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RAC backs adding late-archery bull elk permits, to review multi-season option later
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Summary
The Northern RAC endorsed DWR's bull elk permit slate with an amendment to add five permits to each limited-entry late-archery bull elk hunt; members also flagged discussion of restoring a previous multi-season permit for mid-plan review.
The Northern Regional Advisory Council voted April 15 to accept DWR's bull elk permit recommendations for 2026 with one RAC amendment: adding five permits to each limited-entry late-archery bull elk hunt.
DWR staff said the multi-season general permit was removed in a prior revision of the statewide elk plan and that a mid-plan review this summer will reexamine whether a modified multi-season option should be considered. Members expressed support for late-archery opportunity hunts, noting they provide access with intentionally low success rates. Staff told the RAC those late-archery hunts were excluded from average-age calculations and were designed as opportunity hunts rather than contributors to harvest averages.
RAC members debated whether adding permits might reduce success or dilute point equity; DWR noted most late-archery units have minimum permit counts set by plan language (generally five or more) and that several units already have higher allocations. After member discussion, Steve moved and Ross seconded a motion to accept the bull elk permit recommendations with the addition of five permits to each limited-entry late-archery bull elk hunt. The motion passed unanimously.
The RAC asked staff to include the topic of multi-season general permits in the mid-plan review this summer and to continue monitoring harvest metrics for late-archery hunts as additional years of data accumulate.
