Status of Senior Hunters

[Slenk]

Great letter! Glad you found a nice way of putting it!How many 70 year olds do you see in the woods!

I know of quit a few of us over 70 and several over 80 still out there.

In Idaho I could get a hunting license for $4 

[Dhoey07]

Great letter! Glad you found a nice way of putting it!How many 70 year olds do you see in the woods!

I know of quit a few of us over 70 and several over 80 still out there.

In Idaho I could get a hunting license for $4

I think you and your fiends are definitely the exception to the rule.

[NWBREW]

   Great letter! Glad you found a nice way of putting it! I had not noticed the age reguirment for seniors! How many 70 year olds do you see in the woods! 

My father went hunting with me last year at 80 years of age. Sadly it will most likely be his last. The price should be a lot less in my opinion because the number of years left to be in the woods hunting will be less as well.  Great letter.

[Dhoey07]

Update for ya'll.  This was the response e-mail i recieved from wdfw.

Danny

Thank you for contacting the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.  The age in which a license purchaser is considered a senior was decided through legislation.  WAC governing the age requirement was enacted prior to the Department of Wildlife and Department of Fisheries merged into the current WDFW.  I would recommend that you contact your legislator on this issue because legislation is the only means to change the pricing that is charged for licenses.  You can look up your legislator at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rosters/Members.aspx.  If you have any more questions please feel free to contact us at 360-902-2464 or by email at licensing@dfw.wa.gov.

Kris Thorson
WDFW - Licensing Division
Recreational Licensing Supervisor
Phone: 360-902-2451
Email: Kristopher.thorson@dfw.wa.gov
 
I e-mailed my 3 legislators today.  I'll let ya know when i get a response from them.

[Wacenturion]

Typical agency reply sending you somewhere else.  Yeah the legislature approves it, but initially WDFW or either agency prior to the merger in 1993 proposed it in a license package.  Eventually they'll blame it on Bush.   

[Bob33]

RCW 77.08.010 was established in 1993. RCWs are written by legislators.  I believe that to what extent they were provided input on the senior age being 70 would be pure speculation at this time.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=77.08.010

See (49).

[TheHunt]

You want to change the age...  Call your AARP reps from a united group of hunters. 

The lobby for the AARP is one of the strongest in the nation.  Business and Government fear them.  Get together and make your case to the AARP. 

[wence5]

Good letter hope you get a reply in oregon my grandmother and Dad always got what they called pioneer licenses that were free but can;t remember what the age was to obtain one you also had to be a resident for a certain time.

The Pioneer License is a free lifetime license. In order to qualify you will need to be 65 years or older on the date of the application, and have lived in Oregon for 50 years.  A senior citizen (age 70) can get a lic. for $21.50, an $8 reduction. Washington, it would appear, is in it for the $$$$.