Waterfowl<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 duck and goose season dates across Washington’s flyways.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nFrequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen does cougar season start in Washington?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cougar season starts September 1, 2026, and runs through March 31, 2027, according to WDFW. It’s structured as one general season “until quota met,” meaning individual hunt areas can close early once harvest caps are reached, with area status updated weekly on Thursdays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the bag limit for cougar in Washington?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The bag limit is up to 2 cougars per license year, with no more than 1 per GMU. You can’t fill both tags in the same Game Management Unit, so plan your hunting units accordingly if you intend to use your full limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How much is a resident cougar license in Washington?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A resident cougar license costs $32.86. If you also want small game privileges added, the resident Cougar with Small Game combo license runs $63.22 and covers both categories under one purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How much is a non-resident cougar license in Washington?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A non-resident cougar license costs $306.10. As with residents, you’ll need a valid big game license with cougar listed as a species option before you can legally hunt, and the license includes a transport tag for your harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can you hunt cougar with hounds in Washington?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
No. Recreational hound hunting for cougar is prohibited statewide under Washington law (RCW 77.15.245). Hunters may use other legal methods, including calling and spot-and-stalk, to pursue cougar throughout the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do I report a harvested cougar in Washington?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Successful hunters must present the unfrozen hide and skull to WDFW for sealing within 3 business days of the kill, with proof of sex left attached. All cougar tag holders, successful or not, must also report their hunt activity through the WILD system by March 31, 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Final Shot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Planning a Washington cougar hunt for 2026 comes down to three things: your dates (September 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027), your costs ($32.86 for residents, $306.10 for non-residents), and how the quota-cap and GMU rules shape where and when you can hunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From here, the steps are straightforward. Confirm your license and hunter education status, make the Cougar Hotline check-in a habit before every trip, and don’t wait until the season’s underway to lock in land access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you’re ready, browse Washington hunting leases<\/a> to secure private access away from crowded public ground, and gear up at the Hunting Locator store<\/a> for whatever this season brings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This Washington cougar guide covers the season dates, license costs, and access options.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":7586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[108,68,10,16],"class_list":["post-7585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hunting-seasons","tag-cougar","tag-hunting","tag-hunting-seasons","tag-season-dates"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7585"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7596,"href":"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7585\/revisions\/7596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Washington](\"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/b166b60c-a2e9-4da2-a7ac-77d83a7005cf.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Washington](\"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a6fec9a6-5ebe-4862-af35-afbe97d3a3a4.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Washington](\"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/dc2dc53b-2688-4a4d-9ebc-15511f39f854.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Washington](\"https:\/\/huntinglocator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/c4540ea6-4ebb-4444-821d-f8c14d6fe793.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n