A few year s back the head of the wildlife commission said "we manage opportunity, not wildlife" in an interview. This is why they let crossbows in for everyone during archery and why they let crack barrel rifles into muzzloader season. The department funds mainly come from license sales and that is what they manage for. That whole plan is a crock of bull. They do nothing based on science for the benefit of the wildlife. It is like this. You go to the doctor and he says you have sleep apnea and need a CPAP machine, and insurance "should" cover it. When you go to get your machine the insurance holds your request pending a review of your case. Then you get a letter in the mail telling you your doctor is wrong, you are not sick, and they are not paying. That is how the LDWF operates in a nutshell. It is all political. Our biologists make recommendations based on data. That data gets reviewed by a political board to see if it is worthy of consideration. Then what the biologists wanted gets scrambled or thrown out. It is defeating for them. There is a wma where one connected guy, one guy, who had a camp there, got the seasons reduced and dates moved when the biologists could get nothing done. He grew up in the area, left, made a pile of money, and came back to see how pitiful the deer hunting had become. He had more influence than science. Let that sink in. Lastly, don't think there is not an insurance company influence over the LDWF's decisions as well.
. Although the last few hunts I've been chasing around this big doe I found. She's slipped by me 3 times just out of bow range from different stand locations. Hopefully she made it through the gun weekend.
