Northwestern White-tailed Deer | Online Record Book Preview

Odocoileus virginianus ssp.

DESCRIPTION A very large whitetail with a relatively pale coat and heavy, widespread antlers.

DISTRIBUTION Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and southwestern Northwest Territories. United States: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, the extreme northeastern corner of California and the northwestern corner of Nevada.

REMARKS Many hunters think the northwestern whitetail grows the largest antlers; however, northeastern whitetail fans are likely to disagree.

TAXONOMIC NOTES The SCI northwestern white-tailed deer category includes all or part of the following subspecies: all of the northwest whitetail (ochrourus), most of the Dakota whitetail (dacotensis) and the South Dakota population of the Kansas whitetail (macrourus).

STATUS Deer within the boundaries of the SCI northwestern whitetail category are plentiful and lawfully huntable except for the Columbia whitetail (leucurus), which was listed as endangered by the USF&WS in 1967. There are two populations: The larger occurs in southwestern Oregon northeast of Roseburg near the North Umpqua River. From fewer than 2,500 in 1981, these deer increased to 5,500 in 1994 and are now causing problems with agricultural damage. A smaller population is found on several islands in the lower Columbia River near Westport, Oregon, and on adjacent mainland areas in Washington and Oregon-largely within the Columbian White-tailed Deer National Wildlife Refuge-where it has been given total protection for many years. This population has grown from fewer than 360 in 1968 to between 800-1,000 in 1994, and is now considered secure. In November 1995, Oregon removed the Columbia whitetail from the state endangered species list and asked the federal government to do the same. This subspecies was also considered endangered by the IUCN at one time, but has since been delisted by that body.