Deer Season Looks Promising

The question on every dedicated deer hunter's mind this time of the year is: what kind of season are we going to have? By all indications, deer hunting should be first rate. Most years, about forty-five to fifty percent of the fawns make it through the winter. This year we're looking at seventy-three percent survival statewide, which is remarkable. "And we saw some of the highest over-winter survival rates in fawns that we've seen in eight years," said Brad Compton, Fish & Game big game manager. "Those fawns carry on into this fall as two-points, and two-points make up a large bulk of the harvest." Adult bucks also benefited from the mild winter. Compton says the energy they would normally devote to rebuilding body reserves went into antler growth. "And also the wet spring produced some of the best forage conditions for not only overall body conditions, but also antler development." In addition, overall forage conditions for mule deer should keep improving. Under the umbrella of Fish & Game's Mule Deer Initiative, more than seventy-five thousand bitterbrush plants were put into the ground this spring in southeast Idaho alone. That's three times the number planted in past years. "More mule deer could be out there if we can improve the food source," said Dean Rose, Southeast Regional habitat biologist, "so this is our way of getting at that problem, going into these areas, enhancing the winter ranges and providing more food so deer can survive." Last year more than forty-seven thousand deer were taken by hunters in Idaho. Wildlife managers believe that number will be matched again this year. One change, however, will be a later season. Early season hunters complained of hot dry weather, so the Fish & Game Commission moved the opening day from October 5th to October 10th this year. "It still doesn't get too late where we're worried about vulnerability of bucks during the rut and migration," said Compton. "It's a compromise between when hunting conditions are cooler and more enjoyable for folks and what deer populations can sustain." In addition to the ongoing research on mule deer fawn survival, Fish & Game has radio collared more than nine hundred deer, elk and moose this past year to learn more about what causes populations to fluctuate. "We've restructured our research program and taken more of a statewide approach in looking at what our deer and elk populations are doing," said Compton. "It just started this winter so the results right now are just starting to come in, but we're real excited about it."