Idaho mule deer management strategy

[Drowe6]

If you were king for a day and could change any rules/seasons for a state like Idaho where the majority of deer tags are OTC. What strategies would be most successful?

 

[Pacific_Fork]

None of the above. Maybe I’d make hunters complete mandatory habitat projects once a year and kill at least one predator a season. I’d get behind weapon technology on rifles restrictions before any of those options. Antler point restrictions have been said over and over again by experts that they do not work. Season dates for what seem to be the majority of mule deer units are already the most difficult times to hunt mule deer.

You said I could be King lol.

 

[willfrye027]

None of the above. I’ve got no problem with how Idaho is doing things. I’d like to see travel management plans expanded, less road access in some places, but that being said there is still a lot of places to escape crowds. No real complaints on my end.

If you want better age class but maintain opportunity…I’m sorry but I don’t think you can get it. It will happen when the stars align and conditions are very good multiple years in a row. season dates are already tough for hunters and good for bucks. The big deer are there, look at what Robby, Travis, and Dioni are consistently killing. I hunted but did not kill a 190-200” deer last year (any of those killers mentioned probably would have got him ). If a lowly nonres guy can find one, it can still be done.

I’m not saying this is you, but a lot of guys want it to be easier to kill a big buck…thinking there is some magic management strategy to get there. I don’t believe we can do that without super exclusive tags in my opinion. Which, for the record, is how I killed my (only) big buck.

 

[AHayes111]

I agree with the other replies. It is just not easy to grow big deer. Antler point restrictions might work if you went the opposite of four point or better. Three point or less for the majority of hunters. Forcing the majority of hunters to shoot smaller two and three points might get more four points to live a little longer, but enforcement would be a nightmare. The key to growing big bucks is to lay off the real nice three and four year old bucks. That is something most hunters just will not do. There is no quick fix to growing big deer.

 

[AHayes111]

I do think that of the ones you have listed, weapons restrictions hold the most promise. My father outfitted in the 60's and 70's. He guided to a lot of big bucks, but he will also tell you that a lot more got away that would not today and that there was likely quite a few that were never seen, but today would be found.

 

[Customweld]

The only changes I would try would be to maybe pick your weapon. Like elk, an A tag or B tag.
If I was king for a day.
I would try to get IFG to collaborate with the other land management agencies.
Push for invasive grass control, and wild land rehab after fires.
Encourage wildlife migration corridors when parcels of land change hands.
Encourage wildlife overpasses/underpasses.
Study true elk impacts on wintering mule deer.
Close upland bird season on Dec 31st.

 

[WeiserBucks]

The only changes I would try would be to maybe pick your weapon. Like elk, an A tag or B tag.

I could get on board with this notion.

 

[IDMuleyKid]

If you were king for a day and could change any rules/seasons for a state like Idaho where the majority of deer tags are OTC. What strategies would be most successful?

Idaho was literally killing it in 2015, prior to the 2016 winter, we had plenty of deer and some monsters on top of it.

Nothing needs to change, we just need a few good winters and to protect/restore what habitat we can.

Idahoans are so spoiled and want to limit their own opportunities, mostly because they refuse to listen to IDFG who have made it clear that their rules/hunters have a limited effect on deer. We are the mercy of winters for the most part.

 

[kylem]

I’d like to see some controlled hunts go to general hunts and change 2 point only hunts to any buck. I think doing this would move some hunters around and reduce pressure while potentially helping with perceived hunter crowding. I doubt it’ll help with people complaining about crowding though because people will still want an excuse for why they didn’t get a nice deer when they hunted 2 weekends and weren’t even in the field till the sun was up.

 

[Customweld]

I could get on board with this notion.

I have no illusions that this would help age structure in bucks. It would be an interesting experiment whether it would help over crowding.

 

[Customweld]

@IDMuleyKid is right on the winters. 10 years of population gains can be wiped out in one bad winter. Mule deer hunter population ebbs an flows with the muley population.

 

[WeiserBucks]

I have no illusions that this would help age structure in bucks. It would be an interesting experiment whether it would help over crowding.

I'm of the same opinion.

 

[Drowe6]

I’d like to see some controlled hunts go to general hunts and change 2 point only hunts to any buck. I think doing this would move some hunters around and reduce pressure while potentially helping with perceived hunter crowding. I doubt it’ll help with people complaining about crowding though because people will still want an excuse for why they didn’t get a nice deer when they hunted 2 weekends and weren’t even in the field till the sun was up.

I’m surprised you are the first to bring this up. It is interesting to go back and look at hunter numbers and success rates for the units surrounding a controlled hunt unit. Comparing both numbers before and after the controlled hunt became controlled. Maybe making all units OTC for the two week rifle season then use better season dates in these units for controlled hunts would help relieve pressure in some units?

 

[Andrew12gauge]

Change to a zone model like elk, before the public outcry becomes too much and we have to draw for a deer tag every year


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[Drowe6]

Idaho was literally killing it in 2015, prior to the 2016 winter, we had plenty of deer and some monsters on top of it.

Nothing needs to change, we just need a few good winters and to protect/restore what habitat we can.

Idahoans are so spoiled and want to limit their own opportunities, mostly because they refuse to listen to IDFG who have made it clear that their rules/hunters have a limited effect on deer. We are the mercy of winters for the most part.

I completely agree with you. IDFG has put out a series called “The State of Deer and Elk” on YouTube that goes over mortality data on deer that they have collared and is interesting to see exactly how deer are dying. I don’t disagree that we are at the mercy of winter but was just curious to see if anyone had some input for slight adjustments to increase age class. Maybe something like the dedicated hunter program in Utah where hunters would have to donate so many hours to habitat improvement projects for increased draw odds in controlled hunts?

 

[steelheadmike]

Unless you can come up with some way to control the weather, nothing else really matters. Tweaking season dates, weapon restrictions, or tag allotments to change the harvest stats a few percentage points one way or the other seems a little silly if a winter knocks off 90% of that year's fawns.

 

[kylem]

I’m surprised you are the first to bring this up. It is interesting to go back and look at hunter numbers and success rates for the units surrounding a controlled hunt unit. Comparing both numbers before and after the controlled hunt became controlled. Maybe making all units OTC for the two week rifle season then use better season dates in these units for controlled hunts would help relieve pressure in some units?

That’s exactly what my thoughts were. OTC in October for a couple weeks then a controlled hunt during the rut. I can’t see it doing anything but help with crowding statewide by spreading out the general hunting pressure, but it would still allow an awesome rut hunting experience with fewer hunters afield for those lucky enough to draw.

 

[TheTone]

Find some way to fund lots of lots of land purchases, impose some type of massive taxes on new residents and land developers, cut doe hunting significantly south of the salmon river to build deer numbers, make harvest reporting truly mandatory and have strong penalties for false reporting, look for areas where hunting technology could be further curbed

 

[IDVortex]

Special draws for folks who kill wolves, bears, cougars? Try to up the amount of hunting done on predators. Not a huge impact as say habitat improvement and less harsh winters, but still would help and would be a way probably more hunters would actually do something besides bitch online if they had a opportunity at a special tag. Because we live in a society no one wants to go volunteer to help a habitat project as hunters as a whole should be doing.