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[KurtR]

Pretty much a free for all in Washington for the tribes and they take full advantage of it. Like hunting extremely limited entry units from sept 1 to feb 28 with rifles on public land. In Montana outside of a few limited opportunities like gardiner basin bison hunts, that is not allowed off the res.

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So they get to hunt off the rez that’s crazy. I thought it was bad here.

 

[Jon Boy]

So they get to hunt off the rez that’s crazy. I thought it was bad here.

Yes.

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[WRO]

Here ya go!

I fibbed. It was 8-fold. Not 10-fold. That’s on me.

Publication Alert: Annual Invasive Grasses Spreading Through Great Basin to Higher Elevations and Northern Aspects | Working Lands For Wildlife

Working Lands for Wildlife research is showing that annual invasive grasses are moving up in elevation and to more northern aspects throughout the Great Basin.

www.wlfw.org

I read the article and associate study.

Not saying that it's wrong, just doesn't specifically mention cheat.

 

[Eastfork]

Idaho is extremely far behind on current management practices compared to many of its neighbors. It’s for a number of reasons, but it is concerning.

You can argue opportunity vs. quality…. I like what Idaho does to ensure opportunities…..but when it comes to sound management practices, Idaho is running behind. Especially with Mule Deer

Here are a few examples.

1) GPS Collars- right now in most of the hardest hit winter range, IDFG barely has a collar on adult female mule deer. This is embarrassing. Wyoming/Utah/Colorado all have up to date information on survivability, IDFG doesn’t have a clue. To top it off, they were catching deer in JANUARY via helicopter to collar the handful of fawns they have. They are the only agency that I know that would do this. Other agencies collar late fall or early spring, not IDFG.

2) Tags before winter??? Idaho is the only state I am aware of selling tags a calendar year before the season. How can you sell tags to non residents before you even know winter mortality!? What about a big disease die off, CWD? When you issue tags 10 months before season you are setting yourself up for disaster. (Let’s not even go down the rabbit hole of how shitty that “tag sale” is, what a disaster)

3) $19.75 Resident deer tags is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. You can’t buy a box of ammunition for that price. No wonder they can’t afford GPS collars and helicopter time. Compare this number ti neighboring states,

4) Antler Seasons- it’s not a debate, there is scientific evidence there is impact from antler gathering/winter range disturbance. Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada have all figured it out, not Idaho. On the worst winter in 20 years, we have “sportsman” gathering antlers (note- finally there is legislation to address this)

5) Migration Routes - again, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada have all taken serious steps forward to install overpasses/underpasses in critical migration routes with a large number of highway mortality. Not Idaho. They have been “working” on one site I know of for over 15 years and NOTHING has happened,

…. I’m going to stop as I’m getting pissed thinking about it….

totally agree with you. they could put in a little more effort.

 

[Jaden Bales]

I read the article and associate study.

Not saying that it's wrong, just doesn't specifically mention cheat.

Fair enough. Could be worse and be a lot of medusahead and ventenata, could be something more benign in there that's replacing perennial grasses/shrubs. Probably should start a "plants for nerds" thread in here somewhere for sharing the research/info we all run into!

 

[SageFlat]

I read the article and associate study.

Not saying that it's wrong, just doesn't specifically mention cheat.

Regardless of species, invasive annual grasses (cheatgrass, ventenata, medusahead rye) have the same net effects on mule deer habitat. Increased wildfire size and frequency, loss of valuable bitterbrush on winter range, extreme low forage values, reduction in cover and so on. Mule deer lose when annuals take over. Good time to be a chukar hunter I suppose..

 

[WRO]

Regardless of species, invasive annual grasses (cheatgrass, ventenata, medusahead rye) have the same net effects on mule deer habitat. Increased wildfire size and frequency, loss of valuable bitterbrush on winter range, extreme low forage values, reduction in cover and so on. Mule deer lose when annuals take over. Good time to be a chukar hunter I suppose..

 

[SageFlat]

Awesome. Bird numbers were phenomenal this year. Pretty seriously considering a Brittany for my next pup.

 

[WRO]

Awesome. Bird numbers were phenomenal this year. Pretty seriously considering a Brittany for my next pup.

I'll have a started setter up for sale in June if you're interested. She's a rockstar so far.

 

[Muleyrevive]

Why does Idaho F&G not see that every historical major mule deer herd has been slaughtered by elk encroachment in said units?


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[WeiserBucks]

Why does Idaho F&G not see that every historical major mule deer herd has been slaughtered by elk encroachment in said units?


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Which areas are you talking about? No need to post specific units.

 

[Muleyrevive]

Which areas are you talking about? No need to post specific units.

Just trends I have witnessed in Idaho, mountain home, Glenns ferry south…


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[TheTone]

Just trends I have witnessed in Idaho, mountain home, Glenns ferry south…


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I think they’ve tried to reduce elk significantly in a bunch of those areas and are largely met with public push back

 

[87TT]

I like mule deer and all but, Deer is what you hunt after elk season. And if I have elk in the freezer, I have been known to put a deer in my sights and just say "click" and let him walk.

 

[TheTone]

I like mule deer and all but, Deer is what you hunt after elk season. And if I have elk in the freezer, I have been known to put a deer in my sights and just say "click" and let him walk.

Very much the same, the way I deer hunt is highly dependent on how elk season went

 

[WRO]

If it’s not a mature deer I’m not sending it..

Elk on the other hand are all in trouble..


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[eye_zick]

Why does Idaho F&G not see that every historical major mule deer herd has been slaughtered by elk encroachment in said units?


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Correlation vs causation.

No doubt mule deer avoid elk. However, the rise of elk populations and the subsequent decrease of mule deer is largely due to grazing habits that have and are decreasing shrub density in favor of grasslands. This leads to elk habitat over deer. Elk populations rise and mule deer decrease.

 

[87TT]

I have seen mule deer feeding among elk herds before. I had a mule deer doe pick me off and spook the whole elk herd that was feeding around me.

 

[Customweld]

Thriving elk, struggling deer: Coincidence? New research suggests not - WyoFile

Scientific investigation at Wyoming’s Little Mountain area puts solid data to a previously just suspected correlation: the closer deer live to elk, the skinnier they get.

wyofile.com

 

[Flatlander06]

View attachment 541348

The biggest difference between this winter and winter of 2016-17 is the population of mulies we had. This year we went into winter with the population we came out of 2017 with. You think the winter of 17 was bad and deer were scarce. Well now it'll be as if we had two bad winters right in a row.

Do you think it is all of Idaho that is going to be affected by the winter kill this year? Or more so the SE corner?