Now that Columbia whitetail deer have been removed from the federal endangered species list, a "very limited" number of tags are available for sport hunting. A few transferable tag vouchers have been issued to landowners who have these deer on their property. Landowners learned that these vouchers were worth a lot more than many people expected, so outfitters who have bought them cannot do these hunts cheaply. One outfitter was able to acquire four vouchers with his private leases, and his hunts are actually less than some landowners are asking just for a voucher. He is offering a hunt for $5,900 with one hunter per guide along with food and lodging. He expects all his hunters to take mature bucks with racks 18 to 20 inches wide and scoring more than 120 Boone and Crockett points. Two sets of antlers found on the property (pictured here) scored 133 and 142 Boone and Crockett points. Do not book this hunt if you're looking for a whitetail with a rack that would exceed 150 B&C though one or two might be taken this year. Columbia bucks are smaller both in body and antler size than most other races of whitetails. These deer have never been hunted, so the outfitter expects a 100% success rate. Some environmental extremists were upset when the state proposed issuing 10 tags, but that's a tiny percentage of bucks in the population. As long as 10 years ago, biologists estimated that the herd had grown to 5,000 or 6,000 animals with about 20 bucks per 100 does. There has been a lot of interest among hunters, especially Safari Club members, to add this newly legal whitetail to their collections. Ask about Hunt WD3316.
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| Racks found on the ranch |
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