RAC weighs tightened verification for disabled‑hunter accommodations; members split on season-date changes
Summary
Staff proposed clarifications for Certificate of Restoration (COR) accommodations (crossbows, season extensions) to reduce alleged abuse and preserve access for bona fide hunters with disabilities. RAC agreed to tighter verification but divided on moving extensions from pre-season to post‑season.
Staff said proposed rule language would clarify eligibility for disability accommodations (mobility, upper‑extremity limitations and companion allowances) and tighten verification to limit fraud. “The purpose of these proposals is to help create a fair equal balance between our hunter with disabilities and the rest of our hunters,” staff said, explaining the intent to preserve access while minimizing program abuse.
Public commenters and RAC members raised concerns about doctors’ signoffs, fraud and impacts on genuinely disabled hunters. Several RAC members opposed changing the timing of season extensions (from pre‑season to post‑season), arguing that volunteers and support networks help disabled hunters be successful in earlier dates and that moving dates could reduce access. Others argued the program has been abused in ways that justify stricter verification. The RAC ultimately passed a motion to accept the proposed language while retaining most extension-date structures (with a recorded single opposition on the dates issue).
Why it matters: COR accommodations provide meaningful access for hunters with disabilities, but the division and RAC are balancing that access with program integrity and enforcement concerns.
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