Deer Diary: ‘Second Deer’ season is underway

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, August 11, 2026

The following is a reminder to islanders and visitors that there is a five-month-long Special Hunt Antlerless Deer Season on Vashon-Maury Island that runs from Aug. 1 to Dec. 31, which means there may be hunters who own or have permission to hunt on private property starting Saturday, Aug. 1, through New Year’s Eve Day.

This Special Hunt is better known as “Second Deer” and is aimed at reducing the number of breeding does in the herd to better manage the deer overpopulation and preserve the carrying capacity of the native plants on our island. A hunter is legally allowed to take any antlerless deer with this tag, but most want to maximize the amount of venison they get for their effort, and few if any ever take fawns. The term “Second Deer” does not refer to the order in which the deer is taken, so hunters don’t have to wait to fill their Second Deer tag until they have filled their General Deer tag.

In 2025 there were 200 Second Deer tags on offer for our Vashon-Maury Game Management Unit (GMU) 422, which is by far the highest number of tags for a single GMU in the state. Of the 168 tags awarded, only 16 were filled as reported to WDFW, which means the deer population management goals are far from being met. Many of these tags are awarded to off-islanders, whom, once they have won a tag in the drawing, are disappointed to discover that the only public land available for hunting on island is during the 16-day window in Island Center Forest in October. The significant challenge of securing permission to hunt on private land on island has led to a majority of the Second Deer tags held by off-islanders going unfilled. At the same time the number of deer killed by traffic on island roads is steadily increasing.

For those with permission and access to private property, all legal weapon types for our Firearm Restricted GMU (handgun, shotgun with buckshot or slug, muzzleloader, crossbow, and archery gear) are allowed for this Second Deer hunt. The weapon type is selected by the hunter when they apply for their General Deer Season license and tag, and is a prerequisite to applying for the Second Deer tag drawing in May. As a Firearm Restricted Area, no centerfire long guns are allowed at any time for hunting on Vashon-Maury due to their long ranges, though there is legislation being considered at present to allow “straight-walled rifles” that have very little recoil while having a similar range to a shotgun shooting slugs.

Prior to the inception of the Second Deer season on Vashon-Maury in 2011 there were three distinct General Deer Season opportunities on island, each with Early and Late seasons. They include Archery, Muzzleloader, and Modern Firearm, with some overlap between Archery and Muzzleloader. These distinct General Deer Seasons still exist, but because of the current five-month-long Second Deer season, with the possibility that hunting might be happening simultaneously on adjacent private properties, the WDFW rules now require all hunters to wear Hunter Orange or Hunter Fluorescent Pink at all times while hunting on island.

The Orange/Pink clothing rule for hunters is particularly important during Modern Firearm season from Oct. 17 to Nov. 1, and from Nov. 19 to 22, when the highest annual concentration of hunters have a total of 24 days in which to fill their Modern Firearm tags. Islanders wandering or working in the woods adjacent to Island Center Forest or private property where someone may be hunting (especially a hunter who is less familiar with island geography) may also want to wear orange or pink during that peak hunting time to reduce the chance of accident. The same high visibility precaution could well be applied until the end of the year.

While the above may not be welcome news to many, including islanders with strong anti-hunting views, there are presently laws on the books that make it a gross misdemeanor to engage in Obstruction and Hunter Harassment.

RCW 77.15.210 Obstructing the taking of fish, shellfish, or wildlife — Penalty.

(1) A person is guilty of obstructing the taking of fish, [shellfish,] or wildlife if the person:

(a) Harasses, drives, or disturbs fish, shellfish, or wildlife with the intent of disrupting lawful pursuit or taking thereof; or

(b) Harasses, intimidates, or interferes with an individual engaged in the lawful taking of fish, shellfish, or wildlife or lawful predator control with the intent of disrupting lawful pursuit or taking thereof.

(2) Obstructing the taking of fish, shellfish, or wildlife is a gross misdemeanor.

A gross misdemeanor in Washington state is a crime between misdemeanor and felony, with penalties up to 364 days in jail and $5,000 fines.

Finally, for property owners interested in learning about the benefits of providing hunting access on their property, check out the program at Washington Department of Fish and Game: privatelands.wdfw.wa.gov/private_lands/landowners.html.

James Cottrell is an environmental educator, hunting instructor and public safety advocate who works with island property owners and hunters.

This is the first installment of Deer Diary, a recurring column about island deer, hunting and related rules and regulations.