My First Columbia Whitetail

Umpqua Hunter

Veteran member
May 26, 2011
3,576
88
61
North Umpqua, Oregon
This subspecies of deer was federally listed as endangered in 1968 and the populations in our county have rebounded to the point we have had hunting seasons since around 2003. Here is an article on this subspecies of whitetail deer.

https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/articles.cfm?id=149489413


Here is my story:

In 1982, I moved to Oregon. For many years, I watched Columbia Whitetails by the dozens on my parent's ranch along the North Umpqua River. It wasn't until around 2003 that the hunting season was finally reopened, after decades of being closed. I was sitting on max preference points (16 points) through 2009, which I used on a phenomenal blacktail hunt. After I rebuilding a few points for whitetails, there was a blue tongue die off in 2014.

Douglas County Oregon, our home, currently has the only huntable population of Columbia Whitetails anywhere in the world. Last December, on my daughter's youth Blacktail hunt on private land, we saw some great bucks and I decided to burn some preference points.

Season opened September 30 and after five days with the full moon, it seemed like the deer movement had nearly come to a standstill. After glassing this buck up in some thick brush I waited for about an hour for a shot then connected on a 458 yard shot. I'm feeling very blessed!

Some of my friends have asked about how big these whitetails get. Oregon's #1 typical with a rifle is 155 1/8 and #10 typical is 128 4/8". Nine of those ten bucks were taken in 1965 or earlier. I feel super blessed with this buck! This was my first whitetail buck of any kind.

 
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Umpqua Hunter

Veteran member
May 26, 2011
3,576
88
61
North Umpqua, Oregon
Thanks guys. These deer were federally listed (endangered) until a couple years before the season reopened so it was a long haul to reopen the hunting season. We have good populations in the lower farm country. The blacktail will use the ridges and the whitetails tend to stay at treeline or below on farms and in pasture areas.
 

DRUSS

Very Active Member
Jun 22, 2014
537
157
nw oregon
What a buck! Congratulations Umpqua. I hope to have a chance at one of those someday. Not to many options out there for a Columbia whitetail.
 

480/277

Very Active Member
Feb 23, 2013
629
1
That's awesome that you are able to hunt them again and
That's a great buck! Congrats