Commission Endorses Mule Deer Plan

Meeting in Boise March 26, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission endorsed a Southeast Idaho Mule Deer Action Plan. Fish and Game's desire, consistent with public expectations, is to intensively manage to improve mule deer populations and the proportion of mature bucks, big game manager Brad Compton said. Proposed habitat efforts include improving Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands, improving the condition of aspen stands, improving winter range and transitional fall shrubfields, reducing effects of invasive species and improving summer range. Population management efforts will include monitoring, adjusting season frameworks where necessary, predator management where needed and addressing highway mortality, winter feeding, competition with elk or cattle and research. A public involvement and outreach effort is also in the plan. Compton said southern and eastern Idaho have been renowned for abundant populations providing ample opportunity for hunting mature bucks. The long-term trend in mule deer populations across the West, including Idaho, is downward. However, an exceptional period of high productivity and over-winter survival occurred between 1984 and 1992, resulting in high mule deer numbers. The combined effects of a dry summer in 1992 and a hard winter during 1992/93 resulted in a significant loss of mule deer throughout much of the west, including southern Idaho. Relatively low recruitment levels since 1992 and significant mortality during the winter of 2001/02 in portions of eastern, southeastern and south central Idaho have resulted in mule deer populations lower than desired by both department biologists and hunters. Commissioner Fred Wood, Burley, asked the department to develop a statewide mule deer management plan to be presented at the April meeting. Wood made the suggestion after Compton explained the action plan for southeast Idaho mule deer.