Follow Up Roan Plateau Predator Meeting

It was a good meeting and presentation. In summary, Chuck Anderson who has become a personal hero for his work presented on his data and his work and research which has occurred in the area since 2008. He has a very unique study, actually one of kind that has not ever been done before. For comparison data he has a similar study that was done in the 80s to early 90s.

Take away from the meeting.

He had an incredible power point summarizing his findings. Overall gist of the study and the data. Prior to the early 90s deer in the area were running at or close to the habitat carrying capacity. Fawn rates were low, over all fawn to doe numbers were lower and winter starvation was significantly higher.

Currently fawn weights are higher, pregnancy rates are very high (over 90%). Birth weights are higher and in many cases due to habitat work the habitat in the area is as good or better. The birth rate for the area is 1.75 fawns per doe, but the fawn survival rate is really low, especially early in the year.

Mortality of collared fawns showed lions and bears both at an even rate in the teens. Mortality from coyotes on the collared fawns were significantly lower than both lions and bears. His data showed that bears are neck in neck with each other on fawn mortality. Bobcats were also small. They even had a 1% recorded loss to depredation by an eagle.

That being said the actually study is really cool. The study is selecting one small area and intensively removing the bears and lions from that area in the weeks immediately before and during the majority of fawning times in the area where the majority of deer fawn. They will have a government trapper perform all removal with dogs being the primary methods followed by cage traps and possible leg snares.

Best estimates from the "fawning grounds" they will remove approximately 10 bears and 10 lions. More if they can find them. The entire focus is what will this effect have on the early fawn survival rate and how might this help better understand the dynamics of the predator prey relationships.

Eye opening factors, in the 80s the fawn retention rate was incredible, even when we had a horrible winter the herd would bounce back to pre-winter numbers in 1 to 2 years. This was constant in the 80s. Then in 1992 there was a hard winter/drought and ever since the deer have never really recovered. It was assumed that maybe our current herds were the at the carrying capacity and that we would never have more, but his research shows that starvation and habitat are not the limiting factors in the area. They are a factor but when you compared weights, and health indicators we are not seeing deer starve any where close to the rates in the 80s.

He hinted at it, but took a politically smart position. In 1992, the herd numbers dropped and since then we have not really seen the recovery we saw prior too. It is easy to see why. The herd struggled in early 90s due to drought and in 1996 we were forced to end trapping, we were forced to drop spring bear hunts, we were forced to stop hunting bears with dogs. Since the population was not strong it never had a chance to recover and overtime we all know the bear population has exploded while the deer have been on a steady decline with the occasional heavy blow from the winter.

So in summary they are targeting a very small specific deer population and a very small specific predator population. They are hoping that by removing the large predators right before and during fawning time they create a window for the animals to mature and develop the sense to better avoid the predators. Majority of fawns killed by bears were with in the first couple days after birth. Opening that window will hopefully result in an increase in fawn survival and a decrease in fawn mortality.

Off course no CPW meeting with regards to predators is not complete without the crazy anti hunter spilling their rhetoric.

One in particular cited California and specifically said that in California the lion ban has lead to healthy animals and significantly less lion and human conflict. She stated that by limiting lion hunting the Adult lions were able to better teach the young lions how to behave and thus fewer issues with humans.

She also attempted to use a study in WY on mule deer in the gas patch as evidence that it all has to be oil and gas. She failed to account for the difference in the Wyoming area and the difference in the Roan. Wyoming large huge flats of endless short growth sage, the Roan thick steep and a predators paradise.

One of the Journalist who was obviously very bias. Was surprised when she learned that the meat will go to needy families through a local church program. She seemed utterly astonished that anyone would eat lion. Let alone request it to feed their family. Luckily the CPW folks went on to cite the law that requires the meat be rendered for human consumption and that all lions be processed for such.

Crowd was about 90% pro/10% against. Unfortunately those against were pretty narrow minded.

Thanks for taking the time to attend the meeting and to post such an informative post.

Thanx for the report elks and takein the time to attend the meeting! Here's my take away from the info you've shared with us. When lions and bears are in abundance we lose 50% of our fawns to predators. When coyotes are in abundance we lose 50% of our fawn to predators. Moral of the story, we want more deer, shoot more predators.

LAST EDITED ON Aug-17-16 AT 08:51PM (MST)[p]Nice report elks. I will be watching over the next few years closely. Bear and cougar numbers being out of whack in this area is no secret and I hope this study proves fruitful with positive results for the mule deer. Does have a hard time keeping a hungry bear or cougar from a fawn and I have always thought a doe can better fend off a coyote. So even though coyotes are not part of the study there will be a notation if the study indicates otherwise with coyote predation on mule deer fawns increase responding to DW's concerns. I look forward to the final report.

"Courage is being scared to death but
saddling up anyway."

Seems like a study to prove what the CPW already knows but needs technical data to reverse the predator friendly rule changes of the 1990's. I remember the DOW clearly telling people that bears will be in their back yards and the deer population will drop.

This is a great article I remember in the 60's growing up that the deer herds in the Grand Junction area were off the hook, animals everywhere and lots of them.
At the time though it was common practice to shoot any and all predators when you saw them. There were predators just the same but not in the numbers we see today.
I believe there was a bounty on coyotes if I remember right and that kept their numbers in check as well.
The lone Californian over there to trying spread their way of handling the situation of predators is embarrassing to say the least. If these people have their way and use their form of science to control predators you will see the same thing we see now which is lions walking down public streets at night looking for dinner which is your pet.

Keep up the great work you are dong it is a benefit to all hunters and the deer herds most. One question want to move to California and take these politicians on? Please