Ask the Conservation Officer (CO)

by Gary Hompland, Regional Conservation Officer Question: "With all the fires lately what is the Department doing to offset losses in habitat, and will it affect the upcoming hunting season?" Answer: The short answer to both your questions is we don't really know yet how significant the fires have been. I'll try to relay some of our concerns and potential scenarios. Until the "smoke clears," no pun intended, we won't know the significance of this year's fires are or what to expect in the future. Department habitat biologists are busy assessing losses to seasonal ranges for big game as well as upland birds. They are also working with the federal land management agencies to assess wildlife habitat needs for upcoming rehabilitation efforts. Of note, we still have a lot of fire season left and many unburned wildlife habitat acres are still at risk. BLM fire specialists report fuel moisture at an all-time low, meaning this is some of the driest conditions ever recorded. We know several of the recent fires burned significant acres of both summer and winter range for mule deer and pronghorn antelope. At this point, the areas burned in the Magic Valley region are primarily controlled hunt areas for mule deer with relatively few permits. Assessment of game populations and remaining habitat suggests there is probably still a large amount of unburned or lightly-burned areas remaining. Pronghorn antelope ranges may be affected somewhat more due to the location of the fires more on the prairies. Similarly, sage grouse have been significantly displaced and sagebrush on which they depend for winter forage and nesting has been drastically reduced. At this point, it appears unlikely that this fall's big game seasons will be modified in Units 46, 47, and 57; the units most affected by the recent fires. Modifications to sage grouse hunting seasons will be discussed in late August as we continue to monitor potential impacts from fire and possibly West Nile Virus. Some issues Department biologists expect involve displacement and changes in distribution of archery antelope hunters trying to avoid hunting in burned- over areas. Archers will likely move to unburned units potentially resulting in some overcrowding. Sportsmen must also realize these dry summer conditions and recent range fires on winter ranges are somewhat reminiscent to the conditions of the late 80s. Then, during a drought, dry summer forage lacked normal nutritive values for wildlife, coupled with range fires on winter ranges, and above average snowfall and cold weather produced significant winter mortality despite attempts to feed deer and antelope. To avoid a repeat of starved animals, as a last resort, biologists may implement a modified hunting strategy to reduce some deer populations. This strategy will not help attain population management goals, but it will help reduce the demands of many mouths on many of the already compromised winter ranges. Biologists are scrambling to determine the significance of the recent fires. Where we go at this early date is still impossible to predict. If you have any further questions you may call the Magic Valley Regional Office of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at (208)324-4350 or e-mail us at the Fish and Game web site at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov.