Wildlife thieves continue to be a problem in the Silver Lake and Fort Rock units and on the Warner winter range. Coyote numbers, which had dropped a few years ago, are on the rise. Cougar numbers remain high.

Hunting in the Snake River Unit last fall, 12-year-old Jacob Lum from Roseburg passed up a chance at a forked-horn for a chance at a big whitetail that he and his dad had scouted in the summer. In the middle of the morning in a pounding rain, Jacob made a stalk and a perfect shot on his 22-inch 3-pointer. When the buck was scored, it stretched the tape to 126 4/8 Boone and Crockett points.

The most significant whitetail numbers are found in the Wallowa Valley (Sled Springs and Chesnimnus units), Minam and Imnaha units. Last year's fawn crops were healthy and went into winter with an average of 55 mule deer fawns per 100 does and 66 whitetail fawns per 100 does.

Coming out of deer season, buck-to-doe ratios were at management objectives (18:100 for mule deer, 26:100 for whitetails). Winter brought lots of precipitation and a few bouts of bitter cold. Wildlife biologist Vic Coggins reported that deer in forest habitats weathered winter well, while deer herds in grassland habitats suffered. There was winterkill of fawns in the Wenaha and Chesnimnus units. But in this region, Coggins reported that "mule deer are doing better than they have for a while."

Eastern Oregon's archery season runs Aug. 26 through Sept. 24, and the Hood-White River hunt will run Sept. 9 through 17. Eastern Oregon's controlled buck centerfire season runs from Sept. 30 through Oct. 11.

Wherever you hunt this year, make sure you have a bear tag and a cougar tag in your wallet. With high predator numbers in almost all units, you've got a chance to bring some relief to the local deer herd and pack home a unique trophy. The deadline for tag purchase is Sept. 29.

(Editor's Note: To order a signed copy of Gary Lewis' book, Deer Hunting -- Tactics for Today's Big-Game Hunter, send $23.95, which includes shipping and handling, to Gary Lewis Outdoors, P.O. Box 1364, Bend, OR 97709. The 208-page book is packed with valuable information and almost 100 photos.)