When herd reduction is the goal, winter cow tags are issued because that is what controls herd size. If you take out 80 percent of the bulls but zero cows, the calf crop the next year will be the same, as fewer bulls will still have the capacity to breed larger harems. The problem people have, myself included, is that the reason this cull is allowed is because of public pressure to decrease the number of elk LEAVING the base. If the natives were hunting for subsistence as required by law, then they would have been welcomed with open arms on private land to kill as many elk as they could possibly handle, at any time of year. It's the hypocrisy of saying it's a meat hunt just as an excuse to slaughter as many trophy bulls as possible that weren't leaving the fence that rubs people wrong, especially the ones who have waited so long for an opportunity through the proper process.