HUNTING – Proposed hunting rules, including a change in laws that allow baiting for hunting deer and elk, will be considered by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission this week.

The panel will take public comments on hunting rule proposals and other issues during its meeting Friday and Saturday, starting at 8 a.m. each day at the Civic Center, 401 S. Balsam St. in Moses Lake.

The commission’s agenda also calls for presentations on the status of Washington wolves, Columbia River fish hatcheries, landowner big game tags, salving road-killed wildlife, impacts of Initiative 1401, predator-prey programs, cougar hunting season, and more.

Most of the proposals address changes in special permit levels and other issues that were not included in the broader 2015-17 hunting rules approved last April by the commission.

However, at the commission’s request, the baiting and cougar hunting proposals included in the three-year plan were tabled and will be revived for more public comment. 

The proposed changes to state hunting regulations are available for public review on the agency’s website.

The commission also will be briefed on a few of other topics, including the status of wolves in Washington and actions the department took in 2015 to implement the state's Wolf Conservation and Management Plan.

Below is one of two proposals and Fish and Wildlife Department explanations regarding baiting for the hunting of deer and elk, a practice that is currently legal in Washington but prohibited in states such as Idaho:

BAITING FOR THE PURPOSE OF HUNTING DEER OR ELK

Purpose of the proposal and its anticipated effects, including any changes in exist ing rules:

The purpose of this proposal is to further the public discussion regarding hunting deer and elk using bait.

If adopted the rule would make it unlawful to hunt deer or elk using bait in excess of 10 gallons and bait located closer than 200 yards

from another bait site.

Reasons supporting proposal:

In the last three years the Department has been approached by hunters and landowners that do not approve of the practice of baiting for the purposes of hunting deer or elk. Additional input was received as part of the three-year hunting season package, public process in 2015.  

The non-random input the Department received via the website during the 3-year package process
indicated that:

• 23 percent of hunters wanted a ban on baiting with an exception for food plots and agricultural operations.
• 14 percent of hunters wanted to disallow the use of bait by hunting guides and restrict the manner and volume of baiting by hunters not using guides.
• 63 percent of the hunters commenting wanted no change to the rules pertaining to baiting deer and elk.

In a random telephone survey of deer hunters conducted as part of the 2015-17 three-year package:

• 59 percent of the deer hunters either opposed or strongly opposed baiting for deer.  
• 21 percent supported or strongly supported baiting for deer.
• 11 percent of deer hunters surveyed were neutral.
• 9 percent didn’t know.

Regarding elk in the same random telephone survey:

• 68 percent of elk hunters either opposed or strongly opposed baiting for elk.
• 14 percent supported or strongly supported using bait to hunt elk.
• 11 percent of elk hunters surveyed were neutral.
• 8 percent didn’t know.  

Although some potential exists, the Department has no data at this time to suggest that the practice of baiting for deer and elk hun ting has a negative population or natural resource effect.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission discussed this issue in March and April 2015 and decided to not make changes to the existing rule (baiting for deer and elk hunting is allowed).

Since then, the Department has facilitated further discussion with a group of hunters interested in the issue.  That group met several times over the past year.  Through that process, and input received from the Game Management Advisory  Council in 2015, it is clear that there is no consensus on this issue other than scents and natural  agricultural practices should not be considered baiting.  Members expressed several points of view ranging from banning all baiting for deer and elk hunting to retaining the ability to bait using any quantity.  

The committee discussed alternatives to the “all or none” scenario, which resulted in several options that will be presented to the Commission for discussion and possible decision.

The Commission will consider options that range from banning all baiting to retaining all baiting, including two specific options that consider a volume limit on the amount of bait allowed.