$10 Penalty

[washelkhntr]

So my Father in Law goes and buys his 2010 license today, and gets charged an additional $10 because he did not complete his harvest report for his cougar tag by the January due date. Seems a little bogus to me seeing how the area we hunt is open till the 31st of March. I haven't reported my tag yet since I havet filled it yet and I never got charged no damn fee for not having it done when I purchased my 2010 license a few weeks ago.   

Sorry for the rant, but this is some steamy WDFW 

[SuperX]

I haven't seen my cougar report show up in the online list - they better not charge me 10.00 when they won't make it available to fill in.

[bobcat]

He must have been charged for not reporting on something other than the cougar tag, as the WDFW does not require a report for the cougar tag unless you kill one, and even then, the report cannot be done online. Read the part I put in bold at the bottom of this quote:

Hunter Reports

All hunters are required to submit a hunter report for each big game or turkey transport tag acquired for the previous hunting season by January 31. Hunters not reporting by January 31 may be subject to a $10 penalty, which must be paid before a license for the next season can be purchased. If you have a special hunt permit that has a season that extends past January 31, report your hunting activity after you have completed the hunt and no penalty will be assessed to you. Deer, elk, bear, and turkey all have general hunting seasons. The report covers your activity during the general hunting season and during special hunts, if any were awarded to you. There is no separate hunting activity report for special hunts. Complete the report after you are completely done hunting for that species. Simply answer the questions asked on the toll-free automated telephone reporting line at 1-877-945-3492.

To submit your hunter report, you will need your WILD ID and birth date. The questions will ask you for the game management units in which you hunted. If you harvested an animal, you will also be asked specific information about the animal and where and when it was taken.

Exception: The Washington Wildlife program only requires successful cougar hunters to report their harvest. A Cougar Hunter Report must be done in person at one of the WDFW offices. Please call the WDFW Wildlife Program at 360-902-2515 or email them at wildthing@dfw.wa.gov for more information on cougar reporting.  

[whacker1]

I am with Bobcat on this one.

[Maligator]

I got an email from WDFW reminding me to fill out my harvest report on-line. It's a good thing since I'm sure I would've probably forgotten and missed the due date.

[BENCHLEG]

i got a phone call last week and they said that i didnt report mine. i told the guy on the phone to check again. he did and they made a mistake. go figure wdfw make a mistake. i reported mine in early january.

[bobcat]

Mistakes happen. The people at the WDFW are human too.

[sako223]

Mistakes happen. The people at the WDFW are human too.

Funny thing though is they don't lose anything or pay a fine.

[ICEMAN]

Yeah, they might just lose their jobs though for all the assclowns who mistakenly voted democrat, so they do lose too...

[robb92]

I got an email from WDFW reminding me to fill out my harvest report on-line. It's a good thing since I'm sure I would've probably forgotten and missed the due date.

same here, only thing that was showing was fall bear.

[heavy hauler]

awww  , remember the good ol days when you just voluntarily  did  a hunter report every year?  that was followed by a rule  that you must return  hunter  reports.  now,   you must submit a hunter report by a deadline or pay a fine.  it was a slow but sure way to generate additional revenue  for the state.kinda funny how that happened

[bobcat]

I don't think it was to generate revenue. It's a way to encourage people to do their reports like they were supposed to do anyway. It's too bad they had to resort to a penalty, but without it a lot of people just don't care about doing their reports.

[nw_bowhunter]

Sure they wanted people to report timely but the $10 goes somewhere toward their bottom line for revenue. I forget to report all of the time because I get busy, $10.00 is an innconvince not a penalty in my mind.

[sako223]

Forcing hunters to report activity promotes dishonesty. I know they have a factor to compensate but have to wonder how it can accurately make up differences.

[bobcat]

The first year they had a penalty it was $100. Next year dropped it to $10. I've never had to pay. With all the email reminders they send out I don't see how a person could forget. Unless you're not on their email list and/or you aren't a member here.

[carpsniperg2]

lots of people get wacked on them 10 fees. and fish and wildlife send out info saying for people to report one of the few things that i like even though i get them in its still nice that they try one of the few things i like about the current system

[nw_bowhunter]

I'm not on the email list.. I think the reports have no value due to the fact that hunters can skew the results to benefit them if they choose.

[nwhunter]

I got a call last nite saying my son's hunter report hadn't been done and they wanted to do it over the phone. I said I had already done it and told them to double check which he did and said sorry sir you are correct it is already done. This guy worked for a vendor the state hired to do these reports and I am sure they get paid based on how many they do so could it be that they might be calling people that they know have already done the reports to try and make more money off the state?? Same thing happened to my brother last year, sounds a little fishy and could be unknowingly costing wdfw money. nwhunter

[h2ofowlr]

They want you to report it so they can run all there spread sheets and data as this tool is used to set up the following seasons.  A high harvest in one area might bring tighter restrictions for the following year etc.  They are charging you for not supplying the needed data to produce accurate reports.

[ICEMAN]

Ya know, the more I think about this...

Screw them. Let wildlife do its own work. The data provided by hunters is not important anyway, is it? I wouldn't trust it. They need to do their job of game management, and stoptrying to rely on faulty data, and stop worrying about hunters filling out forms...

So if I refuse, for a few years in a row, and pay my fines...do they start doubling, will they take away my ability to go hunt? Fthem.

[Curly]

You could always report as soon as you purchase your tags so that you don't forget......

[bobcat]

Data from hunters is the most important tool wildlife managers have. I don't know why everybody wouldn't want to do their part to provide accurate information to the biologists. It's good information for us too after it's all compiled and the harvest reports are available for all to see on the WDFW website.

[let.it.fly]

yeah they called me last week. the guy wasnt sure what he was talking about. he asked me about my bear tag and if i filled it, i said yes, (heres your sign) he then asks me what kind of bear it was. i told him koalla. if the wfdw web site says 1 koalla taken in 454, its me. lol

[Curly]

    That is funny, let.it.fly.... 

[heavy hauler]

  i  remeber back in the day, before al gore invented the internet ,you had to mail in  hunter reports.  this system is for gathering data for sure  but  it also gathers   money.  harvest a animal ,tag it and turn in your harvest report card late    and then tell  me  its not to generate funds.    

[lokidog]

If people don't report their harvest they could always do what WI does and require you to bring your animal in to a check station within a day or two of kill and in the county of kill or an adjacent one!  We have it pretty easy.

Personally, I like the big visible back tag number that WI requires.  Makes for a little more accountability in the field.   

[cwuwildcat]

OK, here goes.  This is a true story.  I was an adjuster for an insurance company years ago.  I took a claim for a vehicle with flood damage.  I talked to the lady and found out her story.  She was driving down a road, and it was flooded over by a river.  Her car got stuck in the flood waters and destroyed.  I asked her if she had any warning that the road was flooded.  She said yeah, there was a sign.  I asked her, what sign.  "well, there was a sign in the road that said 'road closed due to flooding', or something like that."  (it was one of those temporary barricade signs that folds out like a sawhorse.) I asked her what she did.  She said she drove around it, and then got her car stuck in the water.  She didn't think it was her fault, and wanted to sue whoever put out the sign.  I asked her why.  She said they should have made the sign big enough that she couldn't drive around it.  I just laughed at her and told her it was her fault, her POS car was totaled and her deductible.  

I tell that story to tell this one.  If you ignore the signs, IT'S YOUR FAULT!  It's posted in the regs that you've got to report, it's on their website, they call you, they email you, and if I'm not mistaken, it might even be on your license somewhere.  (I don't have mine on me, and I'm out of town, so forgive me the gods of hunt-wa that will instantly correct me on this!).  Short of knocking on your door and stapling it to your forehead, what else can they do to get you to do something so damn simple?  Don't be so damned paranoid that they're trying to get money from you.  They tell you exactly how to avoid having to pay.  You don't even have to get off your lazy A$$'s to comply.  If you can read this post, you can report to them.  It's called the internet.  If you are reading this, you have access to the internet.  Stop making excuses for being lazy, ignorant or stubborn.  If you intentionally don't report, the cost of subversion is $10.  Big deal.

[heavy hauler]

the lady in your story did  something that wasnt real smart. but it was her ACTION  that caused her  to have a accident. why should you get   a fine for INACTION?