Q: Why are the deer in part of Klickitat County that have always been known as black-tailed deer now being called mule deer?

Black-tailed deer and mule deer have always been the same species (Odocoileus hemionus). Western Washington animals have always had larger, black tails and slightly smaller metatarsal or scent glands, and the subspecies has been known as black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus Columbianus). Eastern Washington animals have always had smaller tails with black tips and slightly larger metatarsal glands, and the subspecies has been known as mule deer ((Odocoileus hemionus hemionus).

There's a gradation from black-tailed characteristics to mule deer characteristics moving north and east from the Columbia Gorge through Klickitat County where the deer are a blend of the two subspecies.

For WDFW management purposes, the line of distinction between the two subspecies has long been through the western half or more of Klickitat County. Recent review of the habitat in this area led to the conclusion that the central part of the county in what had been known as Game Management Unit (GMU) 588 or “Grayback”, is more similar to open eastern Washington habitat than more timbered western Washington habitat. The Grayback GMU was changed in the 2006 hunting rules to 388 to align with eastern Washington mule deer management, and the line of distinction has shifted to the east. (The 300 series GMUs align with the Southcentral Washington Region, also known as Region Three, on the east side of the Cascade Mountains; the 500 series GMUs align with the Southwest Washington Region, also known as Region Five, on the west side of the Cascade Mountains.)

Now the eastern two-thirds of Klickitat County (GMUs 388 and 382) are under eastern Washington mule deer management, and the western third of the county (GMU 578) remains in western Washington black-tailed deer management. No GMU or county line is a perfect fit to distinguish between the two subspecies in this area of gradation, but the 2006 line is a close approximation.

Q: Why does this change have to make hunting more restrictive?

Mule deer in more open eastern Washington habitat are generally more vulnerable to hunter harvest because they’re more visible and have less hiding cover. The number of older bucks in the overall population is low, so general management of this subspecies needs to be more restrictive to increase that ratio and maintain long-term herd health.

The general modern firearm season for deer in GMU 388 is four days shorter than it had been as GMU 588. Mule deer bucks legal to harvest must have at least three antler points on one side, rather than the two-antler-point minimum of the western Washington black-tailed deer. Late season hunting (four days in mid-November) remains by permit only, as it had been when the unit was managed as 588 for black-tailed deer, although there are 50 permits in 388 this year compared to 65 last year.

Q: How does a three-antler-point minimum help?

A three-antler-point minimum restriction is one way to reduce vulnerability of bucks to harvest in general, and protect the yearling class specifically. The two-point minimum regulation in theory offered protection to yearling bucks, but some yearlings have two-by-two racks. In fact, these may potentially be the best bucks, due to genetics or high quality habitat. WDFW biologists anticipate that the three-point regulation will provide sustainable crops of nice bucks each fall, assuming a productive deer population overall.

Q: If I see a black-tailed deer in GMU 388, which rules do I follow?

Follow the rules for GMU 388: three-antler-point minimum for legal mule deer bucks. Don’t worry about whether the animal looks more like a black-tailed deer than a mule deer. Remember there’s a gradation of the two sub-species and habitats in this area and as imperfect as it may seem, a management line has to be drawn somewhere. That line is newly described in the 2006 hunting rules pamphlet on page 12 under the descriptions of black-tailed deer and mule deer.