A quick and dirty guide to white-tailed deer hunting this year

Like with any species, and as mentioned countless times in regard to mule deer, it takes time for animals to rebound, but whitetails tend to rebound more quickly. Back in early 2023, Boudreau forecasted "another 2-3 years" before the Clearwater's whitetail herds would be fully recovered, but optimistically pointed out that they were in fact "over the hump."

And throughout the bulk of summer, things had been indicating that the herds were bounding right back.

The return of EHD

EHD, as mentioned above, decided to rear its ugly head once again in the final days of summer 2025, creating a mixed back of expectations for white-tailed deer hunters.

As of Oct. 6, biologists had received ongoing reports of just under 1,000 white-tailed deer mortalities in the Clearwater Region suspected to be caused by EHD. About 72% of these reports have come from Units 8 and 8A and approximately 18% came from Units 11A and 14. In other units only a handful of suspected cases have been reported.

Estimating the actual number of deer lost during an EHD outbreak is extremely difficult. However, based on the number of reports, the 2025 outbreak appears similar in severity to the 2021 event, though centered in a different part of the region.

For context, in 2021, cases were concentrated in Unit 11A near Kamiah and Kooskia, as well as in Units 8A, 10A, 15, and 16 at lower elevations extending downstream toward Orofino and up the South Fork of the Clearwater. In contrast, most reports in 2025 have come from farther north, primarily in Units 8 and 8A, with the area around Deary being the hardest areas hit.

You can read more about the EHD situation in the Clearwater Region here.

How EHD may or may not affect your hunt

Despite the ongoing outbreak, Fish and Game has not recommended altering current deer seasons. White-tailed deer populations in the Clearwater Region remain strong overall, and while EHD has caused localized losses, deer numbers across much of the region remain robust and well above conservation concern.

Hunters should be aware that in some areas they may encounter fewer deer than in past years. These localized declines can be disappointing, but other parts of the region have seen little or no impact from EHD, particularly at higher elevations, and these will continue to provide good hunting opportunity. After the severe outbreaks of 2003, and 2021, hunters did not see a drop in harvest success, and white-tailed deer populations are recovering well since 2021, though not back to previous levels.

The lay of the land

Like with other big game species, there are different environmental factors that can impact herd health. Temperature, annual precipitation and snowpack, drought, wildfires, etc. are environmental variables our biologists consider when determining how and where deer and elk are going to be in the months leading up to opening day.

"Body size and antler growth on this year's white-tailed deer is looking solid," Boudreau said.

As the herds continue to build back up, a mild winter, a precipitous spring, and a relatively fireless summer have all been positive ingredients for a successful fall.