Recreational fishing and hunting licenses for the 2017-2018 season, which begins April 1, went on sale in January this year, instead of the more traditional December.

“With the release of our new licensing system last month, we opted to delay selling 2017-18 licenses in order to avoid printing licenses from two separate systems, with slightly different formatting, for a single license year,” said Peter Vernie, the department’s licensing division manager.

License fees for the 2017-2018 season have not changed from the previous year.

Special hunt applications for most big game species will be available after the Fish and Wildlife Commission approves the 2017-18 hunting season framework at its meeting in April in Spokane.

Customers can access WDFW’s licensing system at: https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov.

WDFW sells 2.5 million licenses annually through its website, by telephone, and through a network of 600 retail stores across the state.

Persons with disabilities who need to receive this information in an alternative format or who need reasonable accommodations to participate in WDFW-sponsored public meetings or other activities may contact Dolores Noyes by calling 360 902-2349, TTY (360-902-2207), or email dolores.noyes@dfw.wa.gov. For more information, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/accessibility/reasonable_request.html.