Date of Adoption: August 3, 2001.

Purpose: Amend archery rules.

Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 232-12-054.

Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 77.12.047.

Adopted under notice filed as WSR 01-13-095 on June 19, 2001.

Changes Other than Editing from Proposed to Adopted Version: Subsection (1)(b) - delete "or bolt"; subsection (1)(c) - delete "or crossbow and bolt"; subsection (1)(d) add ...device that "stabilizes and" holds...; subsection (1)(e) end sentence after "with a crossbow"; subsection (1)(f) - delete "or bolt." Delete subsection (3) and renumber; and new subsection (3) at end delete "or crossbow" and add, "adaptive archery equipment as described in subsection (1)(d) of this section."

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 1, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.

August 14, 2001

Debbie Nelson

for Russ Cahill, Chair

Fish and Wildlife Commission

OTS-4873.3

AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending Order 00-50, filed 5/23/00, effective 6/23/00)

WAC 232-12-054   ((Bow and arrow)) Archery requirements -- Archery special use permits.   (1) Rules pertaining to all archery:

(a) It is unlawful for any person to carry or have in his possession any firearm while in the field archery hunting, during an archery season specified for that area.

(b) It is unlawful to have any electrical equipment or electric device(s) attached to the bow or arrow while hunting.

(c) It is unlawful to shoot a bow and arrow from a vehicle or from, across or along the maintained portion of a public highway, except persons with a disabled hunter permit may shoot from a vehicle if the hunter is in compliance with WAC 232-12-828.

(d) It is unlawful to use any device secured to or supported by the bow for the purpose of maintaining the bow at full draw or in a firing position, except persons with an archery special use permit may, during deer and elk archery seasons, use a device that stabilizes and holds a long bow, recurve bow, or compound bow at a full draw, and may use a mechanical or electrical release.

(e) It is unlawful to hunt wildlife with a crossbow.

(f) It is unlawful to hunt big game animals with any arrow that does not have a sharp broadhead, and the broadhead blade or blades are less than seven-eighths inch wide.

(g) It is unlawful to hunt big game animals with a broadhead blade unless the broadhead is unbarbed and completely closed at the back end of the blade or blades by a smooth, unbroken surface starting at maximum blade width forming a smooth line toward the feather end of the shaft and such line does not angle toward the point.

(2) Rules pertaining to long bow, recurve bow and compound bow archery:

(a) It is unlawful for any person to hunt big game animals with a bow that possesses less than 40 pounds of pull measured at twenty-eight inches or less draw length or has a greater than 65% reduction (let off) in holding weight at full draw.

(((2))) (b) It is unlawful to hunt big game animals with any arrow((, including broadhead,)) measuring less than 20 inches in length((,)) or weighing less than 6 grains per pound of draw weight ((and having sharp broadhead blade or blades less than seven-eighths inches wide. It is unlawful to hunt with a broadhead blade unless the broadhead is unbarbed and completely closed at the back end of the blade or blades by a smooth, unbroken surface starting at maximum blade width forming a smooth line toward the feather end of the shaft and such line does not angle toward the point.

(3) It is unlawful for any person to carry or have in his possession any firearm while in the field archery hunting, during the bow and arrow season specified for that area.

(4) It is unlawful to shoot at wildlife with an arrow from a vehicle or from, across or along the maintained portion of a public highway.

(5) It is unlawful to use any device secured to or supported by the bow for the purpose of maintaining the bow at full draw or in a firing position.

(6) It is unlawful to have any electrical equipment or device(s) attached to the bow or arrow while hunting.

(7) It is unlawful to hunt wildlife with a crossbow)).

(3) Archery special use permits. An archery special use permit is available to a person who holds a valid big game combination package which includes deer or elk as a species option and who presents an archery special use permit application signed by a physician stating that the person's disability is permanent and the person has a loss of use of one or both upper extremities, has a significant limitation in the use of an upper extremity, or has a permanent physical limitation, which loss or limitation substantially impairs the ability to safely hold, grasp or shoot a long bow, recurve bow or compound bow. The loss or limitation may be the result of, but not limited to, amputation, paralysis, diagnosed disease, or birth defect. The approved archery special use permit must be in the physical possession of the person while using adaptive archery equipment as described in subsection (1)(d) of this section to hunt deer or elk.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 77.12.040, 77.12.010, 77.12.020, 77.12.770, 77.12.780. 00-11-137 (Order 00-50), 232-12-054, filed 5/23/00, effective 6/23/00. Statutory Authority: RCW 77.12.040. 90-03-092 (Order 427), 232-12-054, filed 1/24/90, effective 2/24/90; 88-13-012 (Order 310), 232-12-054, filed 6/6/88; 81-12-029 (Order 165), 232-12-054, filed 6/1/81. Formerly WAC 232-12-140.]

Washington State Code Reviser's Office