2021-2023 season-setting rules and regulation proposals
Season Setting Timeline:
Collect WDFW Internal 3-Year Hunting Season Setting Ideas May 28 – June 12, 2020
WDFW Regions 1-6 and Olympia headquarters staff will submit 2021-2023 three-year Hunting Season Setting ideas from Thursday, May 28 thru Friday, June 12. The ideas collected will be incorporated with those received from the public and WDFW staff since the last 3-year hunting season setting process.
Internal Rollup of WDFW Season Setting Ideas for Public Consideration – late July
Statewide Wildlife Regional Program Managers along with Olympia HQ staff will refine the internal WDFW recommendations that will move forward for public comment.
Virtual Public Meetings – late August/early September
This year, WDFW has scheduled a series of virtual public meetings by topic to discuss the 2021-23 hunting season alternatives. The meetings are scheduled from 6-7 p.m. on the following dates:
- Tuesday, Aug. 25 – Carnivores, small game, upland game, furbearers
- Thursday, Aug. 27 – General, equipment and licensing
- Tuesday, Sept. 1 – Waterfowl
- Thursday, Sept. 3 – Elk
- Wednesday, Sept. 9 – Deer
- Thursday, Sept. 10 – Mountain goat, bighorn sheep, and boundaries
The public can attend the events and ask questions in real time by clicking on the corresponding link above.
Public Comment Period: Aug. 17 – Sept. 15, 2020
The public will have an opportunity to comment on the proposals through our public survey. The 2021-23 Hunting Season Setting Survey will be launched on Monday, Aug. 17 and end Tuesday, Sept. 15 at midnight.
Public comments received through the virtual meetings and from the survey will help the Department understand the level of support for the proposed 2021-23 hunting regulations. The Department wants to hear people’s concerns, especially those that address a significant conservation or management issue.
2021-23 Hunting Season Rules - Adoption by the WDFW Commission - March/April 2021
The public will get a second chance to formally comment on these proposals once Department staff develop recommendations for consideration by the Fish and Wildlife Commission in March and adoption in April 2021. These recommendations will be based on the biological needs of a species and the social need of the public gathered through the comment period.