washington department of Fish & Wildlife

Hunters can apply for Special Hunt Permits with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. The department says the application period is open until Wednesday, May 28. If your application is drawn, you will obtain access to hunting opportunities, such as elk, turkey, or deer, unavailable during the general hunting season. ...

Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife releases it's annual report of gray wolf populations. The 2024 report shows a dip in overall population, but the amount of packs grew by one last year. According to WDFW Statewide Wolf Specialist Ben Maletzke, It's a good sign wolf recovery efforts are working, but there is work to do. ...

Here is a guide to wolf-related bills percolating in Olympia; all of them strive to establish "local control of wolf management in the state's northeastern counties."

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking the public's assistance in tracking down the person(s) responsible for killing two dozen protected birds in Grant County. WDFW Police say a common loon and over 20 coots were discovered shot to death in the area of Sunland Estates on Nov. 23...

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and the National Wild Turkey Federation have teamed up to award two new conservation project grants in North Central Washington. The projects will be implemented over the next 18 months and are intended to improve habitat for wild turkey and other birds, as well as deer, elk, and various pollinators. ...

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife is urging the public not to feed any jack-o-lanterns or other leftover pumpkins to wildlife in the wake of Halloween. In a Friday news release, the agency reported that pumpkins are not a natural food source for any of Washington's wildlife and can even be toxic to some animals. ...

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife mandates body cameras for officers in an effort to boost transparency and accountability.

Sockeye salmon are returning in record numbers to the waters of North Central Washington this year. At the Tumwater Dam on the Wenatchee River, an incredible 165,071 sockeye have been counted through July 31 - a mark that shatters the previous record by over 54,000 fish and is also 68,000 over preseason forecasts...

Anglers in Chelan County can now catch channel catfish for the first time in over a decade. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) has resumed its channel catfish stocking program after a ten-year absence. Channel catfish are a non-indigenous species that were first introduced to the waters of Washington in Skagit County in 1892. Af...

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery are recommending people no longer float the waters of Icicle Creek. The agencies say water levels in the creek have reached their summertime lows, which means inner tubing the creek will take a long time and include sections where walking would be necessary. ...