State to require sign in/check out for small game on 2 WMAs

Cedar Creek and BF Grant now will require you to sign in for small game, and if you are lucky enough to find something to harvest, you then have to drive back to the check in station and sign it out. This gentleman is un reasonable and for the sizes of the those two WMA-s is absolutely stupid. What brilliant mind made this decision and why? Hunter numbers have been down for years, lets make it a little more user friendly and maybe we can drive off the next generation of hunters! Somebody really has a problem with freedom down there at the DNR HQ. This is just one more way the boys in green can control hunters and I for one think it is completely unreasonable and down right stupid.

I'm with ya Meat Hunter. It makes no sense to me either.

Hopefully we will be able to sign in online, will save one trip to the check station!

Required at West Point WMA as well.

Actually-I disagree-anyone on the WMA should sign in and sign out-just like most hunting clubs-that way you know if they need to go look for someone. Should also be a serious financial fine if don't sign out.....

Atlanta Dawg said:

Actually-I disagree-anyone on the WMA should sign in and sign out-just like most hunting clubs-that way you know if they need to go look for someone. Should also be a serious financial fine if don't sign out.....

Click to expand...

You only have to sign in once during any particular season and only sign out any small game taken. (stupid requirement) Relying on the sign in sheet to know who is on the WMA is a waste of time.

Atlanta Dawg said:

Actually-I disagree-anyone on the WMA should sign in and sign out-just like most hunting clubs-that way you know if they need to go look for someone. Should also be a serious financial fine if don't sign out.....

Click to expand...

It's all for information gathering purposes only.
There are no financial abilities to police overdue hunters for this aspect. That is what your friends and family are for.

JUST more big brother, just like the Game check that is coming next year, they say it is to keep track of the harvest Yeah Right, just more hoops to jump thru and more chances for DNR to write a violation.

Completely unreasonable

If as they have told me at my local WMA, this is strictly for information purposes, then why not make it an option to be able to sign out the game taken on line as well as signing in on line? Its not like there is going to be a game warden or biologist standing by to record your kill at the check station. Why un necessarily burden hunters, most of which have to drive an hour or more to get to the WMA. This is one those un intended consequences of people who rarely visit the WMA-s that they are supposed to manage. Its not like the state has any money to do anything on these WMA-s anyway. There is less and less small game on these WMA-s mainly due to not harvesting the trees and not planting anything to support the wildlife. Information for who and why? Are you great minds keeping track of all of the other forest users, i.e. equestrians, nature watchers, Geo cache rs, and bicycle riders? or is it just the hunters that you want to track?

As the rule is not enforceable, it probably isn't meant to regulate hunters directly. If they're using the data to determine how much time small game hunters actually spend on the WMAs, you do better to sign yourself in. I'd sign me, myself, my kid, my wife, my neighbor.... Otherwise, they may assume no time is being used for small game and decide to take even more time away.

I mean, if you haven't noticed, they're acting directly against small game hunting these days. Better do all you can to discourage the anti-small game hunter agenda.

I don't any issue with this. Drive over to the kiosk and fill out some paperwork.

I just saw where Joe Kurz WMA will have the sign-in requirement. Guess I'll ride by there and sign that one, too. Not actually gonna hunt, just sign it.