Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Upland Birds => Topic started by: McQuackin on October 20, 2025, 04:52:38 PM

Title: No upland with dog during deer and elk season?
Post by: McQuackin on October 20, 2025, 04:52:38 PM: Forgive me if this has been covered before. Rules state it is illegal to "Hunt wild animals (except rabbits and hares) with dogs (hounds) during modern firearm deer or elk general seasons that occur in October or November in eastern and western Washington". I thought this could only apply to small game other that birds but being overly cautious I called in to verify and was told "It means what it says, no wild animal which includes birds. Kind of surprised me as many upland bird opens before modern firearm and pheasant opens during it.
Title: Re: No upland with dog during deer and elk season?
Post by: Bob33 on October 20, 2025, 05:42:54 PM: I believe you may be referring to WAC 220-413-060: https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=220-413-060

(2)(a) It is unlawful to hunt any wildlife at night and it is unlawful to hunt wild animals, except rabbits and hares, with dogs (hounds) during the month of October or November during the dates established for eastern and western Washington modern firearm deer or elk general seasons.

The key phrase is "wild animals". That term is defined in RCW 77.08.010: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=77.08.010

(72) "Wild animals" means those species of the class Mammalia whose members exist in Washington in a wild state. The term "wild animal" does not include feral domestic mammals or old world rats and mice of the family Muridae of the order Rodentia.

Birds are not mammals, so I would conclude the restriction in WAC 220-413-060 about hunting with dogs doesn't apply to bird hunting.
Title: Re: No upland with dog during deer and elk season?
Post by: McQuackin on October 20, 2025, 06:36:58 PM: See that was what I thought too, but the dude I spoke to at wdfw was adamant that it covered birds as well. Maybe I just got a hold of someone who had no clue...
Title: Re: No upland with dog during deer and elk season?
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on October 20, 2025, 06:39:59 PM: Quote from: McQuackin on Yesterday at 06:36:58 PM
See that was what I thought too, but the dude I spoke to at wdfw was adamant that it covered birds as well. Maybe I just got a hold of someone who had no clue...

Probably can’t tie his shoe laces as well.😉
Title: Re: No upland with dog during deer and elk season?
Post by: metlhead on October 20, 2025, 07:14:20 PM: Yeah, ignore that rule. Doesn't apply. Call him back and tell him to FO. And that means what it says.
Title: Re: No upland with dog during deer and elk season?
Post by: buglebuster on October 20, 2025, 08:21:31 PM: Quote from: metlhead on Yesterday at 07:14:20 PM
Yeah, ignore that rule. Doesn't apply. Call him back and tell him to FO. And that means what it says.

😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
Title: Re: No upland with dog during deer and elk season?
Post by: buglebuster on October 20, 2025, 08:22:23 PM: Definitely not true. Plenty of pheasant hunters out and about in eastern Washington this past weekend for the opener, while modern deer season was going on.
Title: Re: No upland with dog during deer and elk season?
Post by: GWP on October 21, 2025, 10:51:18 AM: I don't know if WDFW is just getting filled up with ignorant people or what but I have had nearly the same experience. It is a shame as the ignorant ones are adamant they are spitting facts even though they are incorrect. It just adds to the already confusing state of our State's F&W laws.
At the start of the Wolf mess I called to report seeing a Wolf in Eastern Wa. I was shuffled to a few people that were adamant there were no Wolves in that area. Finally got a hold of the guy that worked the exact area and he was tickled to hear about it because it had been reported being seen a few times.
I sent pics of the footprints next to a pic of or dogs footprint, whom had very large feet for his size and were dwarfed by the Wolf print, and an exact location where he had been.
Sometimes we have to keep asking if something does not seem to line up.
Title: Re: No upland with dog during deer and elk season?
Post by: brokentrail on October 21, 2025, 01:56:48 PM: Since they specified dogs as (hounds), and didn't leave it generic as "dogs", unless you are bird hunting with a hound, you are legal is my understanding of the law. The exception in the wild animal portion was to allow beagle hunters (well mostly beagle hunters, I suppose there may be folks that use other hounds to hunt rabbits, I just used beagles) to still hunt/pursue rabbits/hares during open modern firearm seasons.