Tags/Licenses

[TheYoungSelfStarter]

Hello everyone, I just completed my online hunter safety course and there has been a question about licenses and tags lingering in my head ever since I started working towards becoming a hunter. What I want to know is do I have to buy a deer+elk license then buy  both a deer tag and a elk tag to harvest a deer/elk? I read somewhere that with the purchase of your license you get 1 tag, in my case 1 deer tag and 1 elk tag, is that true? I can't seem to find more info anywhere else so your help would be much appreciated.


Thanks,
Andrey

[JBar]

Correct, if you buy the combo it includes the tags. You will have to choose weapon type and for elk you will have to choose Eastern Wa or Western Wa. Welcome to the hunting family!!

[Karl Blanchard]

Congrats on getting your hunters ed hammered out!  It's all fun from here on out!  Well fun...ish

[bobcat]

Many years ago there was a hunting license you bought, and then you bought the tags that you wanted separately. Now, there is no general hunting license, other than the small game license, which you need for birds, rabbits, bobcat, etc.

For big game you can buy a deer license, an elk license, a bear license, and a cougar license. With each license, you get a tag. Your "license" basically looks like a receipt, with all the licenses you purchased printed on it.

If you were to buy any kind of hunting license right now, it would only be valid for three months, as all hunting and fishing licenses expire on March 31st.


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[Pinetar]

Bobcat,

Is there any truth that WA might do what OR is doing with tags and licenses? I heard the other day that they are considering it.

OR now issues everything printed on a full sheet regular white paper (not waterproof) now and you cut them out for wallet then you write month and date of kill on tag after killing an animal. No longer punching them. Or you can get an app and do it on your phone and no longer hang the tag on the animal. An OR Trooper I know is not happy and says it will make it much easier for poachers now cause they can make as many copies of tags as they want to.

[Bob33]

Big game animals require a “tag” that is attached to the animal after harvest. This tag is included in the price of the respective big game package. The tags are delivered at time of purchase of a big game package with the exception of deer and elk.  Before you will receive a tag for deer and elk, you must make additional selections. For deer you must specify the hunting method: Modern Firearm, Muzzleloader, or Archery. For elk you must specify both the hunting method as well as the side of the state you will hunt: Eastern or Western. While the tags are included in the cost of the package, you will not receive them until these selections are made for deer and elk. No additional selections are required for bear and cougar.

With the purchase of any big game package you will receive a “recreational license” which lists all purchases made during that hunting season. If you make any additional purchases during that season, you will receive an updated recreational license. You need to have the current recreational license with you while hunting.

Small game requires a “small game” license which can either be purchased separately, or as an addition to a big game package.

[BLR 243]

I can remember when they went to this computerized process telling us it would be less paper simpler not so much.

[KopperBuck]

Bobcat,

Is there any truth that WA might do what OR is doing with tags and licenses? I heard the other day that they are considering it.

OR now issues everything printed on a full sheet regular white paper (not waterproof) now and you cut them out for wallet then you write month and date of kill on tag after killing an animal. No longer punching them. Or you can get an app and do it on your phone and no longer hang the tag on the animal. An OR Trooper I know is not happy and says it will make it much easier for poachers now cause they can make as many copies of tags as they want to.

I feel like this needs a different thread but... I almost guarantee it will happen. The big tout is it's saving money, which it probably is. There's a lot of bugs to be worked out from the sounds of it so far. I'm waiting until next week to purchase 2019 license. Maybe won't make much of a difference, but give them another week to maybe sort a few things out.

Important to note - once you pick one method or the other, you're locked in from what I've heard. Also, if you've bought an OR license before and decide to sign up using the app, DO NOT sign up as a new user as you'll need a different email than previously registered.