Surplus multi-season elk, deer tags available next week

Hunters will have a shot at additional multiseason elk and deer tags starting next week.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Tuesday that there are 2,693 multiseason deer tags and 160 multiseason elk tags remaining and that they’d be made available to hunters who have already purchased a multiseason application.

The elk tags will go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m. and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

The deer tags will go on sale Aug.21 at 10 a.m.

Peter Vernie, WDFW licensing division manager, said in a statement that the surplus sales were scheduled on different days this year to maximize hunters’ opportunities to get one of the coveted elk tags.

“This also reduces strain on point of sale systems and divides the workload for WDFW and license dealers during these high-demand sale days,” Vernie said.

WDFW expects the elk tags to sell out quickly, even though there’s no deadline for buying them. The deer tags will be available until they sell out.

Multiseason tags offer hunters a chance to fill their tag during any of the muzzleloader, archery and modern firearm seasons, giving them the opportunity to start hunting in early September and continue into December.

Other tags specify the weapon hunters will use and limits them to hunting only the early and late seasons created for that weapon type.

Hunters apply for a multiseason tag and are entered into a drawing. If successful, they’re given the opportunity to purchase a tag.

Each year, there are some successful applicants who don’t purchase their tags before a certain deadline, leaving WDFW with surplus tags. Those are the ones that will be up for sale next week.

Only those who bought a multiseason application can try to buy one of the surplus tags. If they’ve already purchased a tag for one of the deer or elk seasons, they will have to forfeit it to get a multiseason tag.

Multiseason deer tags cost resident hunters $191.77. Multiseason elk tags cost residents $250.97. Those prices increased in July after the Washington Legislature passed a law increasing hunting and fishing fees by roughly 38% across the board.

Deer and elk seasons are fast approaching. Early archery seasons for deer begin Sept. 1. For elk, archery seasons begin Sept. 6.

Early muzzleloader season opens in later September, followed by early modern firearm season in October.