From someone who lives in the epicenter of Southwest Washington deer hunting, here is a bit of advice for this season: Find out where the bucks are going for water.
“This year was very unusual in that I saw many more bucks at low elevations during the summer,’’ said Sue Van Leuven, manager of the 14,700-acre Klickitat Wildlife Area. “It seem likely that the animals were attracted to water sources on ranches and farms where there are stock ponds and irrigation water collection ponds….I would speculate that low elevations will provide much better hunting than up high this fall, even if it rains.’’
Deer season is Oct. 17-31, then a four-day late hunt from Nov. 19 through 22 in much of Southwest Washington. West Klickitat 578 has a 3-point antler restriction. Grayback 388 and East Klickitat 382 are open only Oct. 17 through 27 with a 3-point antler restriction.
Many Clark County hunters travel east to Klickitat County for a better shot at harvesting a larger animal. The Klickitat Wildlife Area allows public hunting and has several campgrounds.
There was little snow last winter, allowing for better deer survival.
The annual survey in March on the Klickitat Wildlife Area tallied 61 fawns per 100 adults, which is above the 36-year average of 51 fawns per 100 adults.
“Although it was a poor water and forage year, the deer population appears to be in good shape so far,’’ Van Leuven said. “I think we may have a good hunting season in store and the key will be for hunters to identify where the deer are going for water. Deer will probably be concentrated in those areas.’’
Sportsmen who want to hunt on private land should scout the Goldendale area to see where irrigated and winter wheat fields are located, she said. Crops are rotated so the same fields are not always productive from year to year.
Landownership can be researched online through the Klickitat County Assessor’s interactive mapping service to find out who to contact for hunting access.
Van Leuven said the Klickitat Wildlife Area has agricultural fields with mostly alfalfa on its Soda Springs unit.
Overall in the six-county Southwest Washington region, buck harvests are remarkably consistent from year to year, generally not exceeding or dropping more than 10 percent annually from the multi-year average.
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife rates deer populations as “generally stable’’ in low-elevation units including Washougal 568, Battle Ground 564, West Klickitat 578 and Grayback 388. Populations are categorized as low in the Cascade Mountain units of Lewis River 560, Wind River 574 and Siouxon 572.
Large amounts of private timber company lands in Skamania and Klickitat counties remain closed to public entry as of today due to the dry conditions and high fire danger.
The companies include Hancock Forest Management, Weyerhaeuser Columbia Timberlands, Stevenson Land Co., Broughton Lumber Co., Kreps Ranch LLC, Kreps Family LLC, Western Pacific Timber LLC and American Forest Management, Inc.
“We are hopeful that there will be some precipitation by opening day, but no guarantees at this point,’’ said Nate Putnam, chief forester for SDS Lumber.
Deer hunting is normally better to the north of Clark County than the east.
Ryderwood 530, Cowman 550, Winston 520 and Lincoln 501 are among Washington’s best game units for blacktail deer harvest.
“The usual advice is true every year,’’ said Eric Holman, district biologist for Cowlitz, Lewis and Wahkiakum counties. “Hunt areas with food and security for deer, slow down and hunt carefully, be ready and stick with it.’’
The three counties also are more complicated places to hunt due the private timberland ownerships with differing access requirements — often with a fee attached.
