I just recieved this letter in the mail.
Dear Washington Hunter,
Congratulations. You have been identified as one of the lucky deer hunters to draw a permit for the Special Palouse Deer Hunt #1100-late whitetail buck hunt.
As part of this hunt, if you are successful, WDFW
requires you to extract and submit tooth samples to the department. One of the reasons this hunt was created was the apparent decrease of available legal bucks (3 point or greater), therefore WDFW wants to collect the tooth so we can determine the age of the bucks being harvested. This information will allow us to better manage whitetail bucks in this area. Pleas be sure to fill in all parts on the back of the tooth envelope that are applicable.
oth white-tailed and mule deer deposit layers of cementum in the roots of their teeth each year and by sectioning the teeth and counting the annual rings of cementum we can accurately determine the age of the deer. With antler point information submitted, the relationship between age and antler point size will be analyzed.
So, if you harvest a deer this season, please use the enclosed
postage paid tooth envelope to send in your deer tooth samples. Refer to the back of the tooth envelope for instructions on how to remove the middle two front teeth. Make sure you remove the entire tooth, both crwon and root, being careful not to break the teeth off at the gum line. Wrap the teeth in a small amount of tissue paper and place them directly into the envelope. Do not wrap the teeth in plastic or foil, or they will rot and be unusable. Please note: you can bring the head to the Spokane regional office and someone will help you extract the tooth.
Also, record the number of antler points (both left side and right side) on the back of the tooth envelope. All antler points must be at least one (1) inch long to be included in the count. Antler points include eye guards if at least one (1) inch long. Refer to the Big Game Hunting Seasons and Rules Pamphlet for further explanation.
Remember, to qualify for the Incentive Permit Drawing,
you must still submit your
hunter reports within ten days of a kill
or if unsuccessful, by January 10. Simply answer the questions asked on the toll-free automated telephone reporting line at 1-877-945-3492 or on the Internet at
http://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov.
Thanks for your help and good luck this season!
Howard Ferguson
District Wildlife Biologist
Has anyone else recieved this letter? Is this something common of special permits and did the people drawn for this hunt last year recieve the same letter? I dont believe the part that explains why this hunt was created, the logic doesnt make sense. There are plenty of bucks down there, in fact, i think the population is going strong.
On the envelope they sent it doesnt even give and option for whitetail under what species, just mule deer, blacktail deer and elk. that was real smart! what happens if i break the teeth or just plain dont do it? can they fine me or anything like that?
