Southeast Idaho Deer Opener Update
Deer season opened under rainy and snowy conditions in southeast Idaho on October 10, but precipitation didn’t dampen the success of those hunters who hit the hills. In fact, opening day of 2018 showed a modest increase in hunter success over last fall’s opener, a trend that continued over the weekend.
Check Station Results – Southeast Region*
| Opening Day | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Number of Hunters | 289 | 127 | 190 |
| Number of Mule Deer Harvested | 62 | 16 | 28 |
| Hunter Success | 21.45% | 12.60% | 14.74% |
| Opening Weekend | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Number of Hunters | 694 | 574 | 542 |
| Number of Mule Deer Harvested | 137 | 59 | 115 |
| Hunter Success | 21.33% | 10.80% | 21.40% |
*The check station is located at the Port of Entry on I-15 near Inkom, except during 2017 when interstate construction necessitated the move of the check station to Highway 30 in McCammon.
2017 hunting seasons were affected by an exceptionally severe winter that year. Mule deer fawn survival was extremely low in many areas of southeast Idaho during the winter of 2016/2017, and in some parts of the region, adult deer mortality was high. Bottomline, fewer deer—especially two-points—were available to hunters last fall.
Contrast that to the 2018 hunting season thus far-- a milder winter of 2017/2018 has contributed to a higher fawn survival, explaining the higher number of yearlings coming through check stations. So far, check station data shows that two-points make up a significant portion (48%) of the total mule deer harvested, whereas the total percentage of yearlings harvested during the same time frame last year was only 17%.
It takes more than one mild winter for a mule deer population to recover or achieve the age class distribution of previous years, but it looks like mule deer numbers are at least heading in the right direction. Final check station data will be provided at the end of the season later this month.