idea. I too struggle with where to join. I've joined the Metro Denver chapter but wonder if it would be better to say join the Phillip's county chapter.

Cheers & can't wait for the season to open!!
 
Hey....what a great website. I'm from Alaska, have property in Holyoke and always come down to hunt birds on opening weekend. The farmer where I hunt reports large amounts of birds this year. He posts all of his property and patrols it to keep walk-in stragglers out. The problem I see from walk-in hunters is that the majority are slobs. Where-ever there is walk-in property, they feel like they can just sneak across the road and hunt the wind breaks even when its posted. There is always pop, beer cans and garbage on the roads next to walk-in areas. I know not every hunter is this way, but it only takes a couple bad apples to ruin the bushel. Good luck on opening day, and please obey the "No Hunting" signs.
 
I always wonder about who is making the mess because the locals to Holyoke that I hunt with always leave a mess and don't even pick up their spent shells but the guests always seem to respect the opportunity they have been given and clean up after themselves. I just wish everybody would pick up after themselves so land owners like your friend would let more people hunt their land.

Myself I always pick up any trash I run across in the field or even on the road between fields. Good pheasant habitat is a treasure and needs to be treated as such.
 
COringNascar said:
Don't fret "yet" about the loss of WIA & the corner's. I don't believe the late WIA Atlas is out yet. That atlas adds a substantial amount of acres to the program. Those usually do not open until Pheasant season starts.

I think the loss of WIA land has more to do w/ the loss of CRP enrollments than the ending of the $20 WIA fee.

Yep Joining Pheasant's forever is always a great idea. I too struggle with where to join. I've joined the Metro Denver chapter but wonder if it would be better to say join the Phillip's county chapter.

Cheers & can't wait for the season to open!!
Click to expand...

Don't know about a "Late" edition but the 2010 Small Game Walk-In Atlas has been out since September; Here is the link

2010 Small Game Walk-In Atlas
 
IRONWIREgwp said:
I always wonder about who is making the mess because the locals to Holyoke that I hunt with always leave a mess and don't even pick up their spent shells but the guests always seem to respect the opportunity they have been given and clean up after themselves. I just wish everybody would pick up after themselves so land owners like your friend would let more people hunt their land.

Myself I always pick up any trash I run across in the field or even on the road between fields. Good pheasant habitat is a treasure and needs to be treated as such.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the site my man!
 
IRONWIREgwp said:
I always wonder about who is making the mess because the locals to Holyoke that I hunt with always leave a mess and don't even pick up their spent shells but the guests always seem to respect the opportunity they have been given and clean up after themselves. I just wish everybody would pick up after themselves so land owners like your friend would let more people hunt their land.

Myself I always pick up any trash I run across in the field or even on the road between fields. Good pheasant habitat is a treasure and needs to be treated as such.
Click to expand...

I know I always see the same thing in the area I hunt. Over the past couple of years I've realized that my dad (a farm hand there) and the farmer's son are the worst about littering. Lunch comes and their sandwich baggies and plastic water bottles are just thrown in the ditches. I've taken them hunting and they throw their crap everywhere. Of course, they're not the type to really complain when they notice trash either. At any rate, picking up shells just isn't something they'd ever consider. They've told me repeatedly "I wouldn't waste my time picking those up" but I usually try to anyway b/c I'd rather not see them the next time I hunt the place.

Point is, many times NR's and visitors in general get a bad rap though it is the locals that do much of the "trashing." Just like North Dakota resident and forum guests always blaming NR's for all of the illegal hunting (this gets ugly on another site). I've hunted ND only once and couldn't believe the lack of respect the locals had for wildlife and the back country in general. Driving through the field we were hunting in shooting deer out the window seems to be "normal" practice there. The farmers didn't get too fired up when we told them about it. Of course they immediately said, "Must have been those guys from ______" One of the farmers had a deer carcus rotting in his hedgerow...hadn't even been gutted and had only been there a few days. When we went back to thank him after our hunt, he took us in his shop and showed us the head of the animal. I couldn't help but ask about the headless body laying in the trees. He said, "Oh, I don't eat them". :mad:
 
I agree that good pheasant habitat is a treasure. It is also true of any good hunting or fishing. Unfortunately good hunting or fishing can bring out the worst in locals or visitors. Trespassing or littering doesn't seem to matter. The result of getting outweighs the process of hunting or fishing. It's all about instant gratification. I have hunted with individuals who have used poor judgement and have also seen empty beer cases in the ditch in mid summer. If someone can look at trash or spent casings and can determine without a doubt if it was left by locals or visitors well they then truly are gifted. I myself have noticed trash or casings. I do try to pick up. I can't say I always do. So I cannot point fingers and can only try to do better. I can say that I have been pleasantly surprised and really not seen very much trash in the WIA I have hunted. I have seen more driving from place to place. Could be road hunters or kids partying in the country. I would hope we don't have to start posting the do's and don'ts of enjoying the outdoors. Usually when these posts do occur it turns into a "they must be talking about someone else." I appreciate the reminder that I should conduct myself as a guest while pheasant hunting.
 
Homeradam, Welcome to the site! The farmer you mention wouldn't happen to be an ornery older guy (mid to late 60s) who drives a S-10 pickup, would he? If so, I met him a couple of weeks ago while out deer hunting. Some good friends of mine actually lease his land for farming. He mentioned a friend of his that comes in every year from Alaska. I can't imagine there would be many people from Alaska flying down to Holyoke to hunt pheasants. If it is you, perhaps we'll be able to hunt together at some point. he gave me permission to hunt, but I doubt I'll be out opening weekend. Even if I am, I'll let you have at it. I've got all season. Best of luck to you.
 
I hope it's not the end of the glory days, but I am concerned. I brought this up last year on the site when I first learned about it. I too would be willing to pay $$ if it meant better habitat. We had such a good thing going, and people were used to paying the fee. Why stop that? It may lead to more hunters, but it better not lead to less access. They say it won't, but I'm not sure I'm buying it. All I know is that all of the guys out in Holyoke are pissed.

I did ask Bob Hicks, the regional PF director about it, and he said he isn't concerned. Inititally he was concerned, but after talking to DOW, he said he is fine with their plan. Like I said, we'll see.

Also, CDOW now has the late walk in atlas available. Take a look at it here: http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdon...DAC-8EFE-D7B5A845525D/0/WIA_late2010small.pdf

I took a quick look at it. I think it looks pretty good, but haven't done a side by side comparison from last year.
 
Yeah!!!!!!

The late season atlas you posted has a lot of the same ground from last year at least in Phillips County.

From what I can tell it does not look like we are loosing much ground for this season. Let's hope that in future years there is more land instead of less.

Enjoy every minute you have to hunt, it truly is a treasure!
Adam
 
I feel better when looking at the late season WIA. I do see less pivot corners but not a lot less. I still do not really like the idea of no fee for walkin access. I understand the concept of trying to introduce new hunters to the sport. It truly needs to be true hunters. I have seen it often when a lake improves it gets beat to death. I don't want the WIA program to fall victim to the same sort of non sportsmen. I usually end up going by myself hunting. I would enjoy teaming up with individuals this year. I don't go the first few weeks of the season. I really like to let the crowds to thin and the weather to change.
 
Wow... I did a side by side comparison for the area I hunt mainly (Prowers/Baca), and saw only one area lost and eight or so GAINED! Did not expect that. So maybe all the sky is falling gloom I have felt is unwarranted... hopefully.
 
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