deer general seasons and deer special permits · 2016-03-03 · 7 march 18-19, 2016, wdfw...
TRANSCRIPT
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 1
Agenda Item 13
Deer General Seasons and
Deer Special Permits
Jerry Nelson Ph.D. Deer and Elk Section Manager, Game Division
Wildlife Program
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 2
Deer Harvest 2001 to 2015
05,000
10,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,000
Dee
r
General Season and Special Permit Combined
Total Deer Harvest
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 3
Deer Hunters 2001 to 2015
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
Dee
r Hun
ters
General Season and Special Permit Combined
Total Deer Hunters
Overall 2015 Success R
ate 31.3%
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 4
Idaho F&G News Release
https://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/media/viewNewsRelease.cfm?newsID=8106
March 14, 2016
• Idaho's 2015 whitetail harvest sets all-time record
• Hunters (151,799) took an estimated 30,568 whitetails in 2015, topping the 1996 record of 29,800.
• The combined estimated mule deer and whitetail harvest was 68,764, which exceeded the 2014 harvest of 61,200, and it was the highest deer harvest since 1991.
• The mule deer harvest was also 5,200 more than in 2014.
• Further breakdowns of the 2015 harvest showed that hunters took 83 percent of the deer and 61 percent of the elk during general seasons.
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 5
Idaho F&G News Release
https://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/media/viewNewsRelease.cfm?newsID=8106
March 14, 2016
• Total 2015 deer harvest: 68,764 – 2014 harvest: 61,200
• Overall success: 45 percent
• 2015 whitetail deer harvest: 30,568 (new all-time record)
• 2015 total deer harvest (mule deer and whitetails) was the highest since 1991.
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 6
Northeast Winter Severity Index
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
1980
/81
1981
/82
1982
/83
1983
/84
1984
/85
1985
/86
1986
/87
1987
/88
1988
/89
1989
/90
1990
/91
1991
/92
1992
/93
1993
/94
1994
/95
1995
/96
1996
/97
1997
/98
1998
/99
1999
/00
2000
/01
2001
/02
2002
/03
2003
/04
2004
/05
2005
/06
2006
/07
2007
/08
2008
/09
2009
/10
2010
/11
2011
/12
2012
/13
2013
/14
2014
/15
2015
/16
Winter Severity Index Mean Index Severe
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 7
Harvest Estimation • Rates of hunter-reporting
compliance (i.e., on-time vs late submission of the required hunter report by the Jan 31st deadline) are not the same from year to year
• The difference between harvest info collected by compliant vs non-compliant hunters is significant – Hunters who harvest
successfully are significantly more likely to comply with the hunter reporting deadline
• WDFW harvest information for non-compliant hunters is estimated based on thousands of follow-up phone surveys conducted after the Jan 31st reporting deadline has passed – (Social and Economic Sciences
Research Center – WSU)
Harvest Reporting
Compliant and successful harvestCompliant and no harvestNon-compliant and successful harvestNon-compliant and no harvest
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 8
Harvest Estimation
Failure to account for the difference in harvest success of compliant and non-compliant hunters would result in a substantial over-estimate of harvest Note: Hunter reporting information presented here is intended as an example only and reflects generalized reporting rates and harvest success for District 1 during the 2015 hunting season
Estimate of HarvestOverestimate of HarvestEstimate of No Harvest
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 9
Status of Mule Deer Populations Mule Deer Zone Status Hunting Seasons Okanogan Methow Watershed
Okanogan Watershed Decreasing
Status quo
Chelan Last composition counts buck ratios were at objective
Status quo
Blue Mountains Harvest Stable
Status quo
Columbia Basin / Palouse
Aerial Survey Stable
Status quo
Douglas Driven routes. Buck ratios stable
Status quo
North Half Harvest data Status quo Central Cascades
Aerial Survey (nc) Status quo
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 10
Status of White-tailed Deer Populations
White-tailed Deer Zone Status Hunting Season Recommendations
Selkirk Harvest data suggest increase from previous year Road survey data is mixed
Reduce antlerless opportunity for Y/S/D to 4 days
Palouse Ground Survey Stable Age and Sex Ratios
Status Quo
Blue Mountains Harvest Data Status Quo
Columbia Basin Aerial Survey Limited Data for WTD
Status Quo
North Cascades Stable Status Quo
Okanogan Highlands Harvest Data Status Quo
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 11
Status of Black-tailed Deer Populations
Black-tailed Deer Zone Status Hunting Season Recommendations
Western Washington Harvest Data Status quo
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 12
Deer General Seasons WAC 232-28-357
• Second year of a 3-year package
• No major changes proposed except changes to white-tailed deer antlerless opportunity in NE
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 13
Hemorrhagic Disease Bluetongue and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD)
• Major outbreaks in recent history
• 1946, 1953, 1967, 1992 (24 states reported disease that year)
• Typically in Spokane, Whitman, Lincoln Adams, Garfield, Stevens Counties
• In 2015, Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon reported losses from bluetongue
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 14
Bluetongue 2015 • Concerns expressed by the public about the
number of deer lost to bluetongue in the NE (District 1)
• Anecdotal reports and reports to the Department of deer losses in Region 1
• Majority of the reports come from places where deer and people overlap
• Department recognizes that there are data gaps that prevent a full understanding of the population impact
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 15
Floor Change • Page 5
• Modern Firearm
• Under Hunters 65 and Over, Disabled or Youth General Season – GMUs 101-121
• Under Hunters 65 and Over and Disabled – GMUs 117 and 121
• Youth General Season – GMUs 117, 121
• Change the 2016 dates to Oct. 20-23
• Change the 2017 dates to Oct. 19-22
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 16
Rationale
• Conservative management action in response to uncertainty
• Establishes a hunting season framework that hunters are familiar with from 2014
• Based on past history – will have a positive impact on the antlerless white-tailed deer subpopulation
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 17
Questions on 232-28-357
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 18
Deer Special Permits WAC 232-28-359
• Some Quality special permits were routinely adjusted through the special permit allocation process
• Island special permits were shifted – Retained 2nd Deer, antlerless – Removed Youth, Senior, Disabled – Staff will be focusing more attention on
gaining access to private lands in the future
March 18-19, 2016, WDFW Commission Meeting Presentation Information is subject to changes and amendments over time. 19
Questions on WAC 232-28-359