WDFW seeks public comment on proposed cougar season rules

OLYMPIA — The public comment period on proposed changes to cougar hunting seasons will be open through June 21, according to a press release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The proposed rule would set cougar season from September to March 31 and would set a limit, calculated as a percentage of the cougar population, in each population management unit. Under the proposed rule change, the cap would be set at 13%. All human-caused cougar mortality, whatever it is, would be part of that calculation. If the limit was reached before the season started in a specific PMU, the cap could be raised to 20% to provide hunting opportunities, the press release said. This section of the rule would expire at the end of the 2024-25 hunting season.

Comments will be accepted online, by mail or by phone. Online comments can be submitted at www.publicinput.com/2024cougarseasonsetting. Phone comments can be submitted by calling 1-855-925-2801 and entering project code 1261. 

Email comments can be sent to 2024cougarseasonsetting@publicinput.com, or can be mailed to the WDFW at P.O. Box 43200, Olympia, WA 98504, Attn: Wildlife Program.

The new rules will be considered at the Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting scheduled for June 21 and 22 in Vancouver. People who wish to comment are asked to register in advance at the commission website, www.wdfw.wa.gov, under the commission tab.