POLL: Deer Herd Decline, Why?

[Tbar]

I notice many people blaming cougars. Is there any data to support these theories? I don't doubt that the big cats might be the largest contributor, just wondering how some come up with that justification.

[idahohuntr]

Our winter a couple years ago had the biggest impact of anything I've observed - at least on overall numbers.

As far as quality goes, especially for mule deer, its harvest/lack of management by WDFW.  Every buck with a 3rd point gets slaughtered. 

[blackveltbowhunter]

I think mismanagement and overharvest are very general broad brush statements. For blacktails where I hunt I picked bears although yotes could be as big or bigger. I am picking only the area I have harvested the last couple years. If I were to pick regions or different areas I spend a lot of time I would change my choice. I chose that because lack of fawn recruitment has seemed to be the biggest factor in numbers in my areas. I see plenty of mature does and bucks are there, but fawns are hard to come by and I observe lots of twins in late may and june but they are singles or solo by August/September. The big cats are hard on the deer no doubt and are right up there as well. This is speaking to Private timber/DNR etc westside. Now national forest, Habitat is number one to me. No logging and acres of foodless area. Not prime deer habitat.

[yakimarcher]

I notice many people blaming cougars. Is there any data to support these theories? I don't doubt that the big cats might be the largest contributor, just wondering how some come up with that justification.

WDFW Mule deer plan stated that 40% of adult mule deer mortalities in the Naches MDZ are from cougars.

[PolarBear]

Over harvest and poor management


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[jackelope]

I notice many people blaming cougars. Is there any data to support these theories? I don't doubt that the big cats might be the largest contributor, just wondering how some come up with that justification.

Mine was a guess that seemed like a logical guess. No science involved. There are a lot of cougars and they kill a lot of deer.
Since you asked, I hit the googler.
http://westernwildlife.org/cougar-outreach-project/biology-behavior/
"In North America, deer constitute about 60% of the cougar’s diet, though in Washington this percentage is much higher. Adult cougars also prey on elk, mountain goats, moose and bighorn sheep.

Adult cougars, as well as younger animals, also opportunistically prey on smaller species such as coyotes, rabbits, rodents and raccoons, as well as pets and livestock on occasion.

According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, a large male cougar living in the Cascade Mountains will kill one deer or elk every 9 to 12 days, eating up to 20 pounds at a time and caching the rest for later. These caches provide food benefits for many other species."

http://westernwildlife.org/cougar-outreach-project/legal-status-management/
"Cougars are solitary, and are difficult to track and study; therefore it is difficult to accurately estimate statewide cougar populations. But based on six studies in Washington, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates the adult cougar population size is about 1,900 to 2,100 animals."

Given those numbers...if a cougar killed a deer or elk every 12 days, that would be 30.4 elk or deer per year per cougar. Take that number multiplied by 1900 and it's a crap ton of deer and elk.

[jackelope]

I find it hard to believe those numbers but that would equate to 57,760 elk and deer per year killed by cougars using the low end numbers.
 

[bigmacc]

Well the cause of declines can be different for certain areas, as most of us agree, my vote concerns the Methow decline, I would say over populations of the big 3(bear, cats and wolf) and mismanagement OF those predators and also the deer herd. But only 1 vote-cougar(for now), there is another that may take over in a handful of years unfortunately.

[bigmacc]

I find it hard to believe those numbers but that would equate to 57,760 elk and deer per year killed by cougars using the low end numbers.
 

Like I said jackelope, we found over 2 dozen cached kills in one area in the Methow this last season, they are stealth, killing machines, needless to say that area was void of deer.

[SpurInSpokane]

I notice many people blaming cougars. Is there any data to support these theories? I don't doubt that the big cats might be the largest contributor, just wondering how some come up with that justification.

This is the real problem, I think. When populations do decline (even for a year or two, or over decades), when there is no state or unit-level population data, no one knows what causes it. Then everyone makes up a theory that sounds good. And they're probably all right to some degree. But there's no data. We have harvest numbers by unit, but no studies that get to the real questions hunters and everyone else is rightly asking.
Maybe it's a funding issue, I don't know.

[Karl Blanchard]

If we are talking mule deer throughout the west then I would say loss of winter range or cutoff access to winter range.

[NOCK NOCK]

How can you make a poll with 12 choices, but leave off the list the most important choice, MISMANAGEMENT?

Mismanagement is a combination of several of the choices. IMO

[Ironhead]

Over the counter tags and new technology. I am talking Mule Deer.

[jstone]

How can you say to much harvest when there are less hunters in the woods?

[NOCK NOCK]

Great responses all. 
Surprised that wolf has been so low, 
Combining these choices down into only 3 similar type reasons/choices, 2 of them are pretty close, the last is way behind.

It just goes to show we are all right.....and we are all wrong, all depends on each ones area of experience, and their emotions.  Again Speculation on our parts, No one can prove they are right or that another is wrong.

I notice many people blaming cougars. Is there any data to support these theories? I don't doubt that the big cats might be the largest contributor, just wondering how some come up with that justification.

Data, the key word. Only very accurate data can provide some basis to a certain reason/claim. Even with that, we will never know the exact combinations, only speculate.


 

How can you say to much harvest when there are less hunters in the woods?

Better technology, makes for higher harvest rates. simple