In April, IDFG staff from the Clearwater and Southwest regions teamed up to survey mountain goats in the southern part of Hells Canyon. This survey was last conducted in 2013, so current data was needed to ensure our harvest rates were still within our management plan guidelines. Results indicate that the population is stable to growing, with over 200 goats observed. Just as encouraging, we found a healthy ratio of 21 kids to 100 adults.
These results indicate that current harvest levels are within our management plan objectives. Large populations with good kid-to-adult ratios can support approximately 3 percent annual harvest. There are currently six tags divided between two hunt areas that span this goat population, and harvest success is typically high.