Why won't Fish and Game change the general season for the Owyhee Mountain deer herds? Predators are part of the problem, but the general rifle season is the major reason for the buck problem because the genetics are being killed out and it’s not the same quality of deer that were there 25 years ago.
We are doing a research project in the Owyhee on deer to address the very issue you bring up. We started it 2 years ago and are specifically looking at the effect of the 2 point season on the population. We are confident the results will give us better information on the effect of the 2 point general season helping us to do a better job of managing mule deer in the Owyhees. Predation, habitat changes from wildfires and drought have all changed the landscape and the deer populations.