The state of Washington is yet one more state attempting to do something about boosting participation in the sport of hunting. Last season, approximately 1.6 million hunting licenses were sold. That’s down from 1.8 million in 2004.
A new bill, House Bill 1249, sponsored by Rep. Brian Blake, D-Aberdeen, if passed would allow a hunter born after Jan. 1, 1972 to get a one-year hunting license without first taking a required hunter safety course. The licensee has to be under the direct supervision of a licensed Washington hunter who has been licensed for at least three years. At the end of the one year, the licensee would be required to take the state certified safety course in order to get another license. This “deferral” license is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
You can read more about this bill, here!
Washington is not the first nor will it probably be the last state to propose a bill of this sort. While states look into what is causing the number of license sales to remain the same or decrease, this issue of the required hunter safety class as a deterrent always seems to come up.
While I agree that it may be one cause of reduced participation, I think most people would agree that the biggest reason is access to hunting land. All states should examine all the reasons for reduced participation and implement programs to deal with those issues. However, any of these bills that circumvent the requirement of taking hunter safety classes, need to be closely monitored to insure that safety is not being compromised.
Tom Remington
