How to purchase Washington bonus points — a step-by-step guide

How to purchase Washington bonus points for your future hunts

Purchasing Washington bonus points for future hunts is a fairly straightforward process, but like most states, it can be a little confusing if you’ve never done it before. Especially due to the fact that Washington makes you apply for the species and pay full price with no refund for the permit fees.

Below is a complete step-by-step walkthrough of how to easily purchase your bonus points in Washington.

A HUGE note for nonresidents

Washington is not likely on everyone’s annual application radar because you must purchase a general deer or elk tag prior to applying (no refunds if you don't draw). And if you’re a nonresident applying for bighorn sheep, moose, and mountain goat in Washington, you need to know that it is rather expensive and has some extremely tough odds.

The point system is a bonus point system that squares your points in order to give you more chances in the draw. Yet, with an application system that is over 30 years old, even hunters who have near-maximum points are now swallowed up by hunters with fewer points. The odds of drawing start very low and stay very low if you are looking to hunt one of the best units in the state.

You will be awarded a point when you purchase your application. Points are accumulated in each species category.

Is there a points-only option in Washington?

There is no way to build bonus points in Washington without having to submit all of the application fees and, in some cases, full permit fees. This is not so painful for residents, but it is a hard pill to swallow for a nonresident who simply wants to build points because you will still be charged the full price of the elk permit or deer permit when submitting your point-only application, making Washington the most expensive state for a nonresident to build points.

Washington hunt applications (bonus points) can be purchased during the following application period:

There is no separate points-only purchase period in Washington. You must apply to the draw to get your points during the main draw.

Information for first-time applicants in Washington

If you've never applied in Washington before, you will need to have the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) verify your hunter education information before you can apply. The first step is creating your WILD ID account. After that, you will need to get your hunter education information added to your account and it does take some time. Make sure to plan ahead.

Again, if you're not applying in hopes of drawing a tag, you need to purchase your bonus points in Washington by May 22, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. PT during the main draw.

Applicants are limited to earning one bonus point per species per license year.

Research Tools

Throughout GOHUNT Insider, we have research tools that will enable you to find the perfect hunt quickly and easily. Whether you’re looking for your first Western hunt or want to see the best way to use your points, Insider is your ticket to unlocking the West.

Each research tool on GOHUNT will allow you to find a hunting opportunity. Combining Draw Odds with Filtering, plus our Application Strategy articles and GOHUNT Maps, those tools are everything you need to gain an edge and become more successful.

Washington Application Strategy Articles:

Application strategy articles are your go-to source of information before you apply. Every year, we publish new application strategy articles for every state and species. These articles are packed with in-depth information with lots of data presented to showcase what's new in the state and how you can possibly best use your points to pick up a tag.

Not a Member of GOHUNT?

A GOHUNT membership makes it easy to find hunting opportunities by state, species, probability of draw odds success, and much more! Whether you have 0 points, max points, or any number of points, GOHUNT gives you the information you need to plan a successful hunt. In addition to our research tools, all Insiders have access to our GOHUNT mobile app where you can plan a hunt on GOHUNT Maps, as well as research tools on the app to help you find hunting opportunities. GOHUNT Maps is also available on the web. GOHUNT Insider is the only complete and total package set of tools to help you find the hunt you want this upcoming year or to help plan for hunts in the future.

If you're unfamiliar with GOHUNT, you can learn more below.

How To Purchase Washington Bonus Points

The steps required to purchase Washington bonus points are very straightforward. You can easily follow along on how to purchase bonus points by checking out the text and screenshots of the process below.

* Special hunt applications that include quality elk, quality deer, any moose, any ram and mountain goat.

Step one - log in or create an account

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Navigate to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife's licensing page here.

If you’ve applied before or once you’ve created an account, click the "Recreational login" button in the upper center portion of the screen. Then, you'll need to enter your username and account password. If you can’t remember your Washington account information, you can go through the forgot password link.

Enter that information in and then click "Login."

Step two - Account page and purchasing license, tag, or permit

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After logging in, click on the "PURCHASE A LICENSE, TAG, OR PERMIT" section in the upper right corner.

Step three - Sort the category page by hunting applications only

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On the next page, I find it easier to sort the category page by Hunting applications only. Tap on the "Category" section on the upper left and select "Hunting." Also, make sure you go to the "Hunt Application" section.

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Now, you just need to select all of the species you want to apply for and add them to your cart. Note the fees for nonresidents for all of these!

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When you're selecting your species, clicking on the "Add" button will add that species application to your cart. You will then see that selection grayed out, and your cart on the right will be updated.

Step four - checkout and purchase your Washington bonus points

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Once you have added all of the items to your cart, you can click on the "Proceed to Checkout" button at the top right.

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Next, you will be taken to the checkout page. You will be asked if you would like to make a donation, and then you can review everything in your shopping cart.

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Depending on the items you select to apply and purchase points for, you'll need to complete some surveys before you can checkout. To do this, click on "Complete" under the survey section on the right.

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Once you complete the required surveys, they will be greyed out. Click on "Save."

Before you can enter your payment information, you must agree to the terms, so check that box and click "Pay Now."

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You will now be able to enter your credit card information and, when finished, click on "Pay With Your Credit Card." Before you click submit, I highly recommend that you think about this purchase because the odds are low you will ever draw, and with the high fees just to build points, you will be out a lot of money each year.

You've now spent a ton of money applying to Washington just to get points. So keep in mind that for a nonresident, this state really isn't feasible unless you plan on hunting deer or elk on over-the-counter tags.

Update your information on GOHUNT's Point Tracker

One last step I always like to take is to jump into GOHUNT’s Point Tracker Tool and update my bonus point totals for Washington. This way, I know everything is in sync between the state's website and my Insider account. Point Tracker will then seamlessly transfer your point totals into Filtering and Draw Odds when you're researching for future hunts.