The Sportsmen’s Alliance recently submitted comments to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission opposing proposed regulations to limit cougar and bear hunting opportunities in the Evergreen State. The commission was briefed on the proposed regulations by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) at their March meeting, and they’re expected to vote on the changes at an upcoming meeting.
By all accounts, cougars are doing exceedingly well in Washington. However, the commission has proposed rulemaking to establish rigid harvest caps by Cougar Hunt Management Unit (CHMU) and include both harvest and conflict mortalities toward the caps. We oppose this rigid harvest cap structure and the inclusion of conflict mortalities toward the harvest cap.
CHMUs each receive a 16% percent harvest cap. That 16% is allotted to hunter harvest and human-conflict mortalities combined. However, if a CHMU meets the 16% take from conflict mortalities prior to the opening of the cougar hunting season, that CHMU will not open for hunter harvest. Multiple CHMUs in Washington already have or will meet that cap based on conflict mortalities alone, closing those units to cougar hunting.
To make matters worse, the commission’s decision to lump harvest and human-conflict mortalities together not only limits access and opportunity – it is likely unlawful. When promulgating rules allocating harvest caps to two or more sources, courts have ruled that an agency must undertake those allocation determinations independently. Here, WDFW has lumped hunting and conflict mortalities together and placed a single cap on both.
Similarly, we oppose the commission’s proposal to reduce bag limits and seasons in 20 game management units (GMUs) and the outright closure of an additional 14 GMUs to fall bear hunting. We also oppose the proposal to make it unlawful to kill or possess a cub or a female bear accompanied by a cub. Per WDFW, “[b]lack bears are common” in much of the state, in large part due to the bears’ ability to adapt to and thrive in a variety of habitats. WDFW estimates the statewide population at 22,000 bears.
These GMUs, like most of the state, host stable bear populations that can sustain the current levels of hunter effort and harvest, and, to our knowledge, the department has not raised concerns that the occasional take of a cub or a female with cubs in the fall has negatively impacted the bear population or WDFW’s bear management goals. While we fully understand the intent behind this proposal, most hunters already make the personal decision to avoid taking cubs or sows with cubs.
The current bear hunting proposals represent rulemaking for the sake of rulemaking – something courts have repeatedly held to be unlawful. Reducing bag limits and seasons further reduces already-limited hunting opportunities and increases the opportunity for conflict situations. The proposed cub and sow rule is unnecessary and will present compliance challenges for hunters and enforcement challenges for WDFW.
In addition to submitting comments to the commission opposing these proposed regulations, the Sportsmen’s Alliance is evaluating options for challenging one or both of these regulations in court should the commission vote to approve them. Washington’s sportsmen have continuously worked in collaboration with WDFW to provide data and ensure cougar and black bear hunting does not negatively impact the health of the state’s cougar and bear populations. They should not be repaid with reduced opportunities and unnecessary regulations based on emotion.
Hunters have been bullied long enough by the commission, and the Sportsmen’s Alliance will not allow it to happen any longer. Join us or donate to the Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund to help stand up against the relentless assault on our values and lifestyle by animal extremists. Present and future generations are depending on your willingness to fight to protect the future of hunting, fishing, and trapping.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance guarantees hunting, fishing and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. We are the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
