Toby Knotts' big 9x11 Washington whitetail green-scored a whopping 190. Whitetails now make up 90 percent of the harvest in the upper third of northeastern Washington's Region 1. Photo courtesy of Toby Knotts.

Some things never change for Evergreen State deer hunters.

Black-tailed deer are the targets in the dense coastal forest and industrial timberlands of western Washington, while mule deer are the game in coulees and ponderosa-flanked foothills east of the Cascade Mountains. And white-tailed deer provide the challenge in the river bottoms and farmlands of eastern Washington.

However, many things that can have a major effect on a hunter's success change from year to year. The severity of preceding winters has a lot to do with how many deer hunters see in mule deer and whitetail country. In recent years, hair loss syndrome among blacktails, and recently mule deer, and blue-tongued disease in whitetails, has reduced the number of animal available to hunters in some areas. Access also becomes an issue when timber companies gate their roads or fires damage backcountry roads.

The regulations set by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and adopted by the Fish and Game Commission also have a major effect on hunting opportunity.

During the upcoming 2009 Washington deer season, several of the above factors will once again play some role in the prospects of hunters.

• Deer seem to have survived the winter fairly well across central Washington, but there was heavy and prolonged snow in northern Region 1, which could reduce the number of whitetail bucks, as it did last year. Moreover, despite the relatively mild winter in the Okanogan, its herd will remain at reduced numbers because of three previous hard winters.


• Hair loss syndrome will result in poor hunting prospects for much of Region 3. The disease first appeared in Region 3 in 2003, and has reduced the overall herd size by an estimated 50 percent.


• This season is the beginning of a new three-year regulations cycle. The commission's approved a number of significant changes recommended by the WDFW. They include more units and longer seasons for muzzleloaders and more archer access to Okanogan hunts but few days overall. And there is also a change in antler restriction in West Klickitat Unit from a 2-pointto a 3-point minimum.

WHITETAIL CENTRAL
In recent years, Evergreen State hunters have killed more deer, achieved higher success rates and lower day-to-kill numbers in northeastern Washington than in any other corner of the state. You can sum up the reason for the excellent deer hunting in one word: whitetails.

Mule deer may be the signature deer of the American West, but whitetails thrive in the mixture of managed forests, riparian thickets and agricultural land. Whitetails make up 90 percent of the harvest in the northern third of Region 1.

The numbers speak for themselves. During 2007, the last year for which harvest reports are available, hunters killed 8,269 deer in Population Management Unit 13 -- that's more than in any other region! The Mount Spokane Unit accounted for 1,928 bucks and 609 does alone. The Huckleberry Unit gave up 1,573 bucks and 683 does. The 49 Degrees North Units gave up 1,166 bucks and 340 does.

To the north, Kelly Hill, Aladdin, Selkirk and Douglas each contributed more than 300 bucks and about half that many does.

Located in Ferry County to the west, the Sherman Unit is managed for mule deer, and hunters took 786 bucks from it in 2007, and achieved a 25 percent success rate.