Winter helicopter surveys help biologists understand the composition and health of deer populations
Beginning in early December, Idaho Fish and Game staff will take to the air to get a closer look at deer numbers, including several low-level helicopter surveys planned in the Salmon and Challis areas. The purpose is to gather abundance and herd composition information that helps game managers understand population numbers and trends.
The flights will be completed in big game management units 21, 21A, 29, 37, 37A, and are expected to take a week if the weather permits.
"People may see and hear low-flying helicopters near Salmon and Challis in the coming week,” said Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Bret Stansberry of Salmon. “While we understand that folks are still recreating, we will do our best to temporarily avoid areas where we observe people.”
Care is taken to minimize disturbance to the animals and prevent the expenditure of valuable energy reserves. Generally, the information collected can be gathered within a few minutes or less of an animal being spotted.
This information, together with abundance monitoring, survival monitoring and hunter harvest information, will be used to determine the overall health of Idaho’s big game herds, which plays a critical role in determining future hunting seasons.