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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.?
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.?