The department shall work closely with landowners and tenants suffering game damage problems to control damage without killing the animals when practical, to increase the harvest of damage-causing animals in hunting seasons, and to kill the animals when no other practical means of damage control is feasible.

     If the department receives recurring complaints regarding property being damaged as described in this section or RCW 77.36.030 from the owner or tenant of real property, or receives such complaints from several such owners or tenants in a locale, the commission shall conduct a special hunt or special hunts or take remedial action to reduce the potential for such damage. The commission shall authorize either one or two antlerless permits per hunter for special hunts held in damage areas where qualified department staff, or their designee, have confirmed six incidents of crop damage by deer or elk.

     As an alternative to hunting, the department shall work with affected entities to relocate deer and elk when needed to augment existing herds.

[2003 c 385 § 1; 1996 c 54 § 3.]