At many national wildlife refuges, white-tailed deer hunting is important to help conserve habitat and keep deer populations in check. However, Julia Butler Hansen Refuge for the Columbian White-tailed Deer conserves a federally threatened white-tail subspecies. Columbian white-tail, unlike other white-tails, occupy only a fraction of their historic range. Today, about 300 of these deer live at the refuge, with another 700 individuals on a mixture of federal, state and private lands. The refuge includes more than 6,000 acres of diked Columbia River floodplain and undiked islands.
The habitat also is important for waterfowl, especially wintering populations of American wigeon, mallard, northern pintail and Canada goose. Waterfowl hunting is permitted along the shoreline on the refuge portion of Hunting, Price, Crims, and Wallace Islands, in accordance with Washington and Oregon regulations. Temporary blinds may be constructed, but they must be available to everyone on a first-come, first-served basis. A muzzleloader master hunt for elk on the Mainland Unit is conducted periodically to reduce competition.
