Idaho elk: the NR draw

[Beendare]

Lots of reporting going on this time of year


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You think that 46,600 number includes hunt reports from last year and not just applicants?

I like the idea of that logger.......

 

[blacktail434]

I got in line just a handful of times and haven’t even purchased yet

 

[WRO]

You think that 46,600 number includes hunt reports from last year and not just applicants?

I like the idea of that logger.......

Im guessing so, I’ve been wrong once a bunch of times to be fair.

 

[MuleyFever]

Is that logins? I logged in probably at least 5 different times.

 

[Glory]

I am still on the fence for paying $200 for the opportunity to invade the great state of Idaho. . Lord knows enough of them come up to my neck of the woods.

 

[oldhornhunter]

There’s a recurring theme with Hunter observations about elk and deer numbers. It usually goes like this : “ I’ve been hunting this specific area for decades and the animals have disappeared “. Then they blame it on wolves, NR hunters, F&G mismanagement, etc, etc

What they fail to consider is that animals change their patterns and behaviors due to a myriad of factors including changes in habitat ( fires, invasive species, grazing practices), trends in hunter pressure to name a few.

I kill an elk almost every year in Idaho, some years 2, but I’ve had to change zones many times over the last 20 years. I’ve hunted zones that were “over objective” and the hunting was fantastic . Elk are thriving in Idaho in all but a handful of zones. If we weren’t killing off so many cows to appease private landowners the numbers would be even higher. I acknowledge that my subjective experience is not the whole story but it aligns with what IDFG is saying about elk numbers.

That is always going to be the case with hunter reports, the majority are road hunters or not willing to walk more than 1/2 to 3/4 mile away from their rig or the road. I have hunted or been on hunts in most of the units across the SW side of Idaho, and from my observation as well as many others I hunt with. The units we hunt are Not anywhere close to the so-called herd counts F&G have posted, the major pattern we are seeing across these units is the majority of elk are staying on Private !! I have spoken with the F&G Bio a couple of times over the past 5 years and his spring & fall #s are SO far off it's not even close. I to kill elk almost every year with my bow, but I have also hunted the same area for since 1978 & I know where the elk go.. But that still does not change the picture I & my buddies are seeing. Everyone has their own opinion mine is F&G is catering to landowners & ranchers who claim to have depredation issues & want F&G to kill as many elk as they can... I trap & yote hunt several of these large tracts of land from Nov thru March & F&G & these landowners are full of SHIT !! I have in the past 8 years Never seen an animal any where near their fields !!

 

[HunterGatherer]

That is always going to be the case with hunter reports, the majority are road hunters or not willing to walk more than 1/2 to 3/4 mile away from their rig or the road. I have hunted or been on hunts in most of the units across the SW side of Idaho, and from my observation as well as many others I hunt with. The units we hunt are Not anywhere close to the so-called herd counts F&G have posted, the major pattern we are seeing across these units is the majority of elk are staying on Private !! I have spoken with the F&G Bio a couple of times over the past 5 years and his spring & fall #s are SO far off it's not even close. I to kill elk almost every year with my bow, but I have also hunted the same area for since 1978 & I know where the elk go.. But that still does not change the picture I & my buddies are seeing. Everyone has their own opinion mine is F&G is catering to landowners & ranchers who claim to have depredation issues & want F&G to kill as many elk as they can... I trap & yote hunt several of these large tracts of land from Nov thru March & F&G & these landowners are full of SHIT !! I have in the past 8 years Never seen an animal any where near their fields !!

I agree with a lot of what you’re saying but I have a hard time believing that IDFG is intentionally inflating herd counts to trick people into buying tags.

As far as the “catering to landowners “ I completely agree. Look what they did to the Pioneer herd for example. 2500 cow tags a year, crushing the herd, just to appease the ranchers that are planting elk food on the winter range with no fences or low fences. Unfortunately F&G is mandated to reduce the impact of game on private land. Large landowners are abusing the hell out of these landowner and depredation tags. I’m with you there.

Just want to reiterate my point that the elk are not in the same places they have been historically for various reasons- look at how big fires have changed habitat in the S Idaho units that you and I both hunt. The Bennetts all burned up in the last decade or so. So did 39, 32, 32A, 45, 43, etc etc. This is going to change where the elk are. Hunter and predator pressure has also increased in those areas…

BUT we still have a lot of elk - more than when I was a kid bow hunting in the early 90’s. At least in my own subjective experience.

 

[Beendare]

Im guessing so, I’ve been wrong once a bunch of times to be fair.

Yeah no kidding...me too.

my buddy that pretty savvy to this stuff says the Cue last year had something like 25,000 or 28,000 something like that.....less than 1/2 of my prediction for the total apps.

I think I'm going to skip the whole Idaho thing this year and make other plans....will one less guy help the odds- I doubt it.

 

[oldhornhunter]

I agree with a lot of what you’re saying but I have a hard time believing that IDFG is intentionally inflating herd counts to trick people into buying tags.

As far as the “catering to landowners “ I completely agree. Look what they did to the Pioneer herd for example. 2500 cow tags a year, crushing the herd, just to appease the ranchers that are planting elk food on the winter range with no fences or low fences. Unfortunately F&G is mandated to reduce the impact of game on private land. Large landowners are abusing the hell out of these landowner and depredation tags. I’m with you there.

Just want to reiterate my point that the elk are not in the same places they have been historically for various reasons- look at how big fires have changed habitat in the S Idaho units that you and I both hunt. The Bennetts all burned up in the last decade or so. So did 39, 32, 32A, 45, 43, etc etc. This is going to change where the elk are. Hunter and predator pressure has also increased in those areas…

BUT we still have a lot of elk - more than when I was a kid bow hunting in the early 90’s. At least in my own subjective experience.

I am sure where ever you hunt you have your spots I do as well, I also know several landowner/ranchers that have really big tracts of land in the unit I bow hunt. There are 3 major landowners that have close to IF not over30,000 acres between them, and that land holds probably 40% of the entire population of elk in the unit. These Clowns have their land leased out to a total of 17 guys between the 3 properties and NO other hunters are allowed on it. They have F&G by the Balls and are getting paid depredation for all types of SO- called elk damage . Funny part of the story is NOT 1 of these ranches even has any AG lands !! These ranches all burned in the last 8 years & those elk are still right where they were before the fires !! Actually more critters are there now than in the last 4 years . The 32 fire last year displaced those animals for a few months they moved onto private and pretty much have stayed there. According to that F&G Bio he claimed there was like 3000 head of elk this past spring in this unit. Based off F&G harvest stats thru 5 years using their own hunter harvest average of 35 % there should have been around 3150 cows taken ... But the actual harvest # of ALL the cows taken in this unit thru 5 years was 714 !! The unit I hunt, I started hunting in 1978 & there was hardly ever a day, didn't matter what time of year or what part of the unit I was in. That we didn't see herds of 40 to 100 cows & calves & 10 to 20 bulls in a group. I have not seen a herd of over 30 cows in the past 12 years unless it was on the winter range or one of those ranches I mentioned ! I have kids & buddies that hunt other units & have for lots of years they are seeing the same decline in herds. But again F&G according to their quotas these units are all above quota !!