I pulled up the G&F website to get more info on the mule deer meetings scheduled for Powell and Cody. It would appear that Tony Mong will be the man presenting details on the changes that have occurred since the modifications made in 2019, 2020 and 2021 concerning mule deer in the area. A quote from the notice “We invite the public to attend a local meeting to learn about how the mule deer populations around Cody and Powell have responded to those changes and how to move forward based on this information.”
I think hunter harvest of mule deer in these units has always been minimal. There was an uptick in guided hunters for mule deer on the Upper Shoshone Mule Deer after the G&F changes with regard to elk hunting in the area. I have been told by G&F employees that deer populations have been hurt by drought, winter kill, poor forage on winter range, and by CWD. In the same year, I was told by Tony Mong that winter kill was minimal and fawn recruitment was up. During the same year, I was told by a warden just the opposite. In 2019, I was told by a senior biologist that the problem was CWD. That was during a chance encounter in the Upper Sunlight.
The three general mule deer seasons in 2019-2021in 106 were totally different. In 2019, there was some cold weather early in the season which did not result in any large migration. In conversing with G&F at a temporary check station on the Chief Joseph I was told that harvest was almost all yearling bucks. In 2020, there was some serious cold and snow at the tail end of the season. This resulted in a larger harvest of Class 2 mule deer bucks. In 2021, no serious cold or snow appeared in 106. It was summer camping weather. There was minimal movement of mule deer onto 109. I hunted 106 heavily during the season. I was curious as to what I would see. Because the weather was so mild, I spent the bulk of my time hunting in 106 in the Area south of Sunlight Creek. I did not see a single deer in 106 until October 20th. That day, I glassed up two yearling bucks migrating. Later that day, I had a three year old 4x4 buck appear in shooting range. I took this buck. Large body and average dark horns.
I have heard that the harvest in 106 was really bad. If you want to know what was harvested in 2021, look at the K Bar Z Facebook page. It looks like a lot of 1-2 year old bucks. I heard of a single trophy buck being taken on the last day of the season not far from the border with YNP. I heard the LE 105,106, 109 in 2021 was a disaster.
I am hoping people will attend the meetings to discuss what they observed in the Upper Shoshone drainages. I took a friend in there just before the season ended. We saw a single 3 year old buck. I heard very little gunfire.
I just want to attend these meetings to found out if anything was accomplished by the changes implemented in 2019. I know that G&F will argue there has not been enough time to tell. They may say that they lack the funds to study the predation on these deer. I just want to know if the changes made did anything. Because of the differences in the hunting conditions during 2019, 2020 and 2021 this should be interesting.
Just sayin...mh
