The 2018 hunting season for white-tailed deer and mule deer is shaping up to look a lot like last year, according to an outlook report for District 6 (Okanogan County) by Scott Fitkin, district wildlife biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and assistant district wildlife biologist Jeff Heinlen.
The season runs from Saturday (Oct. 13) through Oct. 23 for white-tailed deer (any buck) and mule deer (three-point minimum).
“Overall, total general season harvest and success rates are anticipated to be around the 2017 numbers, somewhere above the 10-year low and below the 5-year average,” according to the WDFW report.
“Opportunities for older age class bucks during the permit seasons look good.”
“District 6 supports perhaps the largest migratory mule deer herd in the state and Okanogan County has long been prized by hunters for its mule deer hunting,” the WDFW report said. “The district also supports significant numbers of white-tailed deer.”
Lightning caused several wildfires in District 6, “but the eventual impact of those is yet unknown,” the WDFW report said. “The district is currently in the midst of an extended hot and dry period. If this weather pattern continues, expect the high country to be drier than usual. If so, deer may be more concentrated on cooler and comparatively moister northerly aspects. Otherwise, expect deer to be widely dispersed during the general seasons.”
“On the plus side, vegetation is generally recovering nicely in recently burned areas and game animals have returned to these portions of the district,” the report said.
For complete information about District 6, visit https://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/prospects/2018/district06.pdf.
