The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has released its annual hunting prospects, available at shorturl.at/1w3QJ, to give hunters a detailed look at expected conditions, harvest trends and game activity in each of the state’s 17 wildlife management districts, a news release from the WDFW stated.
“Our district wildlife biologists create these reports to help hunters of all experience levels plan their seasons,” Anis Aoude, WDFW’s game division manager, said. “They provide an in-depth look at what’s happening on the landscape so hunters can focus on enjoying their season successfully.”
Hunters can also use the WDFW Hunt Planner online map, an interactive tool to find permit and general season hunts by location, date, weapon type and more, which can be found at shorturl.at/IOtNp.
The release urges hunters to pay special attention to the following for the 2025 season:
• Wildfire information is available on the Washington state Department of Natural Resources website and from InciWeb, a service of the National Interagency Fire Center, available at shorturl.at/ruMPD.
• Feeding deer, elk and moose, or other wildlife that may cause these species to congregate, is now illegal in Washington, as feeding draws wildlife together where they can rapidly spread diseases. More information about new rules prohibiting wildlife feeding is available on the WDFW blog at shorturl.at/fKvu2.
• New rules to limit the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Washington are now in effect, including statewide rules on baiting and carcass transport. Hunters should review the CWD rule changes on WDFW’s website at shorturl.at/Pu4F3 before heading out.
• WDFW’s Eastern Region is experiencing an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) and bluetongue. These viral diseases are spread by gnats and often result in death for infected animals, according to the release. EHD mainly affects white-tailed deer, while bluetongue can also impact mule deer, cattle and domestic sheep.
• Black bear hunting: Hunters who wish to harvest a black bear must first pass the bear identification test with a score of 80% or better. All successful bear hunters are required to submit a premolar tooth by Dec. 1, the release stated. Details are available on WDFW’s black bear webpage at tinyurl.com/9npvdd6j.
• This year’s youth-only waterfowl hunting dates are Sept. 20 in western Washington and Sept. 27 in eastern Washington for hunters 15 years of age or younger. For more information, refer to the Game Bird and Small Game Regulations at tinyurl.com/3utrnwmc.
• National Hunting and Fishing Day is held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 20 in Waitsburg, the release stated. This event offers opportunities to enjoy outdoor sports, participate in hunter education and learn more about the conservation successes of hunters and anglers. Refer to the event webpage for more information at tinyurl.com/2thee5b6.
The 2025-26 Game Bird and Small Game Hunting Regulations and 2025-26 Big Game Hunting Regulations pamphlets are available online and at hundreds of license dealers around the state.
