SPOKANE, Wash. – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) set new restrictions on hunting for the fall season in response to the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease throughout the Inland Northwest.
Baiting will become an unlawful hunting practice in the Mount Spokane, Mica Peak and Cheney areas starting Sep. 1 in deer, elk and moose hunts.
“Using any type of bait placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, scattered, or otherwise used for the purpose of attracting deer, elk, or moose with the intent to hunt them,” will become illegal in September according to WDFW.
Starting Friday, salvaged deer and elk from Mount Spokane, Mica Peak and Cheney will also be required to undergo Chronic Wasting Disease testing within three days of a hunter receiving a salvage permit. There are also new restrictions on dead wildlife transportation from the same areas.
“It is illegal to transport deer, elk, or moose, or parts thereof, taken from within the 100 series GMUs in areas that require a Washington state hunting license, to other areas of Washington state,” WDFW said.
In an effort to gain more data on the extent of Chronic Wasting Disease, all hunters who kill deer, elk or moose in Mount Spokane, Mica Peak or Cheney will be required to submit the head of the animal with three inches of neck attached or extracted retropharyngeal lymph nodes to WDFW for testing starting Sep. 1.
