I’m hoping to get this report out the door before the power shuts off. The lights are flickering, and it’s tough to think over the thud of 60 mph gusts slamming into the side of my house. The forecast is calling for up to 100 mph gusts in my area and 60 mph across most of the Northwest, which is also experiencing major flooding in many areas because of an unusual amount of rain.

Although this is forecasted to be the worst storm of the season, it’s just one of many the Northwest experienced this past fall. Hunting season was marked with unseasonably warm and extremely windy weather. The wind and lack of snow proved challenging for hunters, especially those pursuing mule deer. One of the most common stories I heard from mule deer hunters was the lack of sightings of truly mature bucks. That was my experience this season. I spent hours glassing younger bucks while fighting a losing battle trying to keep them in the spotting scope in hurricane-force winds. Hunters who had luck on older bucks were typically deep in the high country.

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The lack of winter weather was more of a mixed bag for blacktail hunters, especially in Alaska. The lack of snow kept bucks up high, but some unseasonable periods of warm and calm weather made it easier for hunters to use aircraft and boats to get out. Although blacktails are known for staying in thick brush, the windy weather this year at least made stalking them a bit quieter.

Whitetail hunters in Montana and Idaho started the season stumbling across dead whitetails, victims of EHD outbreaks. However, the die-offs seemed to be localized, and there was plenty of luck across the Northwest, especially when rutting behavior peaked right before Thanksgiving.

Despite these challenges, unofficial harvest results look to have remained on track. Many hunters might not have shot the mature buck they were hoping for, but they sure earned the meat they put on the table this year.