Thu Jan 11, 2024 11:05 am
Nah, it's not a bad take. Supposedly harvest in Zone 1 was only down by 3,000....from 34,000 to 31,000 which I'm not sure if I believe. Opening weekend was arguably the worst in history, for sure recent history....and that's when like half (or more?) of the harvest happens. I kind of think they're fudging the numbers since all of the reports from their own game wardrens describe how bad the hunting was and how few harvested deer they saw. So it seems strange harvest was only off a few thousand from last year.
Point being, let's say their harvest numbers are accurate.......one mild winter could up the kill by 5K to 6K which doesn't sound like a ton, but if harvest was "way down" by 3K to 31K....then it jumping to 35K-36K could easily be argued is "way up" and prove you right. So I don't think it was a bad take at all. It all depends on how subjective a "big increase" amounts to.
Personally, I think the numbers are fudged but I also think it's strange how low the harvest consistently is in Zone 1. Compared to Zone 2 it ain't shit. A combination of harsher winters, a shitload of predators (Wolves, bears, coyotes, bobcats, lynx, etc), and the terrain being the hardest of any Zone in the state. Drives in Zone 1 are futile compared to elsewhere....too much cover.
So for those reasons I think it'll take a couple mild winters to see a significant increase, but I've been wrong before.
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