Hunting seasons established this weekend

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will be busy this weekend. This body will set the 2019 hunting seasons and review the annual wolf report. Note the ending of the antlerless white-tail deer hunts in some areas.

Is this because of blue-tongue or wolves? Read on.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will set 2019 hunting seasons, hear public input on suction dredging and review annual wolf population findings during an upcoming meeting in Olympia.

The commission will meet April 5-6 in Room 172 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. SE, Olympia. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. on both days.

A full agenda is available online at https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/commission/meetings.

On Friday, the commission will take public comment on staff-proposed hunting rules for the upcoming season. Proposed changes include:

Potentially changing rules requiring elk hunters to leave hooves in place for elk hoof disease prevention.

Removing minimum arrow weight restrictions.

Elimination of antlerless white-tailed deer hunts to conserve deer populations in northeast Washington.

Letting turkey hunters forgo hunter orange requirements when hunting outside of modern firearm and elk seasons.

Fish and Wildlife managers will also present the department’s annual wolf report, which addresses wolf population trends, conflicts with livestock, and proactive agreements with livestock producers. In the context of that report, they will also discuss the department’s periodic status review of wolves and the regulations that guide listing, down listing and delisting endangered species in Washington.

Suction dredging is also on the agenda. The commission will hear public comment on agency-proposed changes to suction dredging rules that would require an annual report and Hydraulic Project Approval permit for gold and mineral prospectors operating in or near state waters.