bluetick78
WKR
I was talking with an old friend who's worked in game management and conservation his whole life. Our conversation was about the winterkill across the West (particularly Wyoming and Idaho) and how quickly our mule deer, antelope, and elk will recover (yes, elk winterkill too). He said " If the damn game agencies would open the states up to hunting like they should, animals could recover quicker." I asked him how on earth that would help!? His reply was " 1/3 of Idaho and Wyoming are locked up under controlled hunt/draw tag regulations, leaving the rest of the state to get hammered by hunters. If they opened it up it'd spread out hunter pressure and divide the harvest more equally." I asked him to explain his idea more fully. His response was interesting to say the least, and definitely something I hadn't thought of.
His idea was this: eliminate doe mule deer, cow elk, and doe antelope harvest completely. Don't shoot the mama's. Have archery elk be branch-antlered, bull only from September 10th to September 20th. Rifle elk be from Oct 10th to Oct 16th. Branch antlered bulls only. Mule deer archery would be Aug 30th to September 9th, four points on a side minimum. Mule deer rifle would be Oct 20th to Oct 30th, four points on a side minimum. Antelope would continue to be draw, but bucks only, keeping the current season dates. The interesting part was that this idea would be STATEWIDE. No controlled hunts, no early, late, depredation, landowner, or any other type of tags. 5% non-res statewide quota (due to the massive influx of new residents), and you can only hunt one big game species per year. Elk one year, deer the next...you get it. All tags are OTC, and valid statewide within the season dates. And you pick your weapon, i.e. if you hunt archery, you don't hunt rifle or vice versa.
I said "Some of the draw units would be a bloodbath the first year or two." He replied "Yep, but those hunters would have to leave somewhere else alone to go hunt the draw unit. In 5-8 years most units within a region would even out as far as populations are concerned." I've given his idea some serious thought, and I feel like it would actually be better than what's going on now. Some areas of Idaho have some sort of elk hunt running for nearly 7 months a year. It's ridiculous and unsustainable. Our mule deer are in serious trouble whether you choose to admit it or not. Every new management tool that our state agencies propose involves selling more tags. Killing more to "manage". It's just about money to them. I wish IDF&G would start managing mosquitoes and skunks, in 5 years we'd have none. I know that I'll be roasted for posting this from 1,000 different angles, but let's hear what you think. I have thick skin, so have at it!
His idea was this: eliminate doe mule deer, cow elk, and doe antelope harvest completely. Don't shoot the mama's. Have archery elk be branch-antlered, bull only from September 10th to September 20th. Rifle elk be from Oct 10th to Oct 16th. Branch antlered bulls only. Mule deer archery would be Aug 30th to September 9th, four points on a side minimum. Mule deer rifle would be Oct 20th to Oct 30th, four points on a side minimum. Antelope would continue to be draw, but bucks only, keeping the current season dates. The interesting part was that this idea would be STATEWIDE. No controlled hunts, no early, late, depredation, landowner, or any other type of tags. 5% non-res statewide quota (due to the massive influx of new residents), and you can only hunt one big game species per year. Elk one year, deer the next...you get it. All tags are OTC, and valid statewide within the season dates. And you pick your weapon, i.e. if you hunt archery, you don't hunt rifle or vice versa.
I said "Some of the draw units would be a bloodbath the first year or two." He replied "Yep, but those hunters would have to leave somewhere else alone to go hunt the draw unit. In 5-8 years most units within a region would even out as far as populations are concerned." I've given his idea some serious thought, and I feel like it would actually be better than what's going on now. Some areas of Idaho have some sort of elk hunt running for nearly 7 months a year. It's ridiculous and unsustainable. Our mule deer are in serious trouble whether you choose to admit it or not. Every new management tool that our state agencies propose involves selling more tags. Killing more to "manage". It's just about money to them. I wish IDF&G would start managing mosquitoes and skunks, in 5 years we'd have none. I know that I'll be roasted for posting this from 1,000 different angles, but let's hear what you think. I have thick skin, so have at it!
I haven't killed a buck in two years but the opportunity and being in the field with family and friends is what I really enjoy. I just listened to the recent Rokslide podcast with the deer professor and learned a whole lot of things I didn't know or didn't think of. A good listen for all mule deer hunters that will help you understand the complexities of mule deer and management.
