Hunting Guide 2015

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| September 30, 2015

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Make a new hunter this year

By Mark Kayser

An increasingly urbanized society, single-parent homes, electronic diversions galore, a flood of extracurricular activities and career demands are but a few of the reasons children have fewer and fewer opportunities to build a pathway to outdoor interests and pastimes. Don’t let these obstacles crush your hunting heritage. It’s up to you to make new hunters and you can do it with community help, or with the assistance of a mentor program. If you want help putting your child or another’s on the outdoor pathway then consider the following helpful tips.

First, look deeper into the organization you’re supporting through annual memberships. The National Wild Turkey Federation realizes the importance of youth involvement, education and recruitment, and has created several programs to propagate youth and family participation in outdoor activities.

Two programs tackle this objective and include the NWTF JAKES and advocacy through the Families Afield program.

The JAKES acronym stands for juniors acquiring knowledge, education,

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and sportsmanship. It involves youth 13 years and younger, and introduces them to wildlife, land stewardship and conservation ethics. Older youth, 13 to 17, can become members of Xtreme JAKES. This segment of the program focuses on creating responsible outdoor enthusiasts for the future and tackles activities matched to their age.

The JAKES Takes Aim program introduces and educates youth 17 and younger in shooting sports that are oftentimes hosted in conjunction with local

shooting facilities. NWTF state chapters have at their disposal a trailer containing all needed equipment to set up air gun ranges, indoor or outdoor, plus competitive events even receive targets and am-

munition provided by the NWTF. Families Afield is an activism and political arm of the NWTF. It was formed to break down the barriers

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HUNTING GUIDE

Local hunting prospects Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s District 1, is comprised of seven game management units (GMUs) in northeastern Washington: 101 (Sherman), 105 (Kelly Hill), 108 (Douglas), 111 (Aladdin), 113 (Selkirk), 117 (49 Degrees North), and 121 (Huckleberry). The area is prime for hunting elk, deer and bear. Here’s what to expect this year.

Elk WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE 2015 SEASON Elk populations typically do not fluctuate dramatically from year to year, but periodic severe winters can trigger substantial die - offs.

The 2014-15 winter was mild and consequently, populations available for harvest are expected to be similar in size compared to the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

That said, 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 that were still burning in late August may affect hunter access to some hunting areas. Hunters should check the status of wildfires and access restrictions at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ state/49#.

HOW TO FIND ELK When hunting elk in District 1, hunters need to do their homework and spend plenty of time scouting before the season opener because it is often difficult to predict where the elk are going to be, 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 clearcuts 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 are seeing 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” that are 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 elk hunter’s 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, hot on the

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trail so to speak.

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 density of maintained gravel roads that occur on timber company lands.

Deer WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE 2015 SEASON The 2015 wildfires that were still burning in late August may affect hunter access to some hunting areas. Hunters should check the status of wildfires and access restrictions at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/state/49#.

Harvest has been gradually increasing in District 1 over the past two years, a trend expected to continue.

Fall surveys for the past two years also have yielded slightly higher buck to doe See prospects, 7b

September 30, 2015 |

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HUNTING GUIDE

| September 30, 2015

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Idaho deer and elk prospects Idaho big game hunters could have a hunting season to brag about this fall, and deer hunters could see the best hunting in more than 20 years and potentially a record harvest for white-tailed deer.

Idaho Fish and Game biologists have lots of reasons to be optimistic. Four consecutive mild winters have helped deer and elk herds grow, and resident and nonresident hunters are showing renewed interest by buying more licenses and tags.

“Things are going really well in a lot of the state right now,” said Jon Rachael, Fish and Game’s state game manager.

Hunters last year had the largest deer harvest since 1992, and the largest elk harvest since 2005. This fall’s harvests could match or top last year’s, depending on how many hunters go into the field and what kind of weather and hunting conditions they get in the fall.

Deer Hunters harvested 61,200 deer in 2014, which is 12,100 more than in 2013, and the most since 1992. Harvests of whitetails and mule deer were both up in 2014, and Idaho recorded its third-highest whitetail harvest of all time.

Fish and Game sold 157,400 deer tags last year, which was the most since 1993, and statewide success rate was about 40 percent for those who went deer hunting.

Fish and Game’s annual winter monitoring also showed the highest winter mule deer survival since its intensive monitoring program began 15 years ago. Each winter, Fish and Game staff traps and radio collars adult mule deer and fawns in 14 locations across the state and monitors their survival through winter. Fawn survival rate

over winter was nearly 80 percent, topping the previous high in the 2004-05 winter.

By comparison, during the worst winter in the program’s 15-year history, about 25 percent of fawns survived.

“We’ve been lucky,” Rachael said. “We’ve had very mild winters.”

Winter is the major regulator of deer populations, and while more deer survive mild winters, mild is not always good.

Drought can mean less forage available for animals, which means they can be less fit to survive the upcoming winter. However, even in years with low snowpack, well-timed rains in the spring and summer can improve forage for big game.

Biologists also said more than 95 percent of mule deer does that were radio collared in the last two years survived each winter, and healthy does typically produce twin fawns that quickly grow herds when conditions are favorable.

Fawn survival is a key indicator of the health of deer herds, and also of future hunting success. Last year’s male fawns become this year’s young bucks that make up a large portion of the annual harvest.

“I think we’re going to have a better year than last year because we are going to have more yearlings available,” Rachael said.

“There should be more mule deer than we’ve seen out there in a long time.”

Also, mild winters mean a good carry over of mature bucks. Each year, Fish and Game measures some trophy-sized bucks during the season, and this year will likely produce more than usual thanks to several mild winters.

While mule deer populations are up statewide, Rachael cautioned that doesn’t mean they will be evenly distributed. During dry years, deer tend to

congregate around water and at higher elevations.

During wet years, deer can be dispersed through a lot of country.

Fall weather is also a big factor for hunter success. Rainstorms and/ or early snow typically mean higher success rates than warm, dry weather, especially during October general seasons.

White-tailed deer, which dominate Northern and Central Idaho, are doing excellent. Hunters took 28,200 whitetails in 2014, which is 5,100 more than in 2013. Whitetail harvests have grown five out the last six years and are currently above long-term averages.

If trends continue this year, hunters could top the alltime whitetail harvest of 29,800 set in 1996.

Fish and Game does not monitor whitetails in the same ways it does mule deer. One way Fish and Game monitors whitetail populations is through hunting statistics, such as success rates, percentage of mature bucks, and numbers of days hunters spend pursuing whitetails.

“There’s no reason to think that whitetails won’t be doing very, very well this year,” Rachael said.

But the dry summer, especially up north, has him concerned about the condition of deer heading into winter, and a harsh winter could mean trouble for whitetails.

There have been scattered reports of dead whitetails in Clearwater Basin, which could be caused by epizootic hemorrhagic disease, commonly known as EHD. The disease is spread by biting gnats and poses no threats to humans.

There are no confirmed cases yet, but the disease has hit whitetails in the past during late summer.

Overall, Fish and Game has seen growing interest in deer hunting in recent years. Tag sales have increased every year since

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2011, and if that continues, and success rate for hunters remains the same or similar to last year, Idaho hunters could see the best deer hunting in decades.

Elk Idaho’s elk population and hunting success is more complex than deer hunting, but elk hunters also did well last year with the largest harvest since 2005 and an overall success rate of about 24 percent.

Hunters bagged 20,700 elk in 2014, which was See idaho, 8B

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HUNTING GUIDE

September 30, 2015 |

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PROSPECTS: Deer typically use more open areas at night, dawn and dusk From Page 5B

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 was down in 2014, but this is likely due to participation and not harvest success.

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.

Keep in mind that as of 2011, 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 white-tailed deer population.

HOW TO FIND AND HUNT WHITETAILS As is the case with most game species, the key to harvesting a white-tailed deer in District 1 is scouting. Whitetails occur throughout the district and occur in nearly every habitat type that is present.

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. The traditional approaches to hunting whitetails generally include the following: still-hunting, where the hunter is moving, but very slowly through a “patch” of habitat, stopping frequently to scan or glass the vegetative cover a head 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 treestand, 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 least two hunters, but ordinarily larger groups to maximize its effectiveness.

Here 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 as it could be.

This includes rattling and grunting to simulate two bucks fighting over a doe.

This technique is more common with Midwestern 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.

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A quick Google search on this topic will yield plenty of evidence to illustrate the effectiveness of this technique when conditions are right.

HOW TO FIND AND HUNT 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 glass and stalk. Here 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 then stalk them to within shooting distance.

Ordinarily the stalk entails a strategic hike and cautious sneak action.

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HUNTING GUIDE

| September 30, 2015

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Idaho: Success rates are increasing over the years From Page 6B

4,200 more than 2013 and the most since 2005. Elk tag sales and harvests have increased for three straight years.

“We’ve had a few good years and some positive feedback from hunters,” Rachael said.

If the short-term trend continues, there’s a fair-togood chance more hunters will go into the field in the fall and kill more elk. This year’s harvest could again top 20,000 elk, which has happened only five times in the last 20 years.

Word has gotten out that elk hunting is rebounding in the state, and that coupled with an improved economy that allows more nonresidents to travel, means more hunters are taking advantage of it.

Fish and Game sold 93,100 elk tags last year, which is 4,400 more than in 2013 and the most since 2008.

The correlation between elk tag sales, harvest and success rate has been interesting in recent years.

Fish and Game sold more than 90,000 elk tags annually between 1995 and 2008, then participation in elk hunting gradually declined. In 2009, tag sales dropped below 90,000 for the first time in 13 years and bottomed out at 82,950 in 2012.

Between 2005 and 2011, there was a similar declining harvest trend, except for a one-year bump in 2010. But in recent years, success rates and harvests gradually increased as hunters started seeing more elk. It’s likely a combination of mild winters, intensive predator management and improved economy that has led to the resurgence of elk hunting in Idaho.

Even with some difficult years, the average elk harvest over the last decade was 18,000, which is about 2,000 elk more than the 50-year average.

Managing elk populations is different than deer populations, which tend to be more boom and bust.

Elk are fewer in numbers, and populations trends

tend to be more gradual compared with deer.

Prior to the federal reintroduction of wolves in 1995-96, Fish and Game’s focused on bear and mountain lions when it need to manage predators to boost elk herds. As wolf populations grew, but still remained federally protected, Fish and Game’s primary response to declining elk herds in wolf country was limiting hunting opportunity.

Federal protection was removed in 2009, allowing Fish and Game to manage wolves more like bears and mountain lions. Idaho had its first wolf hunting season that year, and Fish and Game has continued wolf hunts every year since, except 2010, when wolves were temporarily placed back under federal protection by court order.

Hunters and trappers have harvested about 1,300 wolves since 2009, resulting in a lower population, but still well above the minimum wolf population required by the federal government. Hunting and

trapping wolves have benefitted elk herds with higher elk survival rates in several areas of the state.

“Things have definitely changed since 2008-09 when we had the highest density of predators,” Rachael said.

The Sawtooth elk zone in Central Idaho is a good example of the situation.

In 2009, Fish and Game restricted the number of elk tags available to limit to the harvest. Even with limits on the number of tags, some went unsold because hunters weren’t seeing the numbers of elk they were accustom to seeing, but they were seeing lots of wolf sign. Fish and Game liberalized wolf hunting in the area, and hunters responded by taking more wolves. Since then, elk herds in the Sawtooth Zone have started to bounce back, hunter interest has returned, and both resident and nonresident tags sold out very quickly this year.

While statewide elk hunting is improving, it’s not happening in all areas that elk inhabit.

hunter: Reach out to national organizations From Page 4b

that limit youth hunting by lobbying state wildlife agencies to allow more youth hunting opportunities through mentoring and reducing age restrictions. But the NWTF isn’t the only community organization to aid in getting youth involved in hunting and shooting sports. Look to the following as additional resources to help get youth on an outdoor path.

The Montana-based Rocky Mountain Elf Foundation inspires youth in several ways. The RMEF advocates youth interaction by providing kids a social site to read about youth outdoor activities and share their own adventures. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and a youth RMEF blog is available for them to connect.

This youth membership initiative was created for girls and boys age 17, and under. Youngsters receive six digital issues of Bugle magazine, e-newsletters, a RMEF logo hat, decals, contests and gear discounts in addition to the social media interaction.

Another conservation organization that addresses youth involvement is the Mule Deer Foundation. A focused MDF initiate is the M.U.L.E.Y. Program that stands for mindful, understanding, legal and ethical

youth. Started in 2007, these day camps work as a gateway program to inspire, educate and inform youth on firearm instruction, hunting, conservation, and ethics. Youth are also introduced to the basic biology of the mule and black-tailed deer. By understanding the basic needs of the species youth begin to see why conservation and habitat efforts are important in wildlife management.

4-H SHOOTING SPORTS The 4-H Shooting Sports program provides firearm safety and instruction in a supervised setting that offers scheduled practice with the chance for competitive challenges. Youth 8 to 18 take mandatory firearm safety instruction and then are introduced to shooting disciplines including air rifle, air pistol, .22 rifle, .22 pistol, muzzleloader, shotgun sports and archery.

County and state competitions allow qualified shooters to advance to national shooting matches.

In addition to competition 4-H Shooting Sports members learn about hunting principles, archery strategies and conservation ethics. This education creates self-worth and satisfaction by achieving marksmanship goals.

BE A MENTOR Community-based organizations can help you in a pinch for time, but what about those kids that don’t have hunting family member? Then it’s up to you to volunteer your time. You can do it solo and just ask permission to take an interested youth hunting or tag team with an organization that has a program in place.

Be sure to peruse the Idaho Fish and Game and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife websites for special youth licenses and seasons. And inquire with local and state hunting organizations.

You may find a notable youth program. If your search has hit a roadblock you need to reach out to national organizations.

The National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation both provide links to youth shooting programs, information, funding and assistance. They realize that without new hunters the tradition of hunting could become just another memory of days gone by.

Make a commitment to mold a kid into a new hunter. With your help you’ll also mold that youth into a responsible adult.

sion from the Montana Hunting & Fishing News Follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ HuntingFishingNews

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