Where have all the Muleys gone!

[BQHIdaho]

Man, I just can't get over Idaho fish and game. They just don't get it. Our mule deer numbers in the state are down to 30,000 and they still aren't doing what needs to be done to stop the slaughter fest in some units that are any buck general hunts. Anyone in Idaho can go to these units and kill any buck they see. No ATV regulations in some of these units is making it hard for the deer to hide because the ATV jerks just climb the mountains and chase them down. I've seen it time and time again and I'm fed up! There is an interstate seperating two units 70 and 71. Now, 70 has been changed to a controlled only hunt for mule deer bucks, but 71 is an ATV any buck for 25 days slaughter unit. Now how can an interstate make such a huge difference in unit regulations? The deer cross the intersate all the time, I see um do it. What the heck is going on....! Can someone try to explaine this to me and all the other people concerned about this!! HELP!!!!

 

[excaliber]

Where did you see that we only have 30,000 Mulies?

 

[BQHIdaho]

Fish and Game web site.

 

[brymoore]

The amount of mule deer in the state has nothing to do with the buck harvest. There will always be enough bucks surviving to service all of the does.

I agree with you on the ATVs. Too many lazy hunters and the current laws are not enforced.

If you trying to make the whole state into a controlled hunt - go take a leap. The quality of buck I or anyone else wants to shoot is none of your business.

 

[BQHIdaho]

No, not what im saying... The laws need to be enforced and the regs set to the appropriate buck doe ratio per unit. In unit 71, it is not. I have never harvested a buck bigger than a 3 point, so size does not matter to me. I just want to see my kids be able to hunt mule deer for the rest of their lives and so on. Size is not a factor for me, just bigger numbers of bucks.

 

[BQHIdaho]

LAST EDITED ON May-15-08 AT 02:04PM (MST)[p]Quit frankly, I don't care if you take a monster or a nice spike that's gonna taste great. I'm a meat hunter, not an antler hunter, so before you go tell me to take a leap thinking i want the state to be like colorado, do me the respect and ask first, don't go off and tell me its none of my business. My business is the mule deer in idaho get the protection they need from jerks who don't care and just want to shoot them up until they are gone!!!

 

[brymoore]

Your first post sounded like you wanted a Colorado or Utah system that would limit hunter numbers.

What are you complaining about? ATVs, General Seasons, Deer Numbers, Controlled Hunts or what?

 

[excaliber]

>Fish and Game web site.

Do you have a link to where you saw this?

I just looked at the new Mule Deer management plan and I did not see anything stating we only have 30,000 Mulies.

If you look at the Mule Deer PRO7 from 10/1/2007 you will see that 28,560 Mule Deer were harvested in 2006 which includes 6476 antlerless deer.
The estimated count for 2005 was 92,535 Mule deer.
In the 2006 General seasons 91,000 hunters hunted Mule Deer.

I'd be curious to see where you came up with 30,000 total Mule Deer.

 

[BQHIdaho]

To clarify, 30,000 in units 70/71 combined...typo.

 

[BQHIdaho]

ATV's, and buck to doe ratio problems in particular units. An old walking/stalking hunter like me can't compete with ATV's. The number of deer in 70/71 is ok... but the ratio is way off. Thats why 70 went from a general hunt to a four point or larger for six days, to now a controlled hunt. I just don't understand why they think this wont happen to the neighboring unit 71 right across the interstate. No atv regs, any buck from 10th to 31st and so close to poky... sounds like it will turn into unit 70. Just concerend!

 

[excaliber]

>To clarify, 30,000 in units 70/71
>combined...typo.

I got you now.

 

[BQHIdaho]

My bad.. shoulda been more clear... kinda gets me goin u know.

 

[BrianID]

30,000 deer in units 70 and 71? You must have meant 3,000.

In the last 10 years there typically is not more than 300 bucks killed/year in unit 71 and 150 bucks killed in unit 70.
Below is a link to population surveys in unit 71. Keep in mind the F&G only count the deer in the "trend area" (only part of the unit).
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/MDI/population/area21.pdf

I've been going to just about every public F&G in the SE region in the last 5 years. The F&G has consistently told hunters the F&G will manage the deer anyway the majority of hunters want the F&G to. A significant majority of hunters still will not agree on what type of mule deer management they want. Unit 71 is currently managed for opportunity. Any hunter that is willing to put in the work is able to go there and kill a buck every year. However, the quality of their hunting experience won't always be so good. But at least you get to hunt every year.

I agree with you on the ATV rules. I've also witnessed hunters chasing down deer on ATVs. I think the ATV restrictions should be applied to every unit in the state. Unfortunately there are others who don't want ATVs restricted.

 

[BQHIdaho]

I'm terribly affraid of what will happen in the unit if restrictions are not put in place. It WILL turn into a unit 70 if at least some restrictions are not placed and then there will be nowhere to hunt around pocatello. Then they will really have something to complain about when they cant hunt it every year because the buck-doe ratio will be way off and they have to shut it down to rebound the numbers. Offer doe hunts to those who just want meat, or something. It's gonna get ugly. Houses are taking over the area and people a running in. The deer are losing their places to hide and feed without being constantly harrased. I know folks have the right to ride atvs, but stay on the trails and don't use them when you can walk. If a person is disabled, have fun hunting and ride one. If not, walk. It will do your heart and mind good! I have decided there are two types of people... those who hate atvs and those who love them and we will never see eye to eye. I hope I am wrong. We'll see...

 

[gb22]

I'm sympathetic to your concerns and I HATE ATVs. However, the solutions you are proposing will not achieve what you desire. The solution lies in reducing the numbers of animals taken by predators, starvation and on the roadways. For YEARS (much more than the generational lifespan of a mule deer) we harvested 40,000+ animals annually. Winter habitat has been reduced (hence the feeding) and the predatory species have increased dramatically. Cattle and sheep numbers have been reduced. The summer ranges are not reduced and are in good shape.

The solutions are not to reduce hunter opportunity (and participation) because that results in less income to the F&G and fewer kids who actually become hunters. I teach hundreds of kids in hunter's ed every year. LOTS of them never actually become hunters. We NEED them. They need opportunity, success and fun. The solutions are those I mentioned.......if you want to make ATVs only legal until Sept. 1st each year or only allow them to be ridden between 11 AM and 2:30 PM during hunting season or ban them totally, you'll get no argument from me.......but that won't provide the long-term solution. Only more animals will do that...more animals will ALWAYS result from a greater carrying capacity (the key to IDAHO carrying capacity is winter range (proper feeding)) and the numbers killed. Since people want to hunt them, we need to reduce predation and roadway kills. It would work.

 

[BQHIdaho]

but if there are less atvs doing chasing, they don't burn calories needed to survive the winter. If cattle and sheep stay the hell off the feeding grounds, that will give them more food.. am i wrong.