Two thousand hunters selected for multiple-season hunt opportunity

OLYMPIA - A total of 2,000 hunters have been selected to participate in a 2008 multiple-season hunt offered by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Hunters randomly selected during the April 11 drawing will be eligible to purchase a special permit allowing them to participate in general archery, muzzleloader and modern-firearms hunting seasons for deer or elk in 2008.

Winners of the multiple-season elk permit will also be able to participate in the general elk-hunting season in both eastern and western Washington.

Those purchasing a multiple-season tag must follow all rules in effect for each season and are limited to harvesting one deer or elk a year.

A total of 1,500 deer hunters and 500 elk hunters were selected during the April 11 drawing. WDFW will notify them by mail of their eligibility for the multiple-season hunt. Participants may check their results online by going to: http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/permits/multiseason/ .

The April 11 drawing took place after an earlier one held the week before was found to be invalid due to a technical error. A new process that will provide broader oversight has been put in place by the department to ensure the accuracy of special-hunt drawings.

Hunting licenses and multi-season tags can be purchased from local license dealers, on the Internet at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ or by telephone at (866) 246-9453. Multiple-season deer or elk tags cost $164.25 for residents and $1,642.50 for nonresidents, including transaction fees. These figures do not include the cost of an annual hunting license.