I wish it went back further than 10 years, 20 at least would be nice to put some of the challenges in perspective as we could see what the impact over time is.
Stein, I was a little concerned until I read this report closer. At first look 2019 was below the 10 year average for whitetails. Then I read this.
"The harvest in 2019 fell below the 10-year average of 24,568, but keep in mind, this was a record-setting 10-year stretch for whitetail hunters in Idaho. The all-time harvest record of 30,342 was set in 2015, and eight of the top 10 harvest years for whitetails occurred over the past 10 years. That includes 2019, which narrowly made the top-10 and was the tenth-best season in Idaho history."
So even though 2019 was below the 10 year average for whitetails it was the #10 all time year in the history of Idaho for whitetail harvest. And that includes all the years before wolf re-introduction. This hardly seems like something we should view as gloom and doom. And then this.....
"Declines in the antlerless harvest made up about two-thirds of the drop in the overall harvest: Hunters took 2,400 fewer antlerless whitetails in 2019"
All in all I don't see what the fuss is about other than some people are upset they aren't killing as many trophy bucks as they'd like.
As for elk, it looks like more of the same.
"For the sixth straight year, Idaho elk hunters harvested more than 20,000 elk, good for the second best stretch in the state’s history. Going back to 1935, only a nine-year run that started in 1988 – the first year that hunters harvested more than 20,000 elk in the state – and ran through the mid-1990s ranks higher."
And mule deer? They are down for sure, but it looks from the report like a couple of bad winters are responsible for that.
All in all I'd say the managers are on top of things and despite 2019 being down a little, There is no reason to panic.
As I mentioned above in another post, I have seen an old chart somewhere on line that shows I'daho's harvest starting back in the 30s or so up to the present. If I can find it again I'll post it. What I do remember from it is, The early years, harvest was relatively low then it built until the early 70's when a couple bad winters wiped herds out and the harvests plunged. They eventually started growing again.
