The 2019 hunting seasons have started, some of them anyway. This is one aspect of the Washington hunting regulations making hunting interesting or, as some hunters say, making understanding the regulations a nightmare.

A master hunter elk season opened on Aug. 1 in Game Management Unit 371, along with Elk Areas 3911 and 3912. August can be a difficult month to hunt a big game animal.

The landowner where elk are chased by this hunter does not let hunting take place during this month. Fire danger is the reason. My elk hunting begins in September.

The chance of meat spoilage is another reason. However, there are hunters who successfully shoot, field dress, skin and transport an animal without spoilage. Their plan is to have enough people, not necessarily hunters, to assist with the process once an animal is on the ground.

Studying the big game regulations are a must for all hunters. Opening day for modern firearm elk hunters is an example. There are four different opening days for the modern firearm seasons, which are Aug. 1, Sept. 7, Oct. 26 and Dec. 9. These seasons are just the first of around 20 other elk season openers with various hunting methods.

This example demonstrates the complexity of the hunting regulations. Compounding the situation is the opening of other big game seasons.

The fall black bear general season opened on Aug. 1 in eight hunt areas, with Sept. 1 being the opening day of three others. The bag limit, as stated in the current big game regulations, is “two black bear during the license year, only one of which may be taken in Eastern Washington.”

Staci Lehman, Fish and Wildlife communications manager for Eastern Washington, called to inform me the bag limit has changed to, “At the June meeting in Port Angeles, department staff presented two recommendations to simplify bear regulations and make them consistent statewide.

“The first recommended change standardized the statewide season start date to Aug. 1. The second change standardized a two-bear bag limit statewide. The previous rule allowed for harvest of two bears during the season, but only one could be from the east side of the state.

“The changes will take effect Aug. 1, 2019.”

Not only are the regulations complicated, they can change after the regulation pamphlet has been printed.

I asked if a bear hunter could purchase two bear permits at once. Staci didn’t know, but would find out. It would be an unusual situation for a hunter to bag two bear in one day.