Modern firearm deer hunting opened Oct. 11 in the north end of the region with modest pressure and, in some areas, lower success rates than last year. WDFW Okanogan District Wildlife Biologist Scott Fitkin said the number of hunters checked at the Chewuch Check Station in the west half of the Okanogan suggest hunting pressure is about the same as last year but modest compared to the 10-year average. Hunter success declined about 35 percent compared to 2007, when about 14 percent of hunters in the Chewuch unit (218) bagged deer.
"The lack of 3 ½-year-old bucks in the harvest appears to account for most of the reduction." Fitkin said. "This is likely attributable to the poor fawn recruitment during the 2005-2006 winter. On the bright side, many of the animals harvested have been prime, with well-developed antlers, large body size, and good fat reserves. At least one trophy-sized buck with a reported 32-inch antler spread was also taken."
Fitkin said the weather forecast calls for more moisture and that could improve prospects for the final weekend of the season, which runs through the Oct. 19. Fitkin also reminds coyote hunters to be sure of their target, given the newly confirmed presence of a wolf pack in Okanogan County. The gray wolf is protected as a federal and state endangered species.
