Rules and regs for feeding deer and elk

[DD8]

Can't believe I'm just now becoming a member but at least i
i found it.

Can anyone fill me in as to the laws pertaining
to feeding elk/deer in Washington?  Recently I've
been given access to a private piece of land to hunt
elk and I'd like to throw down some apples or grain
but I don't want to break any laws and the state regs
don't say much. Thanks in advance.

[fishermanjoe]

go for it. its legal. 

just not bears

[bobcat]

You can feed bears too, unless they just passed a law against it.

[fishermanjoe]

sorry, pertaining to hunting over

[Bob33]

You can feed bears too, unless they just passed a law against it.

You can't feed them if you are attracting them to hunt them.

[DD8]

Now i'm more confused. Haha. So I can feed them, that I understand. Can I hunt the elk I'm feeding?

[alwinearcher]

Now i'm more confused. Haha. So I can feed them, that I understand. Can I hunt the elk I'm feeding?

Yes, you can Fead/Bait Deer and Elk.. You can NOT fead bears with the intent of hunting them.

[fair-chase]

You can bait and shoot anything that comes in provided you have the proper tags and license. Examples: Deer, Elk, Coyote, Cougar, Bobcat, ect. Bear is the one exception to the rule. You cannot bait bears. Also you cannot shoot a bear near a bait station even if said bait station is for targeting other animals.

Before you go throwing bait around, you should research what to use if anything. Baiting can be beneficial to wildlife or it can be detrimental depending on a lot of factors. Try to gather as much knowledge as you can on the subject before throwing something out there. I don't want to come across a preachy, just a lot of people don't understand that baiting can have adverse effects on wild game.

[DD8]

Thanks so much for the replies!

Yes, I'm not one of those guys that just throws caution to the wind so you can rest assured I'll do my research before I throw anything down. Thanks again!

[singleshot12]

Before you go throwing bait around, you should research what to use if anything. Baiting can be beneficial to wildlife or it can be detrimental depending on a lot of factors. Try to gather as much knowledge as you can on the subject before throwing something out there. I don't want to come across a preachy, just a lot of people don't understand that baiting can have adverse effects on wild game.

Good point, personally I think feeding all wildlife does more harm than good and wouldn't reconmend it. It messes with their natural routine,diet, makes them dependant upon an unnatural food source, spreads disease and makes them more vulnerable to predators. My own negative experience with baiting was with several deer getting hit by cars trying to cross a busy highway to get to a corn pile. You can be just as successful and have a more rewarding hunt hunting deer and elk the old fashioned way