Okanogan Buck-Doe Ratio

[huntnphool]

I just read this and thought you guys might like to read it too.


Okanogan buck-doe ratio slightly off, good fawn crop


 

FEB. 7, 2008—Each year in late November or early December, WDFW does its end-of-hunting-season flyover, getting mule deer counts primarily to see what the buck-to-doe and fawn-to-doe ratios are.

This year, the news on the first front wasn’t what they’d like, right around 16 bucks per 100 does in all of the Methow and the Okanogan Valley west of the river.

“That’s definitely below what we’d like to see,” says wildlife biologist Jeff Heinlen, who participated in the study. “Fifteen to 100 is our bare minimum, the point where we don’t want to drop below and where we start making cutbacks, so we’re right near that border.

“Two years ago we did have a lot of snow, especially in the Methow, and our fawn survival was pretty low, so that accounts for part of this. We would have had younger bucks out of that age class by now. And we did find that 44 percent of our bucks were 3-point-or-better, which for the Okanogan is pretty high.”


 

However, Heinlen notes that WDFW’s Okanogan deer hunter check stations tallied fewer hunters than any of the last 13 seasons. If that’s an accurate indication of hunter participation, it might explain why that 3-point percentage was so high and should mean at least a few more quality bucks will be in next season’s harvest.

Another piece of good news was the 73 fawns per 100 does, a ratio that indicates a good breeding and summer survival rate.

“We did see less deer totally than in our best years, no doubt because of those two winters,” Heinlen adds, “but there are still lots of deer in this county. In (one GMU) alone we counted 3,661, and all our other major GMUs still have their share too.”

EDER SURVEY: For the first time ever, WDFW surveyed their new purchase, the Eder Ranch parcel, 3,300 acres east of Oroville. This is a prime piece of winter range and will be an ongoing quality hunt opportunity, based on permit drawings. Last fall, 10 modern rifle, five archery and five muzzleloader permits were issued.

“That’s primarily whitetail country now,” Heinlen says. “We counted a total of 516 deer on the parcel, and again our buck-doe ratio wasn’t high, 17 per 100, with 52 percent greater than 3-point, and 61 fawns per 100 does.”

— Leroy Ledeboer

[WDFW-SUX]

The amount of snow we are having should take care of the "good fawn crop" and  drop the buck to doe below ratio below 15 by the time spring thaw gets here.

Its going to be grim next year.   

[SuperDave]

Was curious where you got the article?  WDFW website or newspaper?  I have a feeling with all the snow it will be grim!  Keeping my fingers crosssed!

[muleracks]

I would love to see the historical Okanogan buck to doe ratio.  I first hunted the Chiliwist Country in 1952 and we would shoot some local (mule deer in those days).  There were always a lot of does but very few bucks.  At the end of the season in early November we would see well over a hundred does but seldom saw a buck.  The Entiat Country is where we would go to fill tags on big racked bucks once the migration got going.  The ratio down there has always been good and there are many more mature bucks.

More recently, I fear that the whitetail have put pressure on the Okanogan winter range; by feeding there all summer.  Besides the docile personality of the mule deer does not help it compete at the winter hay stack or in the bush.  Thank God for Lake Chelan for slowing their migration south.

[Colville]

I wonder muleracks if and when the WDFW will decide that, within the methow winter range anyhow, whitetails should be given an any deer tag. What's the downside? Whitetails can make habitat basically anywhere and they are all but impossible to irradacate so why are they keeping the mule deer regs for the whitetails in that range I'll never understand. Besides, an any whitetail tag in the same area would fill a bunch of tags taking pressure off of mule deer. It seems simple, I guess that's why it'll never happen.

[bobcat]

Colville, maybe they suspect that with a general season any whitetail tag that mulies would be mistaken for whitetails and shot, and then left to rot.

[muleracks]

That is exactly what we were told in 94 when my son harvested a big 4x4 whitetail back of Entiat.  We met a "game warden" on the way down the Dick Ranch road; we stopped him, showed him the buck and started ragging on him about keeping the whitetails out of Chelan County.  We suggested just letting everyone shoot any whitetail they saw.  He said that there are so few whitetails in the area that nearly every deer killed would be a mule deer.

Seems like "any whitetail" hunts would work in the Okanogan.  But then there are those whitetail hunters who would object to such a plan.  Managing wildlife isn't as easy as it sounds.

[TheHunt]

Start Humor

Seems to be a good use of our Advance Hunter Ed graduates.   

End Humor

[boneaddict]

No comment...ok maybe I will.

First of all, if you wnat to get an accurate account of the hunting pressure, amount of hunters and so forth, move your frickin check stations around.......not in the same place, the same time every year for decades, especially when there is a road right next to it that you can just as easily take and not have to stop and "waste" your time dealing with having your vehicle searched, measurements taken, interveiws etc.  The way they gather statistics just blows me away. 

Next, three point or better for whitetail....whoopppeeee.  Half of last years fawn crop has three points or more for whities.

I thoought the last blast of statistics was the herd was in great shape, lots of animals, yeah right.......

[WDFW-SUX]

I thoought the last blast of statistics was the herd was in great shape, lots of animals, yeah right.......

  I though that was funny too.

[Alchase]

I agree Bone, if they are using the game check stations as their data source we are in trouble. The one outside Winthrup is only there for two days (opener saturday and Sunday) you do not "have to" stop and you can go the other way into town and completely avoid it.