Oregon's blacktail hunters are faced with a constantly changing hunting climate. Adenovirus has receded, while hair-loss syndrome continues to cycle through lowland populations along the coast and inland, toward the Willamette.

Dave Nuzum, an assistant wildlife biologist for the north coast watershed, reported good success. Last season was good to north-coast hunters. "Any time that it's a little bit rainy out, it seems like the hunting conditions improve a little bit," Nuzum said. "I heard of some real nice bucks taken."

Post-season surveys in the Saddle Mountain Unit found a buck-to-doe ratio of 34 to 35 bucks per 100 does. Biologists counted 29:100 in the Wilson and Trask. Fawn ratios were less than desirable, Nuzum said, but the overall herd seems to be in good shape.

According to Nuzum, there are two ways to hunt these deer. "Take the time to very patiently glass the clearcuts. You can't just hop out, have a look and drive away." Your other option is to get out and walk perpendicular to the road and check out good cover. The north coast offers good still-hunting opportunities. Later in the season, antler rattling can bring bucks in.

On the mid-coast, hair-loss is taking its toll. Your best bet is to hunt the high country, where the syndrome doesn't seem to have much effect.

Last year, as part of a five-year study with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the ODFW established the first hunt for Columbia whitetail in almost 30 years. For the 2005 season, 23 tags were made available to the public and 110 were issued to private landowners in the region through the Department's Land Owner Preference tag program.

Of the successful hunters with LOP tags, seven bagged forked-horns, 26 hunters bagged 3-pointers and 13 tied their tags to bucks with 4 points or more. One hunter bagged a forked-horn blacktail, and four others bagged blacktails with 4 points or better per side.

This season, the opportunity has been expanded to include a hunt in the North Bank Habitat Management Area, a public reserve near Roseburg.

District wildlife biologist Mark Vargas, who oversees the South Dixon, Rogue, Evans Creek, Applegate and Chetco units, saw a good harvest of blacktail bucks. "Weather conditions were real favorable, catching migratory deer coming out of the Cascades. We saw a similar condition in the Applegate Unit coming out of the Siskiyous. We should see a similar pattern this year, based on herd composition." The buck-to-doe ratio in the Rogue Unit is down slightly, but the opportunity is high. According to Vargas, the overall herd population is starting to increase.

Hair-loss syndrome is hitting south-coast deer at low elevations. If you're headed to the Chetco Unit, hunt the high country.

According to district wildlife biologist Bill Castillo, similar conditions exist in the Siuslaw and, to a lesser extent, in the McKenzie Unit. Does and fawns are most vulnerable. The good news is that the deer that survive seem to develop a resistance to the exotic lice that are the cause of the hair loss.

Castillo has seen hunter numbers decline, but their success rates have stayed high. "We're seeing the success rates stay fairly good during the buck season," he said. "Bucks are more vulnerable when fewer hunters are chasing them.