What About Archery?
Archery hunts are longer than most rifle hunts and the season timing is more advantageous. Yet, rifle hunters have higher hunt success because of the advantages of their equipment. But every time we need to reduce harvest, general season hunters end up with fewer permits and archers still have unlimited opportunity. Is this fair? How can we determine what is fair?

Years ago, we adopted a formula for elk that attempts to allocate permits among the different weapon-types so that harvest is consistent with demand for those types of hunting. To estimate expected demand and harvest, the formula uses five-year averages of first-choice applicants and five-year averages for hunt success. With those two data points, you can allocate permits fairly.

The number of first-choice applicants is 90,747 for general, muzzleloader or juniors-only deer hunts. The department sells an average of 23,073 over-the-counter archery deer tags a year. This yields a 20.3 percent demand for archery, which when coupled with average hunt success, helps us determine what slice of the pie is fair for archers. Yet this is not entirely clean because 53 percent of those who buy archery tags also apply for draw hunts. So if we look at the liberal end, 20 percent of the take is fair; or if we want to be conservative, 10 percent is fair.

Now let’s examine harvest. Archers are required to phone in their harvest, yet noncompliance is a persistent issue. So, we estimate harvest using a voluntary survey card that is mailed to hunters. Questionnaires are a consistent way to obtain precise estimates with similar bias.

Archery seasons can occur in one or more of three time frames: August–September, December or January. In those units where archery harvest exceeded 20 percent of the total take, the department recommended reduction of the archery harvest. In units where archery seasons included more than a single time frame, season length could be reduced (for example, eliminate the December season). However, in those units where seasons had already been reduced to a single time frame (game management unit 12A, August–September), further season length reductions seemed imprudent. The only other alternative was to limit entry through the draw.

In those units where archery deer harvest comprised less than 10 percent of the overall harvest in the unit, the department recommended increasing season length. Several units actually received longer archery seasons.

Archers now have the option of buying an over-the-counter tag and hunting in any open unit or applying for permits in specific units through the draw. If they apply through the draw, they may mix general, muzzleloader and archery choices on their application. If drawn, they may use their draw tag. They also may participate in any open over-the-counter season if they purchased an over-the-counter tag in addition to the draw tag. Pay attention: You cannot use an over-the-counter tag in an archery draw unit and you cannot harvest more than one deer in a calendar year.