royinidaho
Well-Known Member
Here we have Idaho...... The hunters paradise....
Bring your money and come on......
Idaho elk graphs from 1989-2012
Bring your money and come on......
Idaho elk graphs from 1989-2012
Is that because there are no animals???
Or they cut the tags?
Or is there just not many people hunting???
All fair questions. I looked at two large units I'm familiar with. One in a very remote area and one adjacent to a very populated and hard-hunted area. One thing these graphs leave off is "hunter success rate". I looked at "General Season" hunts from 2007 to 2012 where number of available tags is not a factor. It appears that hunter numbers have significantly fallen off. In the populated unit, they dropped by about 24% and in the remote unit they fell off by about 48% (not many hunters in this area anyway). As you can see, there are far fewer hunters in the field. Generally, one would think if there are less hunters and the same amount of game, the success rate would be good or better than before but by my estimation, hunter success in the remote area fell off by 29%ish and in the populated area, by 28%ish (a uniform drop off).
How to interpret this? Who knows? Until they start tying up elk in malls, unless single parent homes (moms) teach their kids to hunt and the existing hunters figure how to turn back the clock, hunter numbers will take a hit. I think deer and elk numbers have taken a hit too. The success rate suggests this and just poking around in the woods, I see less sign. It could be environmental, biological or predators. I did notice that mule deer numbers in the West were crashing before the wolf problem so I don't blame the wolves entirely but they're definitely part of the mix. I noticed that the take-numbers and the success-rate appear to be leveling off. We should see predation diminish as food supply diminishes and disease takes over.
My take... If you can afford it, buy a guided hunt where the success rate is high. If you can't afford it, do more pre-season scouting. If you can't do that, just go hunting anyway and forget things like success-rate because even when the odds are good, they're still against you but at least your hunting.
You are 100% right. A bad day hunting is almost always better than a good day at work!!!!! Unless that good day at work pays for a heck of a hunt!!!!!
The 2013 Yellowstone elk count reportedly did not find a single carry over calf for the season.
If it was ever about game management those days are gone. License sales are down, hunting requires repeat customers. Marketing can get them in the door the first time, but the experience on the ground isn't bringing 'em back.
Grim numbers.
In 2007 a couple of us spent 30+ days in Unit 21. Saw elk about every second day or so.
None closer than 1500 yards. Largest 'group' was 12, with no bull or spikes. Only a couple of calves.
One group had 8 with a decent bull.
Another group of 4 were seen regularly. 3 cows and a decent bull.
We shared the area with a lone wolf that ate mostly snowshoe hares and a legendary black bear never to be seen.
Saw somewhere around 6 calves and no spikes....
Big fire there a couple of years ago. Haven't been back since.
Maybe in 2016...
I noticed many of the numbers coincide with the economic cycle. I have noted the reduced numbers of hunters here in AZ during the economic down turn. Hunters want to go hunting, but they haven't the resources to do so. As we all read posts of $$$ spent on custom rigs, the majority of hunting enthusiasts are hard working family oriented people that are limited financially. This concerns me since I would like to see more kids get started hunting and shooting. If you add all the $$$ you put out for licenses, tags, fuel, food, firearms, ammunition and equipment needed before you even walk into the field on opening day, it is unattainable to many. Game numbers fluctuate over the years and disease, predators, and encroachment contribute to hunt success. As we all have seen the "road hunters" do little for the success rate and many more senior hunters can't navagate the terrain as well as they used to. In the past several years I have seen a much higher rate of silver hair (including me) than youth on my hunts. We need to help ourselves to correct some of these issues by hunting predators, encouraging youth to hunt and being involved in any effort to improve the game numbers for hunting. My 3 grandsons started shooting at 5 and they are now helping my son reload and go with us to hunt coyotes in the units where the antelope a deer are declining. It's not going to fix itself and the Feds and state aren't going to be much help either. I don't know all the answers, perhaps another member could enlighten us. Please excuse the length, but just my thoughts.