TUMWATER - The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission today adopted new hunting rules for 2006-08 that expand hunting seasons for wild turkeys, add a day of elk hunting with modern firearms in western Washington and take steps to improve mule-deer buck survival on the east side of the state.
Hunters remain a powerful force in American society, as evidenced by the presidential candidates who routinely pay them homage, but their ranks are shrinking dramatically and wildlife agencies worry increasingly about the loss of sorely needed license-fee revenue.