Rule-making petitions archived in 2024

The petitioner is requesting the department allow hunters to hunt deer and elk with a crossbow during a dedicated crossbow season.

Due date: February 16, 2025

The petitioner is asking the department to begin rulemaking for the Washington State Spring Black Bear Hunting Season.

Due date: February 14, 2025

The petitioner is requesting that the department change the 3-point minimum to allow for any buck during muzzleloader and archery season. 

Due date: February 1, 2025 

The petitioner is requesting a catch and release fishery for the Sauk and Skagit Rivers to reduce overwhelming pressure to the system.

Due date: February 1, 2025

The petitioner is requesting that his petition be accepted, and rulemaking begin for a Spring Black Bear Hunting Season.

Due Date: December 31, 2024

Petitioner is asking that the Department consider allowing for any two fish taken rather than any two marked fish to help increase the survival of salmon.

Due date: December 23, 2024

The petitioner is requesting that the Commission reconsider their decision and open rulemaking to allow for a Spring Black Bear Hunting Season. 

Due date: 12/16/24

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking for a Spring Black Bear Hunting Season that would allow WDFW to manage human-bear conflict and other management concerns in the spring. The petitioner points out that a Spring black bear season occurs in four surrounding jurisdictions and could potentially reduce human bear conflict. 

Due date: 11/29/24

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking that would allow the issuance of a management-based black bear hunting permit that would allow WDFW to geographically distribute hunters as compared to the general fall black bear season. The permits would be designed to target specific areas where issues, such as timber damage, high bear/human conflicts, and where ungulate neonate survival is low due to possible bear predation occur.

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking that would amend WAC 220-416-120 to allow the use of air rifles to harvest bullfrogs. 

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking that would allow the use of blowgun/blow dart fishing to harvest bullfrogs. 

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking that would reduce the non-tribal Columbia River gillnetting, so that it is consistent with the $14.4 million voluntary gillnet buyback funded by the Washington Legislature.

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking for an amendment to WAC 220-358-010 that would establish minimum standards for observation of non-tribal commercial fisheries in the mainstream lower Columbia River. 

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking that would establish standards for public notice and transparency for meetings related to the Columbia River Compact.  

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking for an amendment to WAC 220-440-210 that will allow the agency to issue depredation permits to licensed hunters for a management-based spring black bear season. 

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking to allow hunters to make use of their unused bonus points when they age out of the youth category and allow them to transfer their points to a category of their choosing. 

The petitioner is requesting that the Commission begin rulemaking that would reduce the cost of hunting licenses for seniors. 

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking to amend WAC 220-440-030 to authorize the Director to issue public safety removal permits to hunters statewide for the purpose of removing cougars from an area where they pose a public risk. 

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking to amend WAC 220-145 to allow for over-the-counter Spring Bear hunting tags in three GMUs in Western Washington, specifically in Sakgit, Whatcom, and Grays Harbor Counties.

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking requiring Fish and Wildlife Commission members to work with department staff for a minimum of 16 hours to better understand the issues involved with any proposed rule change or petition if they don't follow staff recommendations for those rule changes or petitions, and to require any Commissioner to report a fellow Commissioner allegedly not following the statutory mandate, to the Governor for Investigation.

Requesting season closer date of Park Lake, Blue Lake and Deep Lake in Grant County from September 30th to October 31. 

The petitioner is requesting that the Commission consider changing the closure date on Park, Blue, and Deep Lakes in Grant County from September 30th to October 31st. 

The petitioner is requesting that the Commission begin rulemaking for the return of the Recreational Spring Black Bear Hunting Seasons.

The petitioner is requesting that the Commission begin rulemaking for the Cougar Management & Public Safety Hunting Seasons separate from the Cougar rulemaking that is currently underway. 

The petitioner is requesting that the Commission change regulations that would standardize the antler restriction to a three-point minimum in District 1 within Region 1 for White-Tailed Deer.

Petitioners are requesting that the Commission change regulations to allow the use or aid of battery powered or other electronic devices as decoys when hunting waterfowl, turkey, snow geese, ross geese, or deer. The Petitioner seeks to amend hunting regulations to allow the use of electric power to directly or indirectly cause rotation of decoy wings or blades that simulate wings from the third Saturday in November through the end of all waterfowl seasons.

The petitioner is requesting the Commission begin rulemaking to create Eastside and Westside deer tags, requiring deer hunters to choose between the Eastside and Westside of the state, just like elk tags are sold. 

The petitioner is requesting that the limit for Yellow Perch on Fish Lake be changed from 25 to no limit.

Request to lift the limit on Yellow Perch at Fish Lake in Chelan County. The current limit for Yellow Perch is 25 fish. 

The petitioner is requesting the Commission amend the Wildlife Control Operator (WCO) certification program to include additional training and another level of certification that will allow WCOs to respond to wildlife conflicts involving ungulates and predators.

Petitioners are requesting that the Commission change regulations to ban the use of bait in all rivers and tributaries in the Puget Sound and delay the opening of the fishing season until mid-June in Puget Sound Rivers.