This is a copy of the email I just sent the WDFW. Check the numbers for yourself. I think it is time we stop letting the state screw one group or another. This is my first year Muzzleloading. The Game trails is online or at some stores and WDFW.

I have just read your Equal Opportunity for Achers, Muzzleloaders, and Modern Firearm Hunters in Washington Hunting News, Game Trails/Hunter News 2003. I have to strongly disagree with the "Equal Opportunity" part. I decided to see just how equal access is. Modern firearm hunters have 128 GMU's to hunt deer in during the early season. Archers have 125 GMU's. That is pretty even so far. Then comes the smallest group, Muzzleloaders, who have 62 GMU's, or about half the access. Now correct me if I am wrong but 62 and 125-128 are no where near equal. Late season is 68 for Modern, 71 for Archers, again pretty equal, then 24 for Muzzleloaders. Yet again no where near equal. This is just deer. Now I decided to check out Elk. Modern have 93 GMU's to hunt early season, with no late season. Archers have 91 early GMU's. Muzzleloaders have 48. Yet again about half the GMU's. Archers have 36 late season GMU's. Muzzleloaders have 20, slightly more then half. Using your own numbers there are only 4.5% of the deer hunters in the state who use a Muzzleloader. 12.7% use a bow, and 82.7% a modern firearm. Using your numbers from the 2002 Game Harvest report there were a total of 7667 Muzzleloader deer hunters with a success rate of 25.6%. Archers had 16380 with a success rate of 22.3%. Modern had 113874 with a success rate of 24.9%. This is the only close to "equal" I could find, success rates. When you put the smallest group in the fewest areas, it starts to look alot like, "you use that fountain over there and ride in the back of the bus too". Which really upsets me. There is no reason why Muzzleloaders cannot have the same number of areas to hunt like the rest of the hunters, especially since the harvest rates are so close to the same. You need to look into making access a true Equal Opportunity. I hope you will respond with a valid scientific reason for this drastic difference. That load of words in Game Trails is just a fancy way of saying he who shouts the loudest gets the most. I am also forwarding this to several Muzzleloader groups in an effort to help you in your future decision making.