The deadline to apply for the state’s Road Access Entry Program is July 31. The program provides access for hunters with mobility disabilities into areas with fewer barriers.
The program is a cooperative effort between the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation Office, state Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, private timber companies and hunters with disabilities.
Applicant’s names are put into a drawing. Winners will be issued an access permit by the land manager allowing that person to drive a motorized vehicle into a closed or gated area where other hunters must walk in.
Applicants are reminded that all areas are still open to walk-in hunters, open to administrative use by the agency or land manager and subject to logging, fire and emergency closures.
Hunters interested in taking part in the program do not have to buy a license or tags first to apply for these Road Access Entry Permits. Applicants only need to be a Department of Fish and Wildlife registered hunter with a disability and have a disabled hunter Wild ID number.
To submit an application, fill out a fish and wildlife application form for deer and/or elk and return it by mail or online by July 31 in order to be eligible for the drawing. Mail form to Dolores Noyés, ADA Access Program Manager, WDFW, 600 Capitol Way N., Olympia, WA 98501-1091. To submit an application online, go to wdfw.wa.gov/accessibility/entry_form.html.
Only one application form per hunter is allowed. If you submit more than one entry form, you will not be able to participate in the drawing and your entry forms will be destroyed.
Disabled hunters should read where the Road Access Areas are located and apply only for those areas they would actually travel to should you be drawn.
If applying for elk, the west side and east side elk tags are different and you must hunt in compliance with your tags and equipment.
Hunters who have been drawn will be notified no later than Aug. 31. Those who were drawn will receive the Road Access Entry Area for which they were drawn and instructions on how to obtain the entry permit, key, map, etc.
You may be required to visit the land manager’s office in person at a specific time to pick up a key, sign papers, and leave a check for a key deposit.
For more information, contact Noyés at 360-902-2349. Questions regarding DNR lands should be directed to 360-902-1375.
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