Hunter Harvest Reports - How You Fit In

In 1998, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission (Commission) adopted a mandatory report card requirement for all deer and elk hunters in the state. Beginning that year, every deer and elk tag purchaser was required to return this hunter report card to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (Department) whether they harvested an animal or not. This mandatory report was the result of the Commission's desire to have the best possible information on harvest of deer and elk before setting the next seasons. Last year only successful hunters were required to turn in these reports. For the 2001 season, all hunters will once again be expected to report their success, or lack thereof, for deer, elk and antelope. Why all this paperwork and report filing? What is the ultimate purpose of this program and others similar to it? Ultimately, these hunter reports are extremely important to the proper management of our wildlife resources and may determine even if we can continue to hunt certain species. When considering types of programs to determine harvest levels of any species, there are specific guidelines that need to be considered. Wildlife biologists look at the timeliness and accuracy of the data that is collected. Some data may not be available before season setting is discussed. This was a problem with parts of the old telephone survey. Due to inherent design flaws and financial problems, some of the phone survey data was not even completed before managers and biologists had to begin planning for the next season's hunt framework. From a statistical standpoint, the data must have validity. Everyone has an opinion as to why their deer hunt was good or bad. Biologists, however, cannot go on opinion or simply the gut feelings of people coming through a check station. They have to have hard, factual, timely, and statistically sound data if they are to make valid scientific comparisons between one population and another, or between years. In the realm of science, that is all that really stands up under scrutiny. Administrators look at the cost of any given survey. Their philosophy is usually to get the most accurate, reliable data at the least expense to the sportsmen. The cost effectiveness of any such program has to be on the positive side, or the people who pay our bills will not be satisfied. There is really no such thing as a perfect system; each type has its own flaws and limitations. In 1999 Idaho deer and elk hunters were questioned using both the telephone survey and the mandatory report. The techniques were similar in accuracy, reliability and cost. In 2000, there was an 82% compliance rate with the mandatory report. This was determined from cross checks with reports at commercial meat lockers, field contacts by conservation officers, and check station data collected. By looking at different sets of data, we can determine the number of animals taken from a particular unit, the sex of animals harvested, their approximate age, antler points, and hunter success rates. When we look at this information from one unit, then add aerial and ground count information, it gives us a glimpse of how the population is doing. We can never know exactly how many animals there are; that information alone would not do us much good anyway. The best guess we have is trend information, telling us if the population is going up, or down, or is relatively stable. The hunter harvest report card is simply a tool that managers have at their disposal to look at and compare with other data collected. So each and every hunter makes a contribution to the database when submitting this report card. Currently, the Department does not use telephone surveys to determine big game harvest anywhere in the state. The Department has other mandatory checks; some of these are the only means we have of determining the condition of a population. For bighorn sheep, mountain goat, moose, bear, and mountain lion, each successful hunter has to report to the Department within 10 days of the harvest, or within 10 days of the close of the season, if unsuccessful. Sage and sharp-tailed grouse hunters are required to get a special validation on their license. This database gives us a list of hunters to survey regarding their success. We compare this information with that collected at the ten sage grouse check stations run in the Magic Valley Region on opening weekend. Whenever you purchase a Federal duck stamp you are given a form to fill out for a follow-up survey. The information collected through this program has not been sufficient or adequate enough to assess waterfowl harvest, nor make predictions about the next hunting season's pressure. In recent years the US Fish and Waterfowl Service has used another form, known as the Federal Harvest Information Program. This is a license validation for Idaho waterfowl and dove hunters. Again, this creates a hunter database to use for telephone surveys or mail in questionnaires. In total, it does amount to more paperwork and some demands on your time to answer these surveys. But without reliable means of surveying what hunters take, be it elk, sage grouse, or mallards, the possibility exists that hunting opportunities may be reduced or eliminated. Currently, the sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse populations throughout the West are in trouble, primarily as a result of habitat destruction and alteration. Your input to the Department through personal surveys gives biologists and managers the information that might keep these species off the endangered list and under state management. Your mandatory report card on deer, elk, and now antelope gives the Department the data it needs to adjust season lengths and dates, controlled hunt permit numbers, or harvest levels. In addition, those hunters who file their harvest reports in the required time are automatically entered into a special drawing for one of ten Supertags for deer, elk or antelope in any general hunt of their choice for the following season. Mandatory reports, issued each time you purchase your tag, can be mailed in, Faxed, handed in personally, or entered through the Fish and Game's website. Our Internet address is www2.state.id.us/fishgame; go to the Hunting section and Programs/Info. Whichever method you choose, Just Do It; and thanks for your participation. You'll be helping the Department immensely and perhaps the future of your hunting opportunities.