FINS, FUR & FEATHERS: Planning needed for special permits
Published 8:00 am Wednesday, June 5, 2002
Like I have said before, if you are like me, there are really two hunting seasons. The actual season and preparing for hunting season. The middle of June is one time that my mind really starts to get into gear for the upcoming year. Yeah, I know that the warm weather has most outdoor people thinking of fishing, crabbing and digging up some clams, but for me it is where do I want to apply for my special season permit.
Every year Washington state has special hunts for the holders of applicable permits. Many of these hunts allow a hunter to take an animal that others in the same area cannot. For instance, in some spike-only elk areas you can shoot a branched-antlered bull with a correct permit. In the northeast corner of the state, the state issues numerous antlerless-only tags to keep the growing white-tailed deer herd in check. In addition, some species like moose and mountain goat can only be hunted with a special permit.
With the state’s new computerized licensing system, it has gotten easier to apply for many of the great hunts the state has to offer. Gone are the days of filling out a little card with a myriad of numbers, sending it off in the mail, then waiting for news on whether it is time to really start planning your fall trip. Granted you purists may cringe, but with the new technology things are getting easier for us. The first step is to get to any sporting goods dealer and get your hunting license. Deer and elk permit applications require that you have your transport tags for that species prior to applying. While you are there pick up a copy of the current regulations.
Now that you have that you need to make a few decisions. One question that needs to be answered is if you are going to apply solo or as part of a group. If you apply as a group, if one in the group gets drawn, everyone does.
After you have that settled, you need to figure where you intend to hunt each species. Many of us hunt in traditional areas year after year, so this process has been decided for years. Others are looking for the best opportunity to tag an animal or find a trophy. In the regulations you will find a long list of the many special permit hunts available. On these pages you will find the specific name of the hunt, the GMU in encompasses, the dates the permit is good for, special restrictions (i.e. point restrictions or sex), how many permits that will be available this year, and lastly how people applied for the same hunt last year.
One thing to note, if you see anything highlighted in red, it means a change from last year’s regulations. This information can be very handy. For instance, let’s say you want to hunt a special season for deer and aren’t picky about which type or where you go. If you look at this year’s regulations you see that Swanke hunt had 1,201 applicants for 50 permits. Granted this is a trophy hunt, but your odds are not very great for getting drawn. If you truly want to hunt a trophy area, then applying this year may be a benefit that you don’t see until next year. The special permits carry a weighted point system. This means if you don’t get drawn this year you are given one point that increases your odds next year. Conversely, Mt. Spokane unit had about 1,500 applicants for 1,000 permits. Understand that this unit is mostly private land, but this shows the homework that needs to go into planning a special permit hunt.
After you have done your assignments it gets easier. In the regulations there is a worksheet that lists all the information you will need to apply. Purchase your permit application at any license dealer or over the Internet. Use the worksheet to fill out the application and then submit to the state either via their website or by calling 1-877-945-3492. This makes the submission of an incorrect application less likely than in years past. After that you are done, and just need to wait. The state expects to notify all applicants by mail no later than August 3. You will also be able to check results online.
If it sounds like a lot of work to apply for a special permit, it really isn’t, but you do need to take some time and get it done. The rewards are beyond compare. In past years some of my best deer and elk hunts have come on special permit hunts. My wife took her first deer, a whitetail doe, on a special hunt a few years back. If you are interested time is running out, as all applications have to be submitted no later than June 23.
