Hunting

The number of harvested big game animals checked at far Eastern Washington chronic wasting disease sampling stations on opening weekend of the state’s general rifle deer season continues to rise, according to stats released by WDFW today.

This weekend marks the start of the first of the Northwest’s three primary general deer seasons as Oregon riflemen take the field in search of bucks, followed by Idaho then Washington later in October, so what can deer hunters expect?

We need to share a better story about why we hunt cougars, bears and other carnivores “because the future of hunting – and wildlife conservation – depends on it.”

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will mull an ODFW proposal to increase the cost of nearly all fishing and hunting licenses as well as create a new ocean angling endorsement as part of a budget request to state lawmakers that also includes $8 million in cuts to some programs.

A deeply, starkly, bitterly divided Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission has directed WDFW staffers to develop a slate of cougar rulemaking proposals to get in place ahead of the start of hunting season this September.

New mapping out from the U.S. Geological Survey today is spotlighting how heavily a Central Washington mule deer herd uses a migratory corridor intersecting with busy US 97 over Blewett Pass.