Losing our mule deer in idaho

BQHIdaho · May 15, 2008

Man, I just can't get over Idaho fish and game. They just don't get it. Our mule deer numbers in the state are down to 30,000 and they still aren't doing what needs to be done to stop the slaughter fest in some units that are any buck general hunts. Anyone in Idaho can go to these units and kill any buck they see. No ATV regulations in some of these units is making it hard for the deer to hide because the ATV jerks just climb the mountains and chase them down. I've seen it time and time again and I'm fed up! There is an interstate seperating two units 70 and 71. Now, 70 has been changed to a controlled only hunt for mule deer bucks, but 71 is an ATV any buck for 25 days slaughter unit. Now how can an interstate make such a huge difference in unit regulations? The deer cross the intersate all the time, I see um do it. What the heck is going on....! Can someone try to explaine this to me and all the other people concerned about this!! HELP!!!!

YukonDall · May 15, 2008

WOW......30,000 DOES NOT SOUND LIKE VERY MANY DEER STATE WIDE. TUNE IN TO THE UTAH POSTS ON DEER NUMBERS AND FIGURE OUT A RECOVERY PLAN & TAKE IT TO YOUR FISH & GAME PEOPLE.....YD.

BQHIdaho · May 15, 2008

Thanks,
Some folks just don't understand, glad to see someone does. Sounds like Utah has a similar problem. Maybe I should move to montana where deer are in huge numbers.. I think they are doing something right!

slamdunk · May 15, 2008

He's just posting this because of the flood of Utahn's headed up there to hunt deer that didn't draw here!!

Lol J/K ;-)

excaliber · May 15, 2008

Do you have a link to where you saw this?

I just looked at the new Mule Deer management plan and I did not see anything stating we only have 30,000 Mulies.

If you look at the Mule Deer PRO7 from 10/1/2007 you will see that 28,560 Mule Deer were harvested in 2006 which includes 6476 antlerless deer.
The estimated count for 2005 was 92,535 Mule deer.
In the 2006 General seasons 91,000 hunters hunted Mule Deer.

I'd be curious to see where you came up with 30,000 total Mule Deer.

BQHIdaho · May 15, 2008

nah, they can't hit um anyway.. kidding... Buck to doe ratios are way off, and no atv regs.. very worring!

MacVsog · May 15, 2008

Dude! chill out! leave it to the people who have been trained in these ares, relax, who cares if you hunt from a quad, a truck or horseback... or just walk in.. hunt'n is hunt'n its Mother nature who controls the the whole thing anyways...

i mean really, other wise no more camping in deer areas ( it upset them) stay in town, drive until the pavements ends, get out and walk in..., no compound bows or high powered rifles... or, just go hunt'n and enjoy event

BQHIdaho · May 15, 2008

Sorry, I don't think so! Look at the Buffalo.. how many do you see in the wild.. gee, guess mother nature had it in for them huh! Oh no, wait, it was overhunting from trains and such that wiped them out. Man, I just love hunting buffalo in the wild.. hold on, I can't! ATVs are the lazy mans way of getting around. God gave us two good feet, use um! Im so sick of competing with atvs in areas they are not suppose to go and spooking all the game. They will ride up a mountain side where there is no trail. How that for mother nature! I guess we shouldn't try to save the polar bears either then since its mother nature who is killing them... Guess my kid will never see one in the wild. Your one of those people don't care and never stand up for what is right. Get a back bone and quit reling on someone else. Its people like me that save species from heading south. I love wildlife and want to see it preserved for generations to enjoy. To hunt big and small game, fish or whatever!

gb22 · May 15, 2008

I think we need to take steps to increase the herd sizes....but we have almost 10 times that many deer. We will kill almost 30,000 this year....not total herd numbers. If we'd do something about lions (and feed the deer when & where required) we could probably return to harvest levels of 42,000......we did those numbers for a long time.

Bullelk1 · May 15, 2008

IDFG reported that fawn mortality in the Unit 67 area was 83% this winter. Most of the collared does survived.

BPKHunter · May 16, 2008

Every person on this website would like to see a healthier and larger herd, so we should lobby to encourage more habitat preservation, especially wintering grounds. I agree that ATV rules should limit people from leaving the "ROAD". I don't know how easy it will be to keep people where they are, especially with the limited number of officers to enforce it. I do see the benefit of having Quad's available for people like my Dad who is 63 and has had 2 heart attacks. As I was wondering if the law applies differently I noticed that on the DFG website it clearly states "It is illegal to operate an ATV or trail bike off trail or on any trail closed to that specific type of vehicle as designated by the land management agency or land owner.". What this tells me is, anyone going off the road is breaking the law, so I guess the only thing you could do is close down the roads to any form of motorized travel. While I see the benefit of this, I do see a point where some area's must have a reasonable amount of motorized access on main roads for guys like my dad, then the rest of us need to seek out the areas with more restrictions, I think that is the compromise. As for having more individuals to enforce the laws, then well unless we are willing to pay Much Much higher fee's to pay for those salaries we need to come up with another solution, any idea's.

BQHIdaho · May 16, 2008

Very interesting observation. I do agree with you that folks that cannot get around and still want to hunt should have access to atv's to get around. I think parents need to start teaching there children ethical hunting. I guess I see so many younger people on atvs hunting constantly, whom never walk a mile to hunt, ruining it for folks like me. It makes it too easy to get to the deer. I just see a disaster aheaed in units like 71 where there are no restrictions on atvs. Did you know fish and game had a reserve officer program to help during hunting season and dumped it. People wanted to do it without pay, but fish and game would have none of it. Fish and game doesnt want help it seems. I was qualified to be in the program to help for no pay, but yet they turned it down. to not only me, but to everyone. Reinstating this reserve program would help because we can enforce the laws and get the word out. Your dad has every right to ride his atv on any trail during any time to get around. Its the people that abuse the atvs during hunting season, thats hurting our buck deer populations because the little guys like a spike or two point, never have a chance to grow up to help populate and cover the does. They get hammered! If the people were on foot, it wouldn't be so easy to chase them down. Real hunting techniques would have to be used. I believe it needs to happen soon...

topper · May 18, 2008

I completely agree with you. The buck numbers in general units in Idaho are terrible. Something has to be done. The bottem line is, more people means more hunters. That's fine, but your have to regulate accordingly. Otherwise the reproduction can't keep up with the harvist. And rebuilding habbitat is great, but you can't plant more deer. Idaho is taking huge steps in the wrong direction with mule deer.

missalot · May 26, 2008

And of course, there is that whole issue of continuing to build homes on the deer's wintering grounds.

BQHIdaho · May 26, 2008

You must live around the pocatello area, where it is happening. maybe.. They are wanting to turn ag ground into residental so they can put homes on 1.5 acres instead of 20-40 acres as in ag lands. Thanks UTAH DEVELOPERS!! And our taxes went up because they pushed and pushed for a new school bond that they didn't need. ANOTHER 750K IN REVENUE!! WISH I HAD THAT IN REVENUE!!

HNTBIGBULLS · May 27, 2008

Yea, I would blame Utah for all of Idahos
problems, without our non resident fees,
you wouldn,t have near the resources.

When are Idaho residents going to realize
that it is your game and fish that is
screwing up all of your wildlife.

Don,t put the blame on somebody else, they
have done it all themselves.

On another note, in southeastern ID there are
alot of ID residents that drive to UT for
work, do we complain?

BQHIdaho · May 27, 2008

See, thats the point.. we DRIVE to utah to work.. we don't live there and incroach on wildlife areas. I see you only focus on ONE point i have made... read everything again. We do blame fish and game! its in the posts read it! We also blame utah developers! They keep hacking away at the muleys winter ground. READ THE POSTS AGAIN!! THERE IS BLAME ALL AROUND!!!!

Cam@strawberry · May 27, 2008

same old same old blame everyone ya can for the problems that face your states wildlife instead of goin out and tryin to fix it at the rac meetings and such im just as much to blame as anyone else tho.

BQHIdaho · May 27, 2008

Now hold on, i have been riding fish and games butts for a while now about the problems facing the wildlife, I am here to try to get others to do the same. I am a member of Deer hunters of Idaho, RMC, NWTF, and Hunters for Habitat. I do my best to help, but sometimes i am met by people who think i should not care or worry about it.. I do care. Maybe you should do as i do, work on fish and game. Put your foot down to them.

skyline_driver · May 28, 2008

Trust me brother,the majority of Utahns hate Idaho and when we drive through we try to get out asap. I can think of one reason that we appreciate Idaho and that is the Potatoes.... other than that I can't think of any other benefit Idaho has over Utah.

BQHIdaho · May 28, 2008

I can think of one... we don't have SLC drivers. That just may be the only thing! I don't like either state and i live in Idaho.

Oakbuck · May 28, 2008

>If you look at the Mule
>Deer PRO7 from 10/1/2007 you
>will see that 28,560 Mule
>Deer were harvested in 2006
>which includes 6476 antlerless deer.
>
>The estimated count for 2005 was
>92,535 Mule deer.

Idaho harvests 30% of its entire herd each year??

Add to that road kill, predation and winter kill ID is loosing half its herd each and every year? That doesn't sound right.

Won't be long before the herd is at 30k or less!

Oakbuck

MacVsog · May 28, 2008

ok guys... let's let this thread die... we're hunters, we have enough people against us... least we turn on each other

BQHIdaho · May 28, 2008

MacV
Forums are here to post your opinions, so let people do it if they want. Its just a little humor about utah and idaho. don't take it so seriously! lighten up. LAUGH A LITTLE!

elkslam · May 28, 2008

I personally love hunting Idaho but I am from oregon so it can't get any worse.

UThunting · May 28, 2008

I think its Idahos fault that we are seeing whitetails here. Maybe there giving them all a ride across the Border????

I think I will start hunting the border units every year and make sure those whiteys dont cross the line, Hay and you Idahoans dont smuggle them across the state lines we dont want them.....

Woops maybe I have been hunting the Idaho border the last 10 years.. and maybe we want those whiteys after all the muley Herd is getting smaller and smaller...

UThunting (IN IDAHO)
Clynt L Citte
Willard Utah

BQHIdaho · May 29, 2008

With the muleys on the decline, we may be stuck hunting whitys. unfortunatly. I would focus more blame on montanas whitetails coming to idaho, then down to utah. Ever been to Bozeman.. if so, you know what im talking about.

ismith · May 29, 2008

Yeah thats gotta be it! All those Montana whitetails are migrating to Utah. Give me a frickin break.

gb22 · May 29, 2008

I have friends in high places. I'll get them to introduce a bill so Utah can have ALL of our whitetails......but for each 3 deer, you have to take a wolf AND a lion.

bigmuleyman · May 29, 2008

LAST EDITED ON May-29-08 AT 08:21PM (MST)[p]What?

BQHIdaho · May 29, 2008

Montana has many whitetails because they followed the Missouri from the southern us to the north. Ask a biologist and they will tell you the same thing. Whitetails follow river systems. And the Missouri is a perfect example. Whats your problem jerk off. Bother you people discussing things that a dip like you can't understand because your a s**tbird. Grow up and get a life. Your life must be in the crapper if all you have time to do is reitcule people and make a ass of yourself.

IDdesertman · May 29, 2008

Have your parents bought you that new 4-wheeler yet BQH?

BQHIdaho · May 29, 2008

Have your balls dropped yet desertman?

bigmuleyman · May 29, 2008

BQH, why do you even talk with these guys? They have shown to be rude an obnoxious. That is of course unless you like the drama. If not, ignore their replies