Terry Truhler stuck this Stevens County whitetail in early September last year. Photo courtesy of Bearpaw Outfitters.

Before Washington deer hunters fire up the rig and head out for camp, they have a multitude of decisions to make. First is which of the three varieties of deer -- mule, blacktail or whitetail -- to pursue.

Making that decision will narrow the choice of which part of the state to target. There's the evergreen rain forest found in Region 6, or the pine tree and shrub-steppe of Region 2. Then again, there's the higher alpine forest of the Selkirk Mountains and the sunny Blue Mountains found in Region 1.

If you're after whitetails, narrow your search to the northeastern part of the state. Mule deer are found on the dry side of the mountains, especially in rough-and-tumble Ferry County. Down south, along the Columbia River where blacktails and mulies mix, things get a little crazy.

How crazy? In central Klickitat County, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife determined that in what had been known as Game Management Unit (GMU) 588, the deer managed as blacktails were more like mule deer, so they changed the rules. That GMU is now 388, and those former blacktail deer are now mule deer, subject to the mule-deer 3-point antler rules.

If nothing else, this clearly points out the need to read the rules pamphlet before heading out in the field.

According to WDFW, the annual harvest is fairly equally split between the three deer types. Blacktails lead the way by a nose, although the harvest of whitetails is increasing statewide. The WDFW's most recent records reveal the annual deer kill has remained consistent over the last six years, with about 40,000 animals recorded annually on hunting tags.

In 2005, a total of 14,852 were whitetails; 12,638 were mule deer and 12,301 were blacktails.

Hunter-success rates for any GMU vary widely, depending on weather, winter survival, fawn-to-yearling growth and the vagaries of hunters' reporting. Success numbers should start to be more reliable, now that mandatory reporting has been instituted: All hunters must file a report, regardless of their success.

Better reporting should bring better numbers. It's hoped that the WDFW can then better manage the resource, which should result in better hunter success.

The WDFW website has an extremely helpful interactive mapping tool, wdfw.wa.gov/mapping/gohunt/index.html, where you can create multi-layered maps showing GMU boundaries, roads, water courses, clearcuts and other topographical features that may make the difference between having a walk in the woods and bringing home the bacon.

Tradition has a lot to do with the choice of where to hunt, since many people return year after year to stake out their favorite hunting camp.

There's something reassuring about returning to the spots where many successful hunts took place. But deer populations vary from year to year, so one of the best ways to sort it all out is to read our annual Washington-Oregon Game & Fish deer forecast.

Based on interviews with WDFW game biologists, hunters, and the most recent WDFW deer status and trend reports, our forecast provides accurate statewide coverage.

REGION 6
The region consisting of the Olympic Peninsula counties and south Puget Sound, where much of the outdoor focus is on hunting elk and waterfowl, may be Washington's best-kept deer-hunting secret.

The region is managed with the goal of maintaining current deer populations by allowing taking any antlered deer in all GMUs except 636, 654 and 681, which have a minimum of 2 points or better. Hunter success fell a bit in 2005 from the high of 2004, according to the most recent available data. But the success rate in the general deer season still came in at 20 percent.

The special permit season was spectacular. More than 50 percent of permit holders reported success. In fact, the Satsop, Capitol Peak, Skookumchuck and Wynoochee GMUs reported outstanding success on the special November deer-hunting season, which overlapped into the elk season. The lucky special-permit holders reported a success rate exceeding 60 percent.

If you prefer hunting without much company, try areas like Long Beach and Sol Duc, which show low total-kill numbers but a better-than-average success rate. Skookumchuck and Satsop will each produce several hundred deer for the table and attract many more hunters.