Training program that provides dog training opportunities

The adopted rules include:

• An additional section—subsection (4)—proscribes what shall occur following the discharge of a firearm during a training session: “If a firearm is discharged at any point during a training activity, the training pass granted pursuant to subsection (11) shall be placed on hold until reinstated by the Department Captain or training area Sergeant. Before a training pass may be reinstated or reissued, WDFW Police shall investigate the circumstances of the discharge to determine if it was unlawful or a result of not meeting the best practices of dog handling.”
• An additional section—subsection (5)—addresses requirements for a participant who purchases a cougar tag: "A Nonlethal Pursuit Training Pass Program participant who purchases a cougar harvest tag in Washington State cannot fill a cougar tag 72 hours before or after a training exercise.”
• The addition of geographic limitations of training passes—subsection (10): “Training passes issued by the Department for training activities shall be geographically limited to no more than nine training passes at a time per WDFW Region, and no more than three training passes at a time per enforcement detachment.”
• The addition of restriction of training passes for certain GMUs—subsection (11): “The Department Captain shall restrict training pass scope for certain Game Management Units (GMU’s) during big game hunting seasons when prudent.”
• The additional requirement that training pass participant carry pepper spray or an air horn—subsection (12): “Any training pass holder engaged in training activities is required to carry either pepper spray or an air horn so that nonlethal means are available to mitigate wildlife interactions.”
• An additional section—subsection (14)—prohibiting a training pass holder from pursuing kittens or cougars with kittens: “As a best practices in dog handling, training pass holders shall not knowingly engage in the pursuit of spotted kittens or cougars with spotted kittens. Upon any observation of tracks of more than one cougar or visually observing the presence of spotted kittens during a training exercise, the handler shall terminate the current training pass activity and report the observations to the training area Sergeant. The Sergeant may choose to subsequently limit future training activities in the area.”