Commission approves changes to antlerless deer
harvest in northeastern Washington
OLYMPIA – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to reduce the number of hunting days for antlerless deer in northeastern Washington at a public meeting June 10-11 in Olympia.
The commission, a citizen panel appointed by the governor to set policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), agreed to reduce the number of antlerless white-tailed deer hunting days for archery to six days and eliminate the muzzleloader season for antlerless white-tailed deer in the region. These changes apply to game management units 101-121.
Commission Chair Brad Smith said the restrictions reflect concerns about deer herds affected last year by an outbreak of blue tongue disease, a virus caused by biting gnats. In April, the commission reduced the number of hunting days for antlerless deer for youth, seniors and hunters with disabilities to four days this year. WDFW had intended to propose these additional restrictions at the April meeting.
More information about the new restrictions will be available this week on WDFW's website at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/regulations/Also at the meeting, the commission voted to keep killer whales and streaked horned larks on Washington's endangered species list. WDFW recently updated status reviews for both species and recommended that they retain their current protected status.
