IDFG takes steps to manage CWD outbreak

LEWISTON – The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is proposing hunts in Game Management Unit 14 next fall that would be geared toward lowering deer densities and removing a higher number of mature animals in an effort to stem the spread of chronic wasting disease.

To reduce mule deer densities and remove older animals, wildlife managers are proposing two options. The first would increase the number of mule deer buck tags offered in an existing controlled hunt from 180 to 400, which would lead to an estimated harvest of 30% to 40% of the adult buck population this fall.

The second option would replace the controlled hunt with a general season buck-only hunt from Oct. 10 to Nov. 20. The agency estimates it would reduce the adult buck population by at least 40% and “possibly quite a bit more,” according to Rick Ward, deer and elk program manager for the agency.

The agency also is proposing adding an extra 200-tag antlerless hunt for mule deer that would run from Oct. 10 to Nov. 20. Hunters who possess tags for hunts designated as “extra” are able to harvest the deer associated with the tag and also participate in another deer hunt.

“We would expect to see hunters harvest 8% to 12% of the adult doe population each year in this hunt,” Ward said.

To reduce white-tail deer numbers in the unit, the agency is proposing two options. The first would add an extra antlerless hunt with 250 tags and an extra buck hunt with 250 tags. Both hunts would run from Oct. 10 to Nov. 20. The agency expects buck harvest would increase by about 20% and doe harvest to increase by about 35% if the proposal is adopted.

The second option would extend the closing date of the general either-sex white-tail hunt in the unit from Nov. 20 to Dec. 31.

Department Director Ed Schriever said the hunts are designed to reduce spread of the fatal disease that was discovered in Unit 14 last fall. It was the first time the disease has been found in Idaho. The hunts aren’t specifically intended to boost surveillance of the disease.

“This is a management response,” he said.

He said the agency will launch an effort to collect samples from animals harvested this fall in Unit 14 and those surrounding it.

The agency is proposing to increase elk tags in a Landowner Permission Hunt in Unit 14 that is designed to collect more samples so wildlife managers can better understand how widely the disease has spread in the elk herd there. The agency has only found CWD in a single elk near White Bird.

Last week, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission directed the agency to collect public comments on the proposal over the next month or so. Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposals during their meeting on March 24.