Game managers predict happy hunting

Idaho Fish and Game Department managers believe hunters will have a good season this year. Elk and white-tailed deer populations will be similar to last year, but there will likely be more mule deer in many areas.

A hard winter delivered a setback to mule deer in 2017 after near historic highs in recent years.

According to Fish and Game records, hunters took 22,751 elk in 2017. They have killed more than 20,000 elk annually since 2014.

Whitetail deer hunts are on a similar trend. Hunters took 26,502 whitetails in 2017, 26,354 in 2016, and an all-time record high 30,578 in 2015. The last four years were the highest consecutive years on record.

The combination of a tough winter in 2016-17 and cutbacks in antlerless tags to protect breeding age does dropped last year’s harvest to 25,496. Fish and Game officials say hunters should expect a modest increase this fall.

You can find more about harvest statistics, places to hunt, rules, and more information here.