Hunting prospects for deer and elk

This is a multi-part series about the 2015 hunting prospects.

Every year Fish and Wildlife biologists provide information about what hunters can expect when in the field this fall. This doesn’t mean there will be a deer or elk next to every tree in the district, of course. Still hunters will benefit from reading this forecast.

This report was written before the extent of the wildfires was known. The prospects will be updated accordingly.

The Ephrata District, which consists of Grant and Adams counties, offers a variety of hunting opportunities, but is most recognized for waterfowl hunting throughout Grant and western Adams counties and mule deer hunting within the Desert Unit (GMU 290).

Pheasant, quail, and mourning dove hunting is popular within the Desert, Potholes, Goose Lakes, Lower Crab Creek, Banks Lake, and Quincy Lake units of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area.

Other opportunities within the district include bobcat, cougar, chukar, gray partridge, cottontail rabbit, coyote, and both general season and permit opportunities for mule deer. Elk are occasionally harvested, but resident populations do not occur in this district.

Habitat in the Ephrata District is variable. Within the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project, the landscape is mostly flat, but east-west running sand dunes occur within the Desert Unit, which includes both Winchester and Frenchmen Hills Wasteways.

Important crops for wildlife within the Irrigation Project include corn, spring wheat, alfalfa and orchards. Within the Project, hunters can expect to find mule deer, abundant waterfowl and fair numbers of pheasant and quail. Waterfowl habitat predominately revolves around wetlands, wasteways and reservoirs that were created when the project was built.

Lands surrounding the project include highly fragmented shrub-steppe, dryland wheat, coulees and Conservation Reserve Program lands. In these areas, hunters can expect to find gray partridge, mule deer, and chukar in the steepest portions of the district, the Sun Lakes and Quincy Lakes units.

Elk general information

Elk are extremely rare and have not historically been a management priority in District 5. Resident elk herds do not exist in GMU 272, GMU 278, or GMU 290. These trends are not expected to change in the near future. Because of the significant potential for crop depredation issues, Fish and Wildlife does not encourage the establishment of elk herds in District 5. Elk herd numbers are kept low by providing any elk opportunities during the general archery and modern firearm seasons.

In the Ephrata District, hunters killed seven elk last season, all of which were taken by modern firearm hunters in GMU 284. Because harvest levels are extremely low in this district, biologists do not conduct annual surveys for elk.

Elk that are harvested in GMU 284 are most likely part of a herd that is known to occur at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Consequently, harvest in GMU 284 is probably dependent on whether or not elk migrate into GMU 284 during the hunting season rather than a function of population size and growth. Occasionally, elk are harvested in GMU 278.

What to expect during the 2015 season

If hunters wish to hunt elk in District 5 during the 2015 season, they are most likely to be successful in GMU 284. However, the majority of this GMU consists of agricultural and other private lands, so access may be difficult. It is challenging to predict elk harvest levels in GMU 284 during the 2015 season because Fish and Wildlife does not conduct surveys to monitor population trends for this herd.

Deer general information

GMU 272 includes 53,000 acres of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area Complex, which includes the Gloyd Seeps, Banks Lake, Sun Lakes, Billy Clapp, and Quincy Lakes units, most of which is open to hunting. The number of deer hunters hunting within GMU 272 ranges from about 1,200 to 1,600, with recent years hosting approximately 1,400 hunters.

Success rates in GMU 272 range from about 20-30 percent with a long-term average of 25 percent. Muzzleloader hunters experience the highest success rates (30 percent), followed by modern firearm (23 percent) and archery (20 percent).

Permit hunters in the Lakeview Unit typically see 50-70 percent success rates, but the 2014 season success rate was about 37 percent, probably due to the mild winter which allowed mule deer to utilize winter wheat in the Beezley Hills rather than the orchards that this hunt is intended to protect.

GMU 278 includes 36,000 acres of the Columbia Basin Wildlife Area Complex (Lower Crab Creek Unit), which is open to hunting. Harvest in this unit falls between 20 and 70 deer, with hunters harvesting approximately 60 deer in recent years.

Hunter numbers range from about 150 to 300, with recent years hosting close to the long-term average of 225 hunters. Success rates for this unit range from about 10-25 percent with a long-term average of 19 percent. Muzzleloader hunters experience the highest success rates (22 percent), followed by modern firearm (18 percent) and archery (11 percent).

Next week: Hunting prospects continued.