Deer hunters should find more bucks in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties this year as the population recovers from the harsh winter of 2016-17. That winter also took a toll on the deer in western Washington, where the winters are generally milder.
General muzzleloader season starts Sept. 29 and runs through Oct. 7, with an any-buck bag in most Game Management Units (GMU). The general deer season for modern rifles starts on Oct. 13 and runs through Oct. 31. Once again, most GMU’s have a bag of any buck.
In some units hunters can take advantage of a late four-day season from Nov. 15-18. That short, late season accounts for about one third of the total harvest in Southwest Washington each year.
What follows is a quick look at what deer hunters can expect in the field this fall.
District 9: Skamania, Clark, Klickitat counties
The extremely cold and snowy winter of 2016-17 had a negative effect on deer populations throughout District 9, but spring surveys in 2018 show fawn survival during the winter of 2017-18 was back to normal.
“This spring the fawn to doe ratio was right at average of the last 20 years,” said Stephanie Berg, the WDFW wildlife biologist for District 9. “We didn’t have reports of winter kill last year like we did the year before. That’s a good sign.
However, the population will need more time.
“We lost an entire year-class, both males and females, and it’s going to take some time for recovery,” said Berg.
She also reports that the buck harvest last year was considerably less as a result of that winter kill. She is hoping for a turnaround this season.
“Folks may have a little bit more success this year,” she added.
Buzz Ramsey of Yakima Bait has lived along the banks of the Klickitat River for decades, and has hunted the Klickitat bucks. He reports that the deer seem to be recovering well.
“I think the fall season over here will be pretty good,” said Ramsey.
He said hunters should consider spending more time out later in the season, when there are more bucks available.
“We have bucks and deer that stay here all year, and then there are bucks that migrate into this area,” he said.
Noting that those migratory deer are late arrivals, and come in closer to the rut (mating season), he said hunters that did not find many deer in the first two weekends may very well score if they continue to hunt into the last days of the season.
In the lower elevation units, such as Washougal (No. 568), Battle Ground (564), and West Klickitat (578), deer populations are fairly stable.
Buck harvest in Grayback (388) and East Klickitat (382) dropped in 2016, but post-season buck numbers look better.
For buck hunters seeking a trophy black-tail buck, West Klickitat (578), Grayback (388), and East Klickitat (382) are all managed under a 3-point or larger antler restriction. These GMUs generate an annual harvest of a thousand or more 3-point or larger bucks every year.
Hunters are expected to harvest over 2,500 blacktail bucks in District 9 this season.
District 10: Cowlitz, Lewis, Wahkiakum counties
This district contains some of the best black-tail deer GMU’s in the state although access can be an issue. The best units, such as the Ryderwood Unit (530), are mostly private lands. The other highest 2017 general season buck harvests within District 10 occurred in Coweeman (550), Winston, (520), and Mossyrock (505).
Eric Holman is the wildlife biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife District 10, and he reports that the harsh winter of two years ago definitely affected deer numbers and harvest. However, he said that the population is trending up.
“We are looking at a bit of a bounceback,” said Holman, “and we should be back to usual by 2019.”
Hunting guide Mike Jenkins of Upfront Outfitters reports that deer hunting was tough locally last season.
“Last year deer hunting was poor,” said Jenkins. “We had little to no opportunity for bucks. … It seems to be getting more and more difficult every year.”
He believes high numbers of predators have beaten down the deer population, and changed their behavior.
“We’ve seen big increases in mountain lions and bears,” he said. “The deer aren’t comfortable in the hills with all those predators. The deer we do have migrated down out of the hills to the farmland. …They keep the predators out of the farmlands.”
Retired Department of Fish and Wildlife veteran Ray Croswell has been preparing for the season, but doesn’t like what his trail cams are telling him.
“I’ve been out scouting and placing trail cameras,” he said. “I’m not finding a lot of deer in my usual areas. There are more bears than deer.”
He has also noticed that the deer are avoiding the hills. “There are more deer in the Battle Ground and Yale Units, which are closer to the (human) habitations.”
Access has become an issue in District 10 since Weyerhaeuser, which owns huge tracts of land in Southwest Washington, has gone from free public access to permit-only access. This leaves hunters with fewer options that include DNR and BLM lands, or the overgrown national forest lands.
Always be sure to check the regulations before you hunt. If you do have questions about the regulations, call the WDFW Region 5 office in Ridgefield at 360-696-6211.
If the drought continues, hunters may face being locked out of private timberlands and some public lands because of extreme fire danger. Check before you hunt to make sure the places you want to hunt are open.
Hunting Prospects — Check the WDFW website for information on current hunting prospects for 2018.
Guided trips — Mike Jenkins of Upfront Outfitters (360) 560-7620, https://upfrontoutfitters.com.
Tips for taking a trophy blacktail
If you want a trophy-class blacktail, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife wildlife biologist Eric Holman said you have to be ready to make sacrifices.
“You have to be willing to pass on a small or medium size buck,” said Holman. “You have to be willing to take the chance of not getting a deer.”
Most deer hunters stay along the roadways where the hunting is easy, and the mature bucks know that. Hunters will also need to get back away from the open road systems and the other hunters if they want to find a quality buck.
Blacktail bucks are highly nocturnal and they travel mostly at night. The best bet for hunters is first light, and right before dusk.
Bicycles can be a useful tool for getting back in deep on gated logging roads.
