Rules can change in-season
Emergency rules can update week to week, and the printed pamphlet won't show them.
✓ We show what's open for you today.
Launching first in Washington
Everything that's open while you're out.
Washington's rules are detailed and can change week to week. While Afield turns them into a clear answer for where you're standing: what you can keep, with what gear, right now. Then it shows what else you can do nearby.
Founding members Join now and lock in founding member pricing for Pro.
Free to join. No payment now. Founding members get the best price we'll ever offer, set before launch.
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Your founding member pricing is locked in for . We'll email you when the Washington beta opens.
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We'll be in touch before launch. Tight lines and good hunting.
What can go in your coolerExample only
📍 Example: a coastal port like Westport · made-up data
🐟
You can keep: black rockfish, lingcod
Daily limit and size shown for each
You can keep🦀
Crab: snares OK today
Your gear, sex, and size rules shown
You can crab🐚
Also nearby: razor clams on the evening tide
Beach safety status shown alongside
You can dig🐠
Flatfish: check back
We'll tell you when it's a go
Illustrative mockup. Species, gear, and rules are made-up example data, not real current rules.
Why it's confusing
The rules are detailed. Your answer should be simple.
Washington's rules are local, species-by-species, and they change in-season. That's a lot to keep straight on a boat or a beach. While Afield sorts it out and gives you a can-do answer.
Species and gear vary
One rockfish can be keepable when another isn't, and crab gear can differ by day and place.
✓ We show what you can keep, and with what gear.
Shellfish safety lives elsewhere
Season dates and beach safety status are published in different places.
✓ We show beaches you can dig, with safety status alongside.
Limits differ by spot
Bag and size limits vary by water and unit, and violations can bring fines.
✓ We show your limits for exactly where you are.
For penalties and the official rules, see the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
And the dozen-tab shuffle before every trip
A dozen or more sites and apps: maps in one, regulations in another, tides in a third, plus the WDFW site, emergency rules, and eRegulations PDFs. All that for one question: what can I do today?
Hunting mapsFishing rule appsTide tablesWDFW emergency rulesShellfish safety mapseRegulations PDFs
→One answer: While Afield
What it does
One answer to "what can I do outdoors today?"
While Afield puts the rules together for the spot you're standing on, or the one you're headed to.
What can go in your cooler
We tell you what you can keep, with what gear, right now. Use GPS or drop a pin for species, limits, and sizes at that spot.
Caught something you weren't targeting?
Know right away if you can keep it: species, size, and limits for the water you're on.
What else is open nearby
Done with your bear hunt? See the clam beach, grouse cover, or coho stream that's open just down the road.
Trips by drive time
"What can my son and I do today within 2 hours?" Get a list of real options, sorted by distance and what's open.
Rule changes & safety
In-season changes and shellfish safety notices are built into what you can do today, with links to the official notice.
Works out of signal
Save maps and rules for offline use, so you still have answers deep in the woods or out on the water.
Make a day of it
"Wait, that's open too? I didn't know that."
Once you're out, While Afield looks around you and shows what else you can legally do before you head home.
- 1Start with your planTell it what you came for, or just open the map.
- 2See what else you can doHunting, fishing, and shellfish nearby, with limits and gear for each.
- 3Head out with confidenceLimits, gear, safety status, and tides, with links to the official source.
Example only
📍 Sample spot · Western WA · Sept 15 (example)
You can do all of this today
You're here for: black bear · fishing on the way
🐟
You can keep it: that fish you weren't targeting
Species, size, and daily limit checked for this water
You can keep1 of 2 todayYou can also do nearby
🐚
Razor clams · beach, 3 mi
Dig on the evening low tide · limit shown
You can digSafety status shown🪨
Don't forget: gooseneck barnacles
Rocky shore, 5 mi · daily limit shown
You can harvest🪶
Forest grouse · same unit
You can hunt these alongside your bear tag today
You can huntYou can do on the way home
🐦
Pheasant release site · 14 mi
Hunting hours end at 1:00 PM · about 2 hrs left
You can huntUntil 1 PM🍄
Chanterelles may be starting to pop up
Seasonal foraging tip for this area
Foraging tipIllustrative mockup. Places, dates, times, and rules are made up. Not real openings.
Free & Pro
Start free. Go Pro when you want more.
The basics will always be free. Pro adds the tools that turn one trip into a full day.
Free
$0 · always
- What's open here today
- Seasons and limits
- Basic map
Founding members lock in the lowest price
Pro
Price TBD · set before launch
- Rule-change alerts at your saved spots
- "Also open nearby" discovery
- Drive-time trip planning
- Tides and shellfish safety status
- Offline maps and rules
- Harvest tracker Coming later
- Species ID: "what did I catch?" Coming later
Join the waitlist now to lock in founding member pricing, the best price we'll ever offer.
Why I'm building this
Built by a Washington hunter and angler
I hunt and fish in Washington, and I got tired of checking a dozen or more sites and apps to find out what was open, or whether I could keep a fish I wasn't even targeting.
I wanted one app that says: yes, you can keep that fish, and while you're out here, you can dig razor clams three miles away, grab gooseneck barnacles, or hit the pheasant release site on the way home before it closes. If I'm bear hunting in mid-September, it should remind me if grouse are open too, and that chanterelles might be popping up. And it should show what my son and I can do today within a couple hours' drive. So I'm building it.
MatthewFounder, While Afield
Starting in Washington
Built in Washington, for Washington first.
We're starting with one state so we can get the details right: Puget Sound and coastal marine areas, rivers and lakes, shellfish beaches, and game management units. More states will follow once Washington is solid.
Not affiliated with WDFW. While Afield is an independent app. It isn't run by or endorsed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife or any government agency. The official regulations always win, so we'll link to the source.
FAQ
Good questions
How much will it cost?
The basics will be free. Pro pricing isn't set yet. We'll announce it before launch, and waitlist members hear first.
What is founding member pricing?
People who join the waitlist before launch lock in founding member pricing for Pro: the best price we'll ever offer. We'll set it before launch. Joining is free and doesn't commit you to anything.
Do I have to pay a deposit?
No. A refundable deposit to reserve founding member pricing is coming soon, and it's completely optional. Right now you can only tell us you're interested. Nothing is charged, and we'll email the details before any deposit is offered. Any deposit will be fully refundable.
How does "move up the list" work?
After you join, you'll get a personal link. Friends who join with your link move you up the list, so you get early access sooner. We'll only count referrals from real signups.
When does it launch?
We're building now and will open a Washington beta to the waitlist first. There's no firm date yet. Join the list and you'll be the first to know.
Is this the official source for regulations?
No. While Afield is an independent app and isn't affiliated with WDFW or any agency. We work hard to keep the information accurate and current, but rules can change on short notice. Always check the official WDFW regulations and emergency rules before you go. You're responsible for following the law.
Will it be an app or a website?
Both: an app for iPhone and Android, plus a website that works on any phone or computer.
What about other states?
Washington comes first. Add your ZIP code after you sign up so we know where demand is and which state to add next.
What will you do with my email?
We'll only use it to send While Afield launch news and beta invites. We won't sell it, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Make every trip a full day afield.
Join the waitlist and lock in founding member pricing for Pro before launch.
Free to join. No payment now.