WA · Big Game
Caribou in Washington hunting regulations.
Hunting regulations change. The information on this page reflects what we know about species presence and hunt availability based on state agency listings. For current season dates, bag limits, weapon restrictions, tag requirements, and reporting obligations, verify directly with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. You are responsible for confirming current regulations before hunting.
What we know
Caribou is not huntable in Washington. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife sets season dates, bag limits, and weapon restrictions. Verify with the agency before hunting — Bield Hunt does not yet ship those specifics.
About the species
Caribou are the only deer species in which females carry antlers. North American caribou populations divide into barren-ground herds (the massive migratory herds of the Arctic), Mountain caribou (Western Canadian and Alaskan ranges), and woodland caribou (boreal forest zone, threatened or endangered across most of their southern range). Mature bulls weigh 350-450 pounds and live nomadic lives following lichen forage and avoiding wolf predation.
Hunting opportunities exist primarily in Alaska and Canada — caribou season was closed in the contiguous US after the woodland herd disappeared from the Selkirk Mountains. Alaska runs general-season caribou tags in several units, and the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon, and Quebec offer guided and self-guided trips. The Western Arctic Herd migration is one of the great wildlife spectacles still witnessable on this continent.
Other big game in Washington
Pattern caribou in Washington.
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