Mandatory Hunter Reporting Results
George K. Tsukamoto, Wildlife biologist

Results of the new hunter reporting requirement established for the 2001 hunting season has improved the quality of data used by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to manage game species. “We thank all the hunters who reported their activity by the deadline date. The quality of information reported has helped our biologists to better manage future hunting seasons more accurately,” said Dave Ware, WDFW game division manager.

Hunter report submissions were tracked by date to determine reporting timeliness, peak periods of reporting, and events that prompted reporting. During the hunting seasons, peaks in reporting occurred on Mondays following the weekend. An increasing trend in reporting occurred following the close of most general seasons in November through the “incentive” deadline of January 10, when a large increase in reporting was observed. The WDFW sent a reminder notice on January 15, 2002 to all hunters who had not reported. The reminder notice was effective when the largest number of reports received in a single day occurred on the deadline date of January 31, 2002. The number of reports received following the deadline was consistent but at a low level until a week prior to the permit application deadline, when there was a noticeable increase in reporting. The remaining hunters who haven’t reported will be required to submit them prior to buying a hunting license for this falls general deer and elk seasons.

Table 1 shows the reporting results by species through the deadline date of January 31, 2002 and again on June 23, 2002. A significant number of hunter reports were received after the January 31 deadline date. From January 31 through June 23, 2002 about 41,000 hunter reports were received, representing approximately 12 percent of the total. These reports and others that we have not yet received would have been most valuable in our management analysis if they were available when we needed them. We are hopeful for even higher and earlier reporting rates for the 2002-hunting season as hunters become accustomed to the new procedures and take advantage of the incentive program.

The reporting rate for special permit hunters is much higher for goat, moose and sheep hunter reports (Table 1). Approximately 90 percent of the deer and elk special permit hunters submitted their reports on time and are included with all deer and elk hunters.

Table 1. Hunter report results for the 2001 hunting season

Last year, hunters who reported within 10 days of taking an animal and unsuccessful hunters who filed their reports by the end of the day on January 10, 2002, were entered into a drawing for one of nine deer or elk special incentive permits. Eight hunters from western Washington and one from eastern Washington were chosen to receive a special elk or deer permit for faithfully reporting their hunting activity in a timely manner. They have been rewarded with a hunting opportunity of a lifetime in 2002.