With general big game hunting seasons over and only trappers and hardcore small game hunters out in the woods, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game will be doing game population surveys.
As the winter snows push deer and elk onto their winter ranges, Fish and Game will use helicopters for surveys and more. Sometimes helicopters are used to count wildlife, other times they will be used like a cowboy on a cutting horse to select animals to be driven into waiting nets.
To get a bird’s eye view and count deer and elk populations, Fish and Game relies on rented aircraft, mainly helicopters. According to Fish and Game's Gregg Losinski, "Many people do not realize that Fish and Game doesn’t own a single helicopter or plane. All our flying is done using hired aircraft."
Fish and Game uses various aircraft for big game surveys and animal trapping for research purposes. While the department flies year-round, the majority of the projects take place during the winter when animals move into the open winter range.
Because wildlife surveys require low-level flights under 500 feet, they often draw the attention of the public. Fish and Game informs the public when such activities are scheduled.
"Scheduled" is the operative word, because a variety of factors must come together for a flight to occur. Weather conditions and availability of airships can cause plans to be changed at a moment’s notice.
Because wildlife related flights involve working at low altitudes and in less than perfect weather conditions, the work is not without risks. Over the past dozen years, two crashes have claimed the life of three Idaho Fish and Game biologists and two hired pilots.