The Southeast Region Winter Feeding Advisory Committee (WFAC) held its final meeting for the 2022/2023 winter season on the evening of April 25. Unfortunately, the call-in number for the public was not functioning, and regrettably those members of the public who wished to listen to the meeting could not do so. As always, the Fish and Game regional office in Pocatello was open for those who desired to attend the WFAC meeting in-person.
Last night’s meeting addressed four main areas of discussion:
- A summary of this season’s feeding operations for the region, including in part the number of animals fed and amount of supplemental feed distributed to authorized feed sites;
- How this season’s feeding approach compared to that of the last major winter-feeding effort of 2016/2017;
- An evaluation of what we learned from this year’s events and how that will guide future feeding actions during severe winters;
- Effects of this severe winter on deer and elk populations, including impacts to fawn and calf survival so far and what this could mean for future hunting experiences.
An article outlining key points from the meeting’s discussion with specific data and additional details will be shared with the public later in May when final collaring data and other relevant information has been compiled.
Idaho Fish and Game’s Southeast Region has appreciated the interest of the public in this year’s feeding efforts, and truly regrets that the final WFAC meeting was not available to the public through the call-in option despite our best efforts. We also wish to thank those members of the public who shared input and concerns about wintering wildlife this season, to those who volunteered to distribute feed at authorized feed sites, and to the invaluable members of the WFAC who volunteered extensive time and energy to the winter-feeding process.