BILL REQ. #:  H-0154.1 

Read first time 02/21/2007.   Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources.

     AN ACT Relating to increasing hunting opportunities during legal holidays; amending RCW 77.12.150; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that many of the state's hunters are either employed on most nonholiday weekdays or attend school full time. This situation limits the ability of many to participate in the hunting opportunities made available by the fish and wildlife commission on nonholiday weekdays.
     (2) The legislature further finds that the legal holidays recognized by state law provides many of these individuals with discretionary time that could be used for hunting, if there were legal seasons corresponding with the holidays. For instance, the hardship of missing work to participate in a modern firearm deer season scheduled for the week before Thanksgiving would be alleviated if the season was moved to the week containing the holiday.
     (3) The legislature further finds that the fish and wildlife commission should try, whenever possible, to make hunting opportunities available on holiday weekends. Timing hunting seasons with holidays would, in many cases, take minimal effort, yet would allow the working men and women of Washington an opportunity to pursue their sport without having to miss time from their employment.

Sec. 2   RCW 77.12.150 and 2003 c 385 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The commission shall, when practical, establish general and special hunting seasons, and other hunting opportunities, to coincide with legal holidays recognized in RCW 1.16.050.
     (2) By emergency rule only, and in accordance with criteria established by the commission, the director may close or shorten a season for game animals, game birds, or game fish, and after a season has been closed or shortened, may reopen it and reestablish bag limits on game animals, game birds, or game fish during that season. The director shall advise the commission of the adoption of emergency rules. A copy of an emergency rule, certified as a true copy by the director or by a person authorized in writing by the director to make the certification, is admissible in court as prima facie evidence of the adoption and validity of the rule.
     (((2))) (3)(a) If the director finds that game animals have increased in numbers in an area of the state so that they are damaging public or private property or over-utilizing their habitat, the commission may establish a special hunting season and designate the time, area, and manner of taking and the number and sex of the animals that may be killed or possessed by a licensed hunter. The director shall include notice of the special season in the rules establishing open seasons.
     (b) When the department receives six complaints concerning damage to commercial agricultural and horticultural crop production by wildlife from the owner or tenant of real property, or from several owners or tenants in a locale, the commission shall conduct a special hunt or special hunts or take remedial action to reduce the potential for the damage, and shall authorize either one or two permits per hunter. Each complaint must be confirmed by qualified department staff, or their designee.
     (c) The director shall determine by random selection the identity of hunters who may hunt within the area of the special hunt and shall determine the conditions and requirements of the selection process. Within this process, the department must maintain a list of all persons holding valid wildlife hunting licenses, arranged by county of residence, who may hunt deer or elk that are causing damage to crops. The department must update the list annually and utilize the list when contacting persons to assist in controlling game damage to crops. The department must make all reasonable efforts to contact individuals residing within the county where the hunting of deer or elk will occur before contacting a person who is not a resident of that county. The department must randomize the names of people on the list in order to provide a fair distribution of the hunting opportunities. Hunters who participate in hunts under this section must report any kills to the department. The department must include a summary of the wildlife harvested in these hunts in the annual game management reports it makes available to the public.