Idaho deer and elk harvests down

BOISE, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Fewer hunters harvested fewer deer and elk during the 2019 hunting seasons.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department reports statewide elk harvest was down about 8% and deer harvests down 13% from year-ago levels. The number of actual deer hunters was down by 5.5% while elk hunter numbers were down about 1.5%. Success rates were down for both.

Specifically, Fish and Game statistics indicate there were 4,200 fewer mule deer hunters last fall and 3,500 fewer white-tail hunters.

For the sixth straight year, Idaho elk hunters harvested more than 20,000 elk. But harvest dipped compared to 2018 by about 1,793 elk. The antlerless harvest dropped by 1,793 while antlered harvest actually increased by 92.

"Our mule deer populations are driven by survival of fawns and adults, as are our harvest numbers," according to Idaho Fish and Game deer and elk coordinator Daryl Meints. "The last three-year stretch wasn't the kindest to our herds, particularly in eastern Idaho and in the Weiser/McCall areas."

A tough winter across southern Idaho in 2016-17 resulted in the second-lowest statewide fawn survival rate on record. Fawn survival was about average over 2017-18. But, Fish and Game officials said a deep snowfall late in 2018-19, following by a wet spring, caused winter fawn survival to take another substantial dip for the second time in three years.

"Those last three years make up about 80 percent of the deer on the hill," Meints said. "When the statewide survival is what it has been for the past three years, this is what it's going to look like."

Officials said overall elk hunter success was 22%, mule deer success was 29%, and white-tailed deer success was 38%.