Surge in Idaho's Deer Population

Hiker of the Woods

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February 27, 2015 2:52 pm ? By Rob Thornberry / Idaho Falls Post

A series of mild winters has led to a large surge in the state?s deer population.

It is a gift to hunters.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is now trying to decide if sportsmen want that gift.

Idaho is in the midst of its fourth consecutive mild winter, a trend that has prompted the state?s deer herds to grow as much as 20 percent in some areas last year alone. Last winter ? 2013-2014 ? statewide mule deer fawn survival was 78 percent, a record high since the department started tracking survival in 1994. All indications are that this year?s winter survival will also be quite high.

East of Idaho Falls, for example, biologists believe the herd grew to more than 10,000 animals last year, the highest count in more than a decade.

That surge is prompting Fish and Game to explore options for more liberal hunting.

?Given the growth we have seen in deer population, we believe biologically that we can allow for some additional harvest,? said Brad Compton, the state?s assistant chief of the wildlife division. ?We are seeing if the public is interested.?

In the Upper Snake Region, Fish and Game proposes expanding hunting opportunity by either extending the general season by seven days or increasing the number of controlled-hunt tags by more than 800 this fall.

Ironically, hunters are leery of the increases, which doesn't surprise Compton.

?There will always be some concerns from some hunters,? he said. ?Hunters are generally a very conservative group.?

Public opinions have been split at already-held scoping meetings, said Curtis Hendricks, the new wildlife manager in the Upper Snake Region.

?We are getting lots of varied comments,? he said.

Fish and Game wants to attack the surplus of deer one of two ways.

The first idea is to add seven days to the general hunt, moving the closing date from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31. It would be the first time the hunt would end on Oct. 31 since 2008. Moving the closing date will depend on what other regions do. If they don't adopt a later closing date, the Upper Snake Region wouldn't either.

The change would add a fourth Saturday to the general hunt and would inch the hunt closer to the mule deer rut, when bigger bucks are more vulnerable.

The second proposal in the Upper Snake Region is adding as many as 815 controlled-hunt tags. There would be 40 more buck tags than last fall, more than 400 antlerless tags and more than 375 either-sex tags distributed over the region?s 17 hunting units. Permit levels could change if the public wants different levels, Hendricks said.

?Right now in lots of areas, the data suggests that we have robust deer populations,? Hendricks said. ?We are growing deer at a good clip. With more deer in the woods, we want to know how hunters want to slice up the extra opportunity.?

Compton and Hendricks believe hunters should take advantage of the increasing deer herd because there is no guarantee the herd will continue to grow. They said hunting doesn't limit deer herds; weather does. One harsh winter and lots of deer will die and hunting opportunities will shrink.

?You can't carry them over indefinitely,? Compton said.

Biologists are holding scoping meetings across the state. The comment deadline is March 8. The final public meeting in the Upper Snake Region is 7 p.m. Monday at Madison Middle School in Rexburg.

Biologists will set season proposals in early March and the Fish and Game Commission will set final rules in late March.

Hendricks wants hunters to sound off.

?Our proposals are a starting point,? he said. ?We want to know what hunters think.?
 
Extending the season = 0 additional revenue.

800 additional tags = Tens of thousands of dollars of increased revenue.

I'll wager a guess...
 
Count me in on the Bullchit side, there my be 20% larger population but 20% of not much is still not very high!!! Leave'em alone!!!
 
This is like gas prices. We get lower gas prices and the government wants to f#%k it up. We get better deer herds and the government wants to f#$k it up!
 
You guys are correct. These Govt douche bags treat this slight increase like a tax and spend more bill. Demand that the deer herds rebound even more!
 
I can't believe they would even consider this! From what I've heard the numbers are still way down compared to what they were before the 92/93 winter that wiped them out. I talked to a hunter that said the hunting before that winter was off the charts. After that winter you couldn't hardly find a deer. Why in the world wouldn't they let them recover and maybe have some excellent hunting for years. I'm just shaking my head. So like the powers that be.
 
Fork West, your hypothesis about ten of thousands of dollars of revenue is way off the chart. There wont be any additional increase of revenue. The people who will draw and hunt those tags would have just bought a general tag and hunted on it, hence no increase in revenue. The application fee of 6 dollars goes to the company who conducts the drawing results. So your logic of all about money is far from true.
NECALI, please tell me you didn't compare the hunting to the winter before the 92/93 winter. Do you still look back at high school and think that if coach had put you in you would have won the state football title. You can't compare deer populations now to deer then, there is so many more roads, ATV's, 1000 yard guns, trail cameras, fragmented winter ranges. It also sounds like you haven't set foot in Idaho and don't know much of the story.
I had a great year last year, saw tons of awesome bucks and had a great fall. If you want your opinions heard send them to IDFG instead of just complaining about it. I have submitted my input you should do the same.
 
I was at the public comment meeting where they reviewed population data. If I remember correctly current population estimates are at levels not seen prior to 92. As you all know winters are king when it comes to deer populations in eastern Idaho. There's a robust deer population in the pipeline and I think we will start to see bigger, more mature bucks in the next few years.

I support the proposed changes. Increase hunting opportunities while we have the #'s, reduce when we don't.
 
Pooner we can talk about it on here, if all this crap just got sent to a commissioner and never discussed, no one would learn as much. We all have an opinion and deserve to give our own without being shot down or ridiculed. I don't know, but would venture to say that since that winter of 93 that there are less roads in the mountains in areas and an increase in CRP ground an things of that nature since they went through and closed a bunch with the road-less act at the end of Clinton's time and the beginning of Obama's tenure to create more jobs. You probably saw that in the big holes in Rexburg while you were here for school. I think based on the data at the public comment meeting that a big winter is just around the corner, meaning higher mortality and a decline in population. As deer numbers go up revenue will increase because of it. I have talked to so many people who stopped hunting due to the lack of deer. My 2 cents
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-04-15 AT 01:31PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Mar-04-15 AT 01:30?PM (MST)

Pooner, why wouldn't I or anyone else compare the herds to what they could be. If you had a great year, good for you. Do you want to have more in the future or do you want the IDFG to have the herds go backwards and then spend years trying to increase the numbers again. I've read plenty of posts on here in the last few years of hunters from Idaho not happy with the size of the herds. I have friends that have been hunting there every year. Some of those hunted it before 92/93 and talk about the huge bucks they saw then. Not now. I do see that there have been some dandy's coming out of Idaho and am happy to see that. It's my opinion that Idaho's deer herds have great potential and could continue to increase if managed to do so. Your being pretty judgmental about me "setting foot in Idaho and contacting IDFG", both of which I have for your information. But hey if you want IDFG to issue more tags tell them to do so. Just don't complain the next time you have a severe winter and there's hardly any deer left.
 
I just get really sick of everyone claiming doom and gloom, and comparing everything to years past. If you look across the west (not just Idaho) deer tags are always cut and do we see a response? My negative (Uncle Rico scenario) comments were maybe a little bit rash, but deer numbers are up. The point was make your opinion heard.
NECALI, I am sorry to come across harsh, but you can't just listen to a few people and take it for the gossip truth. The weather (along with other factors) drives deer numbers not hunter harvest (usually). Really everyone on here is negative and down about everything. I heard one old boy tell me the deer herd are horrible and the wolves have ate them all. He also mentioned that he wished they would got back to the old days. While he was telling me this story he was showing me the biggest deer he had killed his whole life. Seemed very ironic to me.
 
I Shot a 179 buck general unit Southern Idaho. I also saw a lot of better bucks during bow season and my best buddy shot a 216 inch bruiser in the general. I grew up in Idaho and hunt it religiously every year from the age of 12 to 35. Deer are abundant.... the big ones are where the roads are not or on private land. In the Sawtooth recreational area they shut down motorized vehicle access except on certain roads and even shut down certain roads. It has helped the deer population vastly. The general season is doing very well. It cant be perfect but I would rather they cut lise more draw tags than extend the hunt. I am not a wildlife management expert like everyone else but I consistantly see big animals in the general. Maybe if people would get out of their cars and walk around they would seesomr to....
 
Well, it seems to me that the decision to offer more opportunity should at least be partially based on the carrying capacity of the unit. If, for example, you have 1000 deer and it increased to 1200 deer, and the land could sustain a herd of 2000 deer, now might not be the time to increase harvest.

Eel

It's written in the good Book that we'll never be asked to take more than we can. Sounds like a good plan, so bring it on!
 
Idaho's deer herd is increasing? I thought Utah was the only western state to see increasing numbers over the last couple of years due to our massive habitat restoration efforts? I guess weather plays a bigger role than some may have thought?

Hawkeye
 
Idaho is one of the States that i've not hunted and probably won't but i'm glad to see the nicer bucks coming from that State and hear that the deer are doing better/well.

I think along the same lines as Eelgrass, if the herd is not yet up to carrying capacity, let them multiply and then hunt off any excess that might exist. just my $.02

Note of Caution: Yes, i was once young and prided myself that none hunted harder, stayed in better hunting shape, or went farther back in than we did. Roads were avoided and cursed. Now, i can't get out the house without a full dose of Ibuprofen, my hands and feet are busted up, legs are swelled, back is terrible, eyes are going. So, i might not have thought so back then but now i like a good access road here and there. One day, if you are lucky, you might too! ;-)

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"
 
>>Note of Caution: Yes, i was
>once young and prided myself
>that none hunted harder, stayed
>in better hunting shape, or
>went farther back in than
>we did. Roads were avoided
>and cursed. Now, i can't
>get out the house without
>a full dose of Ibuprofen,



I know what you mean!
 
My family owns some property in the Bear lake area it consists of both summer and winter range. We have seen some good numbers in years past. So I know what a strong population is. To say there is a surge in the Mule deer population is laughable to me. Don't get me wrong there are a few Deer but there are not a lot of them.
 
I am so excited my daughter and I will be hunting Idaho next year and can not wait to see this booming deer population!

LOL. At least in Colorado the guys are still saying our herds are still down and there are only pockets showing a little recovery!
 
Elk96, Idaho has had the same winters that Colorado has had. I spent time in both states quite a bit. Idaho hasnt had any winter at all the last 4 years.
 
I have been seeing more bucks and bulls for the last couple years. I hope that we can keep seeing population increases. I saw better bucks on the general hunt, and shot a great buck on it. It has been a long time since I can say that. I saw more than 4 shooter bucks in 3 days of hunting, and plenty of little guys. But, like everywhere else, it does depend somewhat on the area. Idaho has had quite a few fires, some decent precipitation, and easy winters. That right there is the right combination.

Free Draw Odds!
www.hunthardcore.com
 
LAST EDITED ON Mar-23-15 AT 04:48PM (MST)[p]Will all of those who posted that have a degree in wildlife management, please raise your hands. The opinions of those who don't have a degree means nothing . Thank you.
 
If you want to drink IDFG's Kool-Aid go ahead. I'm not in Idaho but am basing my observations by some that are in the field hunting there. I can tell you my experience with Ca. Fish and Wildlife and I don't believe them for a minute. They have been talking all roses with the blacktail herd for ever, and there are no where near the deer there used to be. They keep on issuing two tags per hunter In the blacktail zones, although they finnaly put a quota on the amount of tags at something like 30,000. As for the mule deer herds where I live, they know there at low levels but can never admit that predators are the main reason why. They continue to blame a number of issues and one big one is habitat lost to development. THERE IS NO DEVELOPEMENT in the northeast part of Ca. where we have the X5A and X5B zones yet they pound that one home all the time. You don't have to be a biologist to see what the deer herds are compared to years ago, Or are we just supposed to accept that the numbers are fine.
 
Biologists are saying there are more deer and elk. From my observations there are. Is it state wide? No. But I talk to a lot of guys from all over Idaho, and most are seeing more deer. Then again, I am a glass is half full guy.

Free Draw Odds!
www.hunthardcore.com
 
I for one do not have a degree in anything except maybe running my mouth. So here it goes blah blah blah I have had some of the best general hunts in the last 6 years in Idaho deer are plentiful. So are the wolves. There are a lot of elk to. I like hunting all 3 thank you IDFG for not turning my childhood general unit into some screwed up draw.
 
People talking about the old days ought to take the winder of 92 as a lesson about carrying capacity.

Comparing carrying capacity in 2015 to 1992 is foolish.

I don't know where we stand relative to carrying capacity, but to understaand why F&G may have a concern over what a harsh winter can do to our herds is undeerstandable, so alowing some additional take as a precaution seems reasonable. How is still a question. For the most part, keeping populaitons in check is more a factor of shooting does, than anything else we can control.

I do agree if you want more and bigger bucks, adding more LE buck tags makes no sense.
 
You get 6 feet of snow on the winter range at the end of Dec. and it doesn't go away but keeps getting pounded until March. It doesn't matter what the carrying capacity is. You could have the capacity to carry 10,000 deer and only have 5,000 but very few will survive that kind of snow cover. There's just no way to get to the feed. Only a few fortunate ones made it. I'm surprised any made it.
 

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