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Washington increases elk tags, cuts deer permit fees

Elk numbers have improved in the Washington's Colockum and Yakima areas, partly because of several mild winters.
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Elk numbers have improved in the Washington's Colockum and Yakima areas, partly because of several mild winters. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

HUNTING --  Elk hunting permits will be increased in the Colockum and Yakima areas along with antlerless deer permits in northeastern Washington under 2014-15 hunting regulations adopted by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission Friday and Saturday in Olympia.

The continued growth of many state deer and elk populations will support increases in the number of hunting permits issued this year, Dave Ware, Fish and Wildlife Department  game manager, said at the public meeting.

"After a five-year stretch of mild winters, surveys show that most big game populations are stable or growing," Ware said. "That bodes well for hunting opportunities this year."

The commission approved additional permits in three key areas:

  • Colockum elk herd: With the herd continuing to exceed population objectives, WDFW will increase the number special permits, primarily for antlerless elk, to 1,016 from 374.
  • Yakima elk herd: The commission approved 130 additional permits for antlered elk and 1,440 for antlerless elk in response to the herd's continuing growth in central Washington.
  • Northeast white-tailed deer: Buck harvest levels have increased as the herd starts to rebound from harsh winters of 2007-08. WDFW will make 120 additional antlerless special permits available this year to youth, senior, and disabled hunters.

The only significant reduction made in special permits this year is in the Mount St. Helens area, where the elk herd has reached WDFW's management objective after six years of elevated permit levels.

That strategy, designed to bring the herd into balance with available habitat, has reduced the herd by 25 to 30 percent. At WDFW's request, the commission approved a reduction of 400 permits this year.

Fee reductions for some special permits and tags, which were raised in 2009, were approved by the commission. Ware said WDFW proposed those reductions to encourage participation in certain hunts and address concerns raised about the cost of certain permits.

Under the new fee schedule adopted by the commission, the cost of a second-deer tag will be reduced to $43.40 from $68, while the price of a multi-season deer tag drops to $139.10 from $182.

The cost will also be reduced for second-deer "damage tags" used by hunters working with property owners with damage-prevention or kill permits.

Disabled hunters will benefit from a streamlined process for issuing hunters with disabilities special-use permits. The commission also approved rules that will enable the hunters to use modified hunting equipment such as crossbows equipped with a scope.

In other business, the commission approved WDFW's proposal to acquire 640 acres near Wenatchee to provide a migratory corridor for deer, elk and other wildlife. Working in partnership with Chelan County and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, WDFW secured the property with funding provided by the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Other transactions approved by the commission will allow WDFW to:

  • Accept the transfer from the Washington State Department of Transportation of a one-acre inholding to WDFW's Oak Creek Wildlife Area near Yakima.
  • Exchange three-quarters of an acre with the City of Sumner, which will allow WDFW to construct a parking lot near a water-access site on the Puyallup River.
  • Acquire a pipeline easement to improve the water supply at the Aberdeen Hatchery in Grays Harbor County.

Minutes of the meeting and an audio transcript will be posted on the commission's website.



Rich Landers
Rich Landers joined The Spokesman-Review in 1977. He is the Outdoors editor for the Sports Department writing and photographing stories about hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, conservation, nature and wildlife and related topics.

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