2016 hunting guide

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Hunting GUIDE

2016-17

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North Idaho hunting prospects Hunters had excellent success last year and deer and elk populations remain strong.

Idaho’s fall hunting season is likely to be outstanding. Coming on the heels of an all-time record white-tailed deer harvest in 2015 and the highest harvests in more than a decade for mule deer and elk, hunting this fall should be similar last year.

Let’s take a quick look at the 2015 hunt. Deer hunters had a 43-percent success rate in general season hunts and a 61 percent success rate in controlled hunts. They took 68,768 deer, which included a record 30,568 whitetails that topped the previous record of 29,800 whitetails set in 1999. It was also the largest deer harvest since 1991, and 36 percent above the 10-year average harvest.

Elk hunters weren’t far behind. They harvested 24,543 elk in 2015, which easily topped the 2014 harvest of 20,700 which was considered a pretty good year. It was also 35 percent above the 10-year average, and the largest elk harvest since 1996. General-season elk hunters had a 22 percent success rate, and hunters with controlled tags more than doubled that with 46 percent success. Combined, the average success rate was 27 percent for elk hunting.

With a little luck, elk hunters this year could top 25,000 elk during fall hunts, which has only happened three times in the last 40 years.

And that new whitetail record may be short-lived. The 2016 harvest could “easily match” last year’s, according to Fish and Game’s big game manager Jon Rachael. With whitetail hunting growing in popularity in Idaho and whitetail populations strong, this year could break another record.

Mule deer hunters won’t get left out of the bounty. Herds are healthy and growing throughout much of the state and should provide an above-average harvest. With a little help from the weather in fall, it could also be an exceptional year for mule deer hunting.

Winter survival

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A variety of factors affect the big game harvest. Winter survival – particularly fawns and calves – is an indicator of the upcoming hunting season, as well as summer forage, fall weather that affects hunting conditions and predation.

A harsh winter can severely impact big game herds. Deer are most vulnerable, especially fawns, and last year’s fawns become this year’s young bucks that make up a large portion of the fall harvest.

In most parts of the state, Idaho had a normal winter, but snow came earlier than in recent years, and there was a cold snap in late December and early January that brought sub-zero temperatures to parts of the state. That likely to contributed to lower winter survival than the previous two winters, which were unusually mild.

See ID Prospects page 9

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Hunting Guide

Hunting prospects in northeast Washington District 1, in the northeastern corner of Washington, including Pend Oreille County, is comprised of seven game management units (GMUs): 101 (Sherman), 105 (Kelly Hill), 108 (Douglas), 111 (Aladdin), 113 (Selkirk), 117 (49 Degrees North), and 121 (Huckleberry) (Figures 1 and 2).

More than a third (37 percent) of the land mass in District 1 is public land. It is mostly national forest, but state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) lands are also present.

Additional public lands include federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and a few other government agencies.

Most of the public lands outside of Indian reservations are open to public hunting. There are large timber-company lands open to public hunting, although not necessarily open to private motorized vehicles. Private lands are typically only open to hunting by first gaining written permission from the landowner or manager.

District 1 is well-known for its white-tailed deer, moose, and turkey hunting opportunities. Quality hunting opportunities also exist for other game species, including mule deer, elk, black bear, forest grouse, and cougar.

Elk Elk populations typically do not fluctuate dramatically from year to year, but periodic severe winters can trigger substantial dieoffs. The 2015-16 winter was mild and populations available for harvest are expected to be similar in size compared to the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

However, the total hunter harvest of elk in District 1 is low compared to other WDFW districts, hovering around 200-300 animals per year since 2009. The 2015 wildfires didn’t have a large effect on the number of elk on the landscape, but the fires may still be affecting access to some hunting areas on the Colville National Forest.

Hunters should check the status of access restrictions on the Colville National Forest website.

How to find elk When hunting elk in District 1, hunters need to research and spend plenty of See WA Prospects page 4

Hunting Guide

3

WA Prospects from pages 3

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time scouting before the season opener, because it is often difficult to predict elk location, especially after hunting pressure increases. Elk within District 1 are scattered in small groups and often stay on the move throughout the year. With a lot of scouting to “pattern” these groups, it is possible to increase your chances of harvesting an elk.

Many, if not most, hunters spend great amounts of their time focusing on forest clear-cuts, which makes a lot of sense because elk often forage in clear-cuts and are highly visible when they do. However, there are many elk (especially bulls) that do not frequent clear-cuts during daylight hours. Instead, they spend most of their time during the day in closed canopy forests, swamps, or “reprod.”

Moreover, those highly visible elk often attract many hunters and clear-cuts can get crowded in a hurry.

From a landscape perspective, some generalities can be made that will help increase the odds of locating elk. When going to a new area, hunters will benefit by covering as much ground as possible and making note of areas where they see sign along roads and log “landings.” Log landings from past timber harvest operations are an especially good place to look for sign because they are often not graveled, which makes it easier to see fresh tracks. This scouting approach will give hunters a good idea of what areas hold elk and where to focus their more intensive scouting efforts.

After those areas with abundant elk sign have been identified, hunters should focus in on higher elevation stands that provide cover and are adjacent to open hillsides and/or clear-cuts. During early seasons when it is warm, these areas often include creek bottoms, river bottoms, or any place that is near water.

Once the season progresses and temperatures cool, elk are not as attracted to water and the challenge of finding them becomes more difficult. Hunting pressure also has an effect and will force elk to use areas that provide thicker cover or are more inaccessible to hunters because of topographical features. Later in the season, it is a good idea to consult a topographic map and find “benches” located in steep terrain and thick cover, because elk often use these areas to bed down during the day.

Any snow cover generally enhances the ability to find elk tracks. Hunting right after a fresh snow usually presents a particularly good advantage in tracking down an individual or group of elk.

Lastly, provided that non-motorized access is allowed, hunters should not let a locked gate in an otherwise open area keep them from going in on foot, horseback, or bicycle to search for elk. More often than not, these areas hold elk that have not received as much hunting pressure, which can make them less skittish and easier to hunt.

A popular approach to hunting these areas is to use mountain bikes and trailers, which is not extremely difficult given the network of maintained gravel roads that frequently occur on timber company lands.

Deer All available harvest and survey data indicate white-tailed deer populations appear to be slightly increasing in all GMUs associated with District 1. Mule deer populations appear to be stable or slightly decreasing. For more detailed information related to the status of deer in Washington, hunters should read through the most recent version of the Game Status and Trend Report, which is available for download on the Department’s website at www.wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/ game/. For information specific to mule deer, hunters could also take a look at the newly approved Mule Deer Management Plan.

The 2015 wildfires may still affect hunter access to some hunting areas. Hunt-

Hunting Guide

ers should check the status of access restrictions on the Colville National Forest website. Harvest has gradually increased in District 1 over the past two years, a trend expected to continue. Fall surveys for the past three years also have yielded stable buck to doe and fawn to doe ratios. Recent moderate winters have likely contributed to increased over-winter survival of deer in District 1. District 1 runs voluntary check stations on select weekends during the modern firearm season. The number of deer checked went up in 2015 from the year before, as harvest success increased from the cessation of the 4-point antler restriction on white-tailed deer. A good predictor of future harvest during general seasons is recent trends in harvest and catch per unit effort (CPUE) or its inverse, days per kill.

Remember from 2011-2014, a 4-point minimum restriction was imposed for white-tailed deer in GMUs 117 and 121, which led to decreases in harvest, hunter numbers, and hunter success. Available evidence shows this regulation change brought about these decreases and not a dramatic decrease in the whitetailed deer population.

With the retirement of the 4-point rule within GMUs 117 and 121, the deer harvest increased substantially in 2015.

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How to find white-tailed deer As is the case with most game species, the key to harvesting a white-tailed deer in District 1 is scouting. White-tailed deer occur throughout the district and occur in nearly every present habitat type.

White-tailed deer densities are highest in the valleys and foothill benches bordering the valleys, especially in the farm-forest mosaic within GMUs 105, 108, 117, and 121. GMUs 101, 111, and 113 also have white-tailed deer, but with more localized distributions.

The majority of hunting is done in or adjacent to agricultural fields or recent forest timber harvest areas, because when deer are present, they are much more visible than in adjacent habitats. However, deer typically use these more open areas at night, dawn, and dusk, especially once they have been disturbed by human presence.

Therefore, it is advantageous for hunters to seek out areas a short to moderate distance away from these openings, which provide more cover where deer are spending more time. If a hunter is seeing large amounts of deer sign in an area, then odds are those deer are not far away.

The traditional approaches to hunting white-tailed deer generally include several methods. The first is still-hunting, where the hunter is moving, but very slowly through a patch of habitat, stopping frequently to scan or glass the vegetative cover ahead with binoculars. The hunter looks for parts of a deer, like legs, an antler, or a portion of the body or head, as opposed to the whole deer, which is usually not visible through the vegetation.

Stand hunting is another technique. This method involves the hunter patiently waiting in a tree stand, on a stump, against a tree trunk, on a ridge rock, etc., in high deer use areas (highly traveled trails, habitat edges, bottlenecks, funnels, etc.) until deer show up.

A third deer hunting approach is conducting drives. This technique involves at

Hunting Guide

See WA Prospects page 8

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Harvest and days per kill for most game species found in District 1 of Washington state during the 2014 and 2015 hun Also included is the five-year average and a comparison of 2015 estimates to 2014 estimates and the five-year average

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Private, public lands available for hunting

Much hunting opportunity, especially for big game and forest grouse, occurs on private industrial forest lands. Timber companies that own large tracts of land and are the most well-known include Hancock, Stimson, and Inland Empire Paper.

WDFW works cooperatively with private timber companies to maintain reasonable public access during established hunting seasons. Private industrial forestlands have typically been open for public access, but hunters should always remember access granted to private property is a privilege.

Specific rules related to hunter access on private industrial forestlands vary by timber company. WDFW encourages hunters to make sure they are aware of the rules in areas they plan to hunt. Most timber companies provide these rules on their website or will provide them to hunters who call to inquire about access. However, hunters are encouraged to follow these basic rules if they find themselves in nting seasons. an area they are not familiar with and e. are in doubt about specific landowners

rules.

Timber companies may have more or less restrictive rules in place and ultimately, it is the hunter’s responsibility to be familiar with those rules.

Some landowners have hotlines and/ or websites where hunters can find information about public access. It is important to remember, however, that these companies do not have personnel dedicated to answering hunter questions. Therefore, hunters are encouraged to call the WDFW Region 1 office in Spokane (509-892-1001) if there are questions related to public access on private industrial forest lands.

Specific information, including property locations, can be found on WDFWs Hunter Access website. Below is a summary, by GMU, of cooperators and acres currently enrolled in the Private Lands Access Program. The Feel Free to Hunt Program acres listed are those lands in the Cooperative Road Management Program with private timber companies.

Most GMUs in District 1 are a checkerboard of ownerships and sometimes it can be extremely difficult to deter-

mine who owns the land where a hunter wishes to hunt. However, there are several online tools and resources many hunters do not know about, but provide valuable information that helps solve the landowner puzzle.

• A good source for identifying the specific location of public lands is DNR PLQ maps, which can be purchased for less than $10 on DNR’s website.

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that it exists.

• Pend Oreille tax parcels can be searched using the assessor’s website at www.pendoreilleco.org/yourgovernment/assessor/interactive-mapassessor/.

• GoHunt Tool has been revamped and provides hunters with a great interactive tool for locating tracts of public land within each GMU. • There are a variety of maps showing trails, camping locations, public lands, and popular landmarks available for download on the Colville Chamber of Commerce website at www.colville.com/page/default. asp?page=34.

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WA Prospects from page 5

least two hunters, but larger groups maximize its effectiveness. The hunters divide into “drivers” and “blockers.” The blockers position themselves in an organized spacing, often downwind of a patch of deer bedding habitat (thick woods, forested swamp, or heavy brush field). The drivers then slowly hike through the habitat patch, alerting the deer and hopefully pushing them to the blockers. Sometimes it’s a good idea to post one blocker at the front of the habitat patch behind the drivers in the event that any deer double back to evade them.

Although each of these approaches is highly effective, there is another technique that is not as well-known or used as much. This includes rattling and grunting to simulate two bucks fighting over a doe. This technique is more common with mid-western and eastern white-tailed deer hunters, but can be effective here as well, especially in the days leading up to the rut (deer breeding season) in mid-November.

A quick Internet search on this topic will yield plenty of evidence to illustrate its effectiveness when conditions are right.

How to find mule deer Mule deer occur in District 1, but in lesser abundance than white-tailed deer, especially east of the Columbia River. Although mule deer occur within every District 1

GMU, the highest density is in GMU 101. As is the case with most game species, the key to harvesting a mule deer in District 1 is scouting.

The classical western method of hunting mule deer is sometimes called spot and stalk. The hunter uses good optics, binoculars, and spotting scopes to scan from ridge tops and other vantage points to find the mule deer, pick out suitable bucks, and stalk them to within shooting distance.

Ordinarily, the stalk entails a strategic hike and cautious sneak action. Much of District 1 does not offer the open country required for this method of hunting, but where it does, it can be effective.

Waterfowl

Best hunting areas for water fowl Pend Oreille River: The upper Pend Oreille River, from Newport downstream to Usk, probably offers the best general waterfowl hunting opportunity within northeastern Washington.

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Hunting Guide

ID Prospects

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Fish and Game captures and puts radio collars on mule deer fawns each winter, then tracks how many survive through mid spring. Statewide survival of radio-collared fawns was 64 percent, which is down from a record-high 83-percent survival in the 2014-15 winter, and 78 percent the prior winter.

However, last winter’s fawn survival still tracked above the 10-year average of 58 percent In addition to fawns, Fish and Game also radio collared 472 adult does, tracked them throughout winter and early spring, and 93 percent of them survived, compared with 95 percent the previous two winters.

More harvest, more hunters, great opportunity Deer and elk harvests were both higher in 2015, and there were also more hunters. Deer tag sales jumped by 5,978 tags between 2014 and 2015, and elk tag sales increased by 4,297. However, success rates for deer and elk hunters both improved in 2015 over the previous year.

Idaho hunters get lots of general-season hunts, a rarity in Western hunting these days, so hunters can buy a license and deer and elk tag and go. Not only that, general season hunters do very well. They took 83 percent of the deer and 59 percent of the elk harvested in 2015.

That’s not to say hunters who drew coveted controlled-hunt tags were not successful. Elk hunters who participated in controlled hunts were more than twice as likely to harvest as those with general-hunt tags (46 percent vs. 22 percent), and 61 percent of deer hunters with controlled-hunt tags harvested a deer vs. 43 percent for general seasons.

Deer Deer harvests have made a significant jump in the last two years, thanks in part to consecutive mild winters that resulted in more deer available for the 2015 and 2014 hunting seasons, and more hunters. Deer tag sales also jumped by 5,978 tags between 2014 and 2015, which shows interest in deer hunting corresponded.

Fish and Game nearly sold out its nonresident deer-tag quota in 2015, which includes both nonresident and second tag sales (residents and nonresidents can buy unsold nonresident deer tags as second deer tags at the nonresident price).

With the bulk of big game tags being sold in the fall, it’s hard to tell how many will be sold this year, but midway through summer, tag sales were up compared with the same time last year.

Not only were deer harvests up, but there was a good proportion of mature bucks with 44 percent of the bucks harvested during general seasons being four-points or larger (Western count).

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Idaho’s deer hunters have two good options this year. Abundant whitetail populations in the central and northern parts of the state provide lots of either-sex hunting, long hunting seasons, and an opportunity for a mature whitetail buck.

Despite a record harvest of whitetails in 2015, mule deer were still a higher proportion of the deer harvest (55 percent vs. 45 percent).

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hunting units based on success rates were largely found in the Panhandle and Clearwater regions, which are predominantly whitetail country.

There’s also no reason why hunters couldn’t top last year’s record whitetail harvest because populations remain strong in those core areas.

“Everything looks good, and I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Dave Koehler, regional wildlife biologist for the Clearwater Region. “Our whitetail harvest has been on a steady, upward trajectory for a long time.”

He said a mild winter was followed by a cool, wet spring that has kept forage green into summer and provided excellent growing conditions for deer.

He also noted with the growth of whitetail herds has attracted attention from more hunters and more hunting effort could mean a larger harvest this year.

Mule deer Mule deer hunters in the southern and eastern parts of Idaho, and where the animals overlap with whitetails in northern and central Idaho, are also seeing healthy herds in most areas. Mule deer hunters will find a mix of general season hunting opportunity and controlled hunts that offer excellent success rates and chances for mature bucks.

Mule deer hunters should see hunting comparable to last year.

“I don’t see any indicators that mule deer harvests will decline,” Rachael said.

The wild card for mule deer hunters is usually fall weather since most the hunting seasons take place in October, especially general, any-weapon seasons that account for the most of the harvest.

Warm, dry October weather can make hunting challenging, which often reduces the harvest. Conversely, wet weather and early-season snow storms mean better hunting conditions, and storms can also drive deer out of the high country and into more accessible areas, which usually increases the harvest.

Elk Despite a record whitetail season, improved elk hunting in Idaho may be the biggest news.

Elk hunting fell on hard times from 2008 through 2013 when annual harvests ranged between 15,155 and 17,470 elk, which were the lowest numbers since the mid 1980s. But elk hunting came roaring back in 2014 when the harvest topped 20,000 for the first time in seven years, and 2015 easily topped that with 24,543 elk taken.

Idaho’s elk harvest could top 25,000 this year, which has only happened three times in the last 40 years.

Elk tag sales have shown steep growth in the last four years, jumping from 71,634 in 2012 to 86,175 in 2015, and resident and nonresident tag sales are strong this year. The reason for all this is simple: There are more elk.

“Elk are not doing as well as we would like everywhere, but in most of the state, numbers are stable or have been increasing over the last few years,” Rachael said.

Hunters are seeing more elk, and there also are more complaints from farmer and ranchers who are dealing with large herds of elk on their agriculture lands and asking for relief. This is an important detail for hunters because Fish and Game issues controlled hunt tags to deal with that situation.

“It’s no surprise that harvest went up last year,” Rachael said. “We issued more elk tags in areas where landowners have been experiencing conflicts with their crops and rangeland to provide relief from those depredations.”

Most of those are antlerless (cow) tags, which have a much higher suc-

Hunting Guide

ID Prospects from page 10

cess rate than general season tags for bulls, so they can quickly drive up the overall elk harvest.

But that doesn’t mean only hunters with controlled hunt tags are getting elk. The success rate for general-season hunters increased in 2015, and a respectable 31 percent of the elk taken during general hunts had six or more points, which likely means there are plenty of mature bulls out there, too.

Fish and Game is doing more intensive elk monitoring to track population trends. It recently expanded its winter monitoring to include both elk calves and cows. Crews radio collared and tracked 274 calves and 607 cows in different regions of the state. Calf survival was 74 percent, and 96 percent for cows through winter.

He noted elk are less susceptible to winter conditions than deer, so if deer survival is better than average, “elk are probably going to be doing even better.”

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WA Prospects from page 8

dian Reservation, most of the river itself is open for hunting, along with a number of islands. In most instances a boat is required, either to serve as a hunting blind or for access to islands and sandbars open to hunting. There are also Pend Oreille Public Utility District lands, as well as U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service refuge lands (the Cusick Unit) open to public hunting. These parcels are located near the mouths of Tacoma and Trimble creeks, into the Pend Oreille River.

Dabbling ducks: Moderate numbers during migration, mostly gadwall, wigeon, teal, mallards, and some pintails.

Diving ducks: Moderate numbers with the highest densities during peak migration periods.

Geese: Canada geese occur in the greatest abundance in this part of District 1.

Lake Roosevelt: Lake Roosevelt up to the 1,310 feet elevation contour is mostly federally owned and managed by the National Park Service. Much of the lakeshore also borders the Colville and Spokane Indian Reservations, however, and in these areas the tribes manage the shoreline. As such, where you can legally hunt is somewhat complicated. Hunters should call the National Park Service in Kettle Falls at 509-738-6266 for clarification before hunting.

Dabbling Ducks: Low to moderate numbers during migration, mostly wigeon and mallards.

Diving Ducks: Relatively few, but higher densities during peak migration periods.

Geese: Canada geese have a scattered distribution in this hundred mile long reservoir, and can occur in high numbers during peak migration.

Colville and Kettle Valleys: Almost all of the valley bottoms are private lands, so obtaining written permission for hunting access is essential. Ducks are most common where there are slow, meandering streams, sloughs, and/or farm ponds. Geese are most common in the agricultural areas.

Dabbling Ducks: Low to moderate numbers during migration, mostly mallards.

Diving Ducks: Relatively few, but higher densities during peak migration periods, especially on the Colville River.

Geese: Canada geese are fairly evenly distributed in the Colville Valley. When heavy snowfall covers fields late in the season, they tend to migrate south to warmer, snow-free areas.

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311 W. Walnut Newport, WA Ne (509) ( 09 447-3933 (5

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• Lake Front Resort • Tent Camping • Cabins • RV with Hookups Fun For • Restaurant Open 7 Days Family • Breakfast Sat. & Sun. • 8am Outings • Lunch & Dinner Daily till 8pm BEAVER LODGE • Daily Specials CAMPGROUND & RESORT • Prime Rib Our Specialty • Clean • Open Year Round 2430 Hwy 20 E • 509-684-5657

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Hunting Guide