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Summer-like weather seems to have kept many deer hunters out of the hills on the first weekend of the season over southern Idaho but those who did hunt found more deer this year.
Fish and Game check station workers in the Magic Valley Region noted that the largest number of hunter complaints were about the weather. Hunter success has increased in the region over the last three years and rose again this season, from 19 percent last year to 23 percent this fall. Many hunters commented on seeing more deer this year than in the past several years.
The youth hunt, a new deer hunt this year aimed at giving young hunters more opportunity, was a success in the Magic Valley where the 50 youth hunters who went through check stations had 23 deer.
The Magic Valley was one of the few places recording more deer hunters at check stations than last year, 1,822 compared to 1,738 in 1998. This year’s hunters took 425 mule deer, a 29 percent increase over the 329 checked last year.
Clear, warm weather was not ideal for deer hunting success in the Southeast Region either, but hunters’ comments were generally positive anyway. On opening day, October 5, check stations were visited by 781 hunters, up 10 percent from last year. Mule deer checked rose 45 percent, from 77 to 112, and hunter success went from 11 to 14 percent.
Check stations saw 29 percent of mule deer coming through on opening day with antler spreads of 20 inches or better. The figure was 19 percent last year. Units 70 and 73 were two- point-only hunts the previous two years while hunters were allowed any buck for the first three days of this season.
Statistics for the Southeast, where the deer herds suffered most from the winter of 1992-93, show the best deer hunting since 1992. The percentage of bucks with 20-inch or better antlers—generally 3.5 years old or older—is the second highest since 1985.
In the Upper Snake Region, hunter participation dropped 33 percent from last year but hunter success rose from 6.5 percent to 8.7 percent despite warm, dry and windy conditions. Most hunters reported seeing more deer than in the past few years.
Hunter numbers were down five percent in the Southwest Region during the first five days of the season, as measured at Mores Creek and Horseshoe Bend, but the number of animals checked was up 39 percent from last year, from 295 to 409. Hunters took 349 mule deer, compared to 260 last year; 48 elk compared to 33 last year; and 10 black bear, compared to two last year.
The check stations at Marsing and Walters Ferry saw comparable statistics with a six percent drop in hunter numbers and a 29 percent rise in animals taken. Hunter success was 21 percent compared to last year’s 15 percent in the same time period.
Weather in the Southwest was also considered too warm and dry for prime big game hunting during the opening week.
Deer hunting was quiet in the Salmon Region where 143 hunters were checked, compared to 162 last year. Most of the big game animals coming through the stations were mule deer—23 this year compared to 25 last year. Hunting conditions were considered difficult with warm, dry weather.
Clearwater Region stations noted participation similar to the first Sunday and Monday of the season last year but quite different from last year’s opener which was on a Saturday and Sunday. Hunter numbers were down by 12 percent and hunter success dropped from 13 percent to five percent. Most of that decline was in white-tailed deer, from 10 to two, while elk hunters took three this fall compared to four last year. The region did have some rain before the opener but mild weather was thought to contribute to poor hunting conditions.
Panhandle Region conditions and statistics were unlike the rest of the state on opening day there, October 10. The weather was cool and damp, creating good hunting conditions. Hunter participation was up by 39 percent from last year—822 compared to 590. The number of big game animals checked jumped 167 percent, from 12 to 32, and were higher in all species. Data is considered to be not directly comparable because of this year’s Sunday opener; the seasons opened on Saturday last year.
Uploaded: 10/16/1999
Uploaded: 10/16/1999