My understanding of how the WDFW set hunting seasons was like this, kinda complicated:
The WDFW would set the openers of hunting seasons to occur in such a way that there would be no overlapping of different methods of big game hunting seasons (the only exclusions were bear and cougar seasons as well as archery deer and elk and sometimes muzzleloader deer and elk). They didn't want rifle hunting, archery and/or muzzleloader to occur in any area for the same species at the same time. It gets more complicated when they figure in only allowing certain GMU's to be open for certain types of hunting methods, but not all types. Thus the staggered seasons and complicated regulations on seasons. Some GMU's would have longer seasons, but generally each type of hunting method for big game would have a seperate, non-overlapping opener with another method.
Okay, now to over-simplify this and make it easier (I hope), for seasons in October the WDFW designated the last saturday of the month the opener for eastside modern firearm elk and the first saturday the opener for Muzzleloader elk. Here's where the confusion starts; modern deer season will always open on the third from the last saturday in October.
Now for these seven years; 2000-3, 2006-8; there were four saturdays in October. But for 2004,2005,2009 there were/are five saturdays in October.
I think this is why some incorrectly say modern deer season opens on the second saturday in October because for seven out of the last nine years there has been four saturdays in October which makes second saturday also the third from the last saturday. For 2004-5, 2009-11 there are five saturdays in October which makes the deer opener both the third saturday and the third from last saturday! I don't know if the snow show picks the third weekend in October every year but that might explain the occasional years when the show and deer season opener coincide. And as hardcore deer and elk hunters will agree, the later the season starts, the better the chances get.
Sorry for the lengthy explanation. I hope I got it right
. 
to two great seasons, hunting and snomo!
The WDFW would set the openers of hunting seasons to occur in such a way that there would be no overlapping of different methods of big game hunting seasons (the only exclusions were bear and cougar seasons as well as archery deer and elk and sometimes muzzleloader deer and elk). They didn't want rifle hunting, archery and/or muzzleloader to occur in any area for the same species at the same time. It gets more complicated when they figure in only allowing certain GMU's to be open for certain types of hunting methods, but not all types. Thus the staggered seasons and complicated regulations on seasons. Some GMU's would have longer seasons, but generally each type of hunting method for big game would have a seperate, non-overlapping opener with another method.
Okay, now to over-simplify this and make it easier (I hope), for seasons in October the WDFW designated the last saturday of the month the opener for eastside modern firearm elk and the first saturday the opener for Muzzleloader elk. Here's where the confusion starts; modern deer season will always open on the third from the last saturday in October.
Now for these seven years; 2000-3, 2006-8; there were four saturdays in October. But for 2004,2005,2009 there were/are five saturdays in October.
I think this is why some incorrectly say modern deer season opens on the second saturday in October because for seven out of the last nine years there has been four saturdays in October which makes second saturday also the third from the last saturday. For 2004-5, 2009-11 there are five saturdays in October which makes the deer opener both the third saturday and the third from last saturday! I don't know if the snow show picks the third weekend in October every year but that might explain the occasional years when the show and deer season opener coincide. And as hardcore deer and elk hunters will agree, the later the season starts, the better the chances get.
Sorry for the lengthy explanation. I hope I got it right
. to two great seasons, hunting and snomo!
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