Fall Hunting Season Brings Trespass Issues

WAITSBURG - Deer hunting season opened Oct. 13 and the Department of Fish and Wildlife said the week had been quiet in terms of the numbers of hunters.

But, local law enforce- ment still reports instances of trespassing on private lands and poaching in the Touchet Valley area.

"Trespass during hunting season is a problem," said Madonna Luers, a public information officer with the Washington State Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife's Spokane Valley office. "It's their responsibility to know where they're at and get that permission secured."

Deer season opened Oct. 13 and Luers said her field officers reported a quiet week. She suggested there may have been fewer hunt- ers in the field because of the drier weather. Luers said dry grasses can make hunters noisy and can scare away animals.

According to Sheriff John Turner, the Walla Wal- la County Sheriff's Of- fice has had eight calls for service related to hunting offenses. He said his office received three reports of criminal trespass and five game violation calls since Oct. 13.

In Columbia County, there were three reports of trespassing, two reports of poaching and one report of a hunting related firearms offense since Oct. 13, ac- cording to police reports provided to the Times.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife helps provide access by working with private landowners to allow hunters to register to hunt on their lands. This is a crucial program for hunters because 50 percent of land in the state is privately owned, according to the fish and wildlife website. This was created to help mitigate trespassing and poaching offenses.

In Columbia County, there are 19,156 acres of land where private land owners have posted "Feel Free To Hunt" signs, ac- cording to the fish and wildlife website. There are 20,896 acres in Columbia County where private land- owners have posted "Writ- ten Permission Required To Hunt" signs, working with fish and wildlife to secure access.

There's even more "Feel Free To Hunt" lands in Wal- la Walla County - 64,965 acres. Written permission is required on about 1,246 acres.

Fish and wildlife is still working with hundreds of landowners to secure more legal hunting access.

Landowners have a choice in whether they want hunters on their lands, Luers said.

"That's your preroga- tive," she added.

She reminds the public that "trespass of any kind is against the law" and if private property owners see trespassers in vehicles or on foot they should call 911 for their local law enforcement. The local sheriff's office or the Washington State Patrol can respond to these calls, she said. Because fish and wildlife's resources are limited, the agency is only called in if necessary, she said.

Luers said hunting trespass is "always an issue" and her agency can't say if the problem is improving or worsening.

And this year, the pun- ishment for hunting offenses carries a tougher punishment for those found guilty than previously. Lu- ers said there is a new law in Washington State that makes hunting or retrieving wildlife on trespassed property an elevated crime and leads to "a much tougher prosecution."

Previously, hunting-re- lated trespass carried a $250 fine, she said. Now, the new law allows fish and wildlife to confiscate harvested deer or even take hunting privi- leges away.

According to RCW 77.15.435, "If a person unlawfully hunts and kills wildlife, or retrieves hunted wildlife that he or she has killed, on the property of another, then, upon convic- tion of unlawfully hunting on, or retrieving hunted wildlife from, the property of another, the department shall revoke all hunting licenses and tags and order a suspension of the person's hunting privileges for two years."

Luers said fish and wild- life worked hard in the legislature to come up with a tougher punishment for hunting offenses.

The agency also tries to teach people about trespass while hunting and how to avoid it during hunter edu- cation courses.

" You don't just hunt anywhere you want," Luers said.

Landowners can help inform hunters that they are not welcome by posting "No Trespassing" or "No Hunting" signs on the boundaries of their property, she said, adding that if she had property, she'd have it posted.

Others who are willing to allow select hunters on their land can put up signs that say "Hunting Only By Permission" that include the homeowner's phone number.

Hunters who want to secure permission to hunt on these lands need to call before they head out to hunt to give property owners enough advance notice, Lu- ers added.

With more signs posted and tougher sentences for offenders, the situation may improve. However, Luers said there is always going to be the occasional offender.

"There's always going to be people who don't play by the rules," she said. "That's just the nature of the world."

Fish and Wildlife

Reminds Hunters To:

*Treat lands and ownerswith respect

*Be courteous

*Close gates

*Stay on designated roads

*Pack all trash out

*Thank the landowners