On today's episode of the Rokcast, Robby hosts Don Whittaker, Ungulate Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Don is on the forefront of redesigning Oregon's Wildlife Management Units to align with the latest research on Oregon mule deer herds.  These new "herd units" will replace the former unit boundaries and allow Oregon's wildlife professionals to better manage mule deer.  This is cutting-edge wildlife managament that other western states are likely to adopt as we learn more about mule deer and how they utilize a wide range of habitats across North America.

A few of the talking points Don & Robby cover:

Why is the change necessary?

New naming system

Larger hunt areas

Fewer total hunts

Tag adjustments

Landowner preference tags

Preference points

Proposed hunts and tag numbers will be available online in July 2025

What about whitetails and elk—are there hunt areas changing?

What about management objectives? MOs for population and buck:doe ratios were restructured to align with herd range

Learn more on Oregon mule deer at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife here

https://myodfw.com/articles/eastern-oregon-deer-hunts

Rokcast is powered by onX Hunt. For 20% off, use Promo Code “Rokcast” at onX Hunt here https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app

You can also find Robby’s books, Hunting Big Mule Deer and The Stories on Amazon here

or signed copies from the Rokslide store here

https://www.rokslide.com/product-category/mule-deer-books/