Hunting prospects continued

This is the second of a three-part series about eastern Washington hunting prospects.

The Columbia Basin Herald Fall Hook and Bullet was published last Friday. The tabloid was full of fall hunting and fishing information.

One section is titled Hunting Prospects and included information about what hunters can expect to find in Grant and Adams counties, what Fish and Wildlife calls District 5. But there are other counties of interest to Columbia Basin hunters.

Last week District 7, known as the Wenatchee District, which includes Chelan and Douglas counties, was featured, but only the elk prospects were included. This report was written by David Volsen, Fish and Wildlife district biologist and Jon Gallie, assistant district biologist. I have combed through more of the document to bring you more information about the District 7 prospects below.

Mule deer hunting is the bread and butter of the Wenatchee District. While the district does support a few white-tailed deer, it is mule deer that dominate the attention from hunters. Chelan County has become a destination hunt for many mule deer enthusiasts across Washington, with late season limited entry permits being highly prized. Within the district a hunter has the opportunity to pursue deer across a range of habitats; in high alpine basins along the crest of the Cascades or across expanses of sagebrush in Douglas County.

2014 should be another great opportunity year for harvesting adult bucks in Chelan County. Our management goal of a minimum of 25 bucks per 100 does post season as well as retaining a high ratio of adult bucks in the population. Across Chelan County, the post season ratio was 23.3 bucks per 100 does, with a range from 20 to 28 in 2013.

While these numbers are lower than they are traditionally, the lack of snow during surveys could have been a factor in detecting bucks. Despite the slightly lower ratio, an impressive 67 percent of the bucks surveyed were mature (3 and 4 points).

Fawn ratios were high and winter conditions were mild, with snow levels across most of the winter range at low to normal levels. All these factors point to a good recruitment of yearling and adult bucks into the next hunting season. Surveys in Douglas County were good, with overall buck to doe ratio of 22, one of the highest in the county in years.

Without mountains and forests to hide in, buck escapement is lower in the sagelands, and only 25 percent of the surveyed bucks were mature. Productivity remains good in Douglas County as the fawn to doe ratio was above average. This herd is on the increase and should continue to provide excellent hunting opportunity during the general season and antlerless permits.

Hunters took 1,520 deer off the district in 2013, 1,418 bucks and 102 antlerless. The highest harvest came off GMU 247 in Chelan County at 205 deer and in Douglas County GMU 248 with 182 deer. The percentage of 4-point bucks in the antlered harvest was 41 percent for Chelan County and 35 percent in Douglas County. Douglas County had a greater percentage of 3-point bucks at 44 percent whereas Chelan had 38 percent. Chelan County, on the other hand, produced a higher percentage of 5-point bucks at 20 percent and Douglas the lower percentage at 10 percent.

Douglas County is a consistent producer of mule deer opportunity and conditions should be similar in 2014. Unlike Chelan County, Douglas County is dominated by private lands and, as such, access to those private lands dictates the amount of impact a hunting season has on the population. Douglas County is composed of relatively open habitat with an established road network. These factors make deer more vulnerable than in the rugged closed canopy mountainous terrain of the Cascades.

Our general firearms seasons seem to have been unseasonably warm and dry over the past few years, making deer hunting tough. The Chelan County mule deer herd is migratory, spending winters on the breaks along the Columbia River, but dispersing into the large expanse of the Cascades during summer.

As early as mid-September, deer start responding to changes in vegetation by moving downward in elevation and occupying north facing slopes where conditions are cooler and wetter, and forage is of better quality.

From mid-September through the onset of winter, deer are responding to changes in the quality of the available forage and utilize those areas that best meet their needs.

By mid-November bucks are in a rut condition and focused on breeding, however, before that time (during our October general season) they are focused on food and security.

If we were to observe a typical hillside of mule deer habitat in the Cascades over the growing season and through the fall, we would see it change from bright green in the spring and summer to light green to yellow, to orange, to red, to brown, then to bare branches. While we are seeing changes in color, mule deer are perceiving changes in forage quality. The summer forage that support deer and give them the opportunity to produce young and grow antlers does not retain its high quality all year, so as it changes, so do the habitats that deer occupy.

While hunting on winter range is appealing, because hunters can see long distances, the majority of deer will still be in areas of better quality forage and higher security. Most deer will be in thick cover where the food is better and they are better protected; these are usually the brushy north facing slopes or at elevations much higher than typical open mule deer winter range.

Douglas County offers a different situation for deer hunters. Because of the private lands issue, hunters have less opportunity to freely pursue deer across habitats. The drier nature of shrub-steppe habitat dictates that deer use those areas where forage quality remains higher longer while balancing the need for security. Optimal hunting areas will include a mixture of sagebrush cover and adjacent agricultural fields for forage (mostly winter wheat and canola fields). Large expanses of sagebrush, while not providing the best forage, can give the security deer need as well.

In the broken coulee county, topography becomes security and riparian vegetation provides food resources. Deer in these areas often become expert at living in small secure habitat pockets where they meet their needs and avoid hunters. While the majority of the county is private, over 106,000 acres are enrolled into hunter access programs including areas where hunters are free to access or access with written permission.

Next week: More hunting prospects