It is forest habitat on the north, to sagebrush and rimrock on the south. And the more arid it is, the fewer deer there are, he said. When temps are warm and the feed is dry, deer will concentrate on the agricultural fields. With a little green-up and moisture, they disperse. The best place for deer in the Malheur River Unit is on the forest fringe, where the mountain mahogany, juniper, sagebrush and conifers all come together.

"Last year, the Silvies hunt went pretty well in terms of success," said Garner. "Buck size is down since the mid- to late-90s,"

The Steens Mountain and Trout Creek units are considered some of Oregon's premium trophy hunts. Buck ratios in the Steens average more than 30 bucks per 100 does.

"There are some bucks living to be old in the trophy age-class. The problem is low deer numbers," Garner said.

"It depends on survival of does and recruitment of fawns. A person needs to know it's going to be a hard hunt. If I got that tag, I'd really want to spend some time scouting."

Pre-season scouting helps you spot some animals so you have a good idea where to start. "And take a few days of the season, so you don't get in a hurry," Garner added.

ODFW District Biologist Vic Coggins reported that mule deer numbers in his region -- the Wenaha, Snake, Imnaha, Minam, Sled Springs and Chesnimnus units -- are down in the last two years.

"Last spring, we saw quite a bit of mortality. We had a dry summer and fall in 2005 and a real late spring, so the deer had it rough on both ends."

Coggins said it hit fawns hard, and numbers are now lower than he's seen in a while.

This past winter, the conditions were much better. But you probably won't see a lot of yearling bucks.

"We had a few nice bucks taken last year, and saw some after the season," he said. "But I would expect to see some decline in hunting success."

On the positive side, the Snake River and Minam units have the highest buck ratios. And this could be a good year to target a whitetail.

"Our whitetail numbers are expanding," Coggins said. "They took a dip this last year, too. But there are pretty good bucks around, and whitetails typically have a higher fawn survival than mule deer."

EASTERN OREGON SEASON DATES
Eastern Oregon's archery season runs Aug. 25 through Sept. 23, and the Hood-White River hunt will run Sept. 8 through 16.

Eastern Oregon's controlled buck centerfire season runs from Sept. 29 through Oct. 10.

NEW STATEWIDE REPORTING REGULATION
For 2007, Oregon has adopted a mandatory reporting system of hunter harvest and effort. Hunters will be required to provide their hunter-angler identification number, the season name or hunt number and the number of days they've hunted.

For more about the new regulation, check dfw.state.or.us.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Deer Hunting -- Tactics for Today's Big-Game Hunter is a 208-page book, packed with valuable information and nearly 100 photos. To order a signed copy, send $24.50 (which includes S&H) to Gary Lewis Outdoors, P.O. Box 1364, Bend, OR 97709.