I no longer listen to biologists. Regardless of the state, they all talk to each other, read the same materials and convince themselves that their opinions are the only valid ones. They must be forced to "drink the Kool Aid" when they accept the position.
Habitat is important, and doe condition is also important. But predators are and have been hammering our deer for decades. There are lions, coyotes, bears, eagles, bobcats and more that are constantly working on mule deer. And CWD is also a factor in many areas where I hunt/operate. So are the ever increasing elk herds and the encroachment of whitetails.
I lease lands here in Wyoming that are the same as they were 50 years ago. And yes, I've been around and have been watching that long. The deer herds are maybe 1/4 in numbers as they were. No urban development, no habitat loss. In fact, with the water developments and increased use of pivot irrigation, many places in our area actually have better feed and better water, both key components of habitat. But in some places there are 10% of the deer we had.
The biggest difference is all of the predators. We used to get a bear license for free with an elk license here in Wyoming. Now bears are on strict quotas that are far too low. Lions are far more abundant than they were. There used to be more sheep, which meant more aggressive coyote control. We had 1080, which is banned with reason, but it sure hammered predators. Elk populations have increased 10X. And we are gullible enough to think that habitat and body condition are the keys to mule deer population increases. I'm not buying what the biologists are selling.
Too bad some of the biologists were not around in the 70's or sooner to see what mule deer could be. They might change their tune.......
www.rokslide.com
