Hey guys! I’m stoked to bring you this episode of the Muley Monday Biology Series all about Idaho mule deer. In this podcast, I talk with biologists Matt Pieron, the IDFG Mule Deer Initiative Coordinator, and Curtis Hendrickson, the Regional Wildlife Manager for the Upper Snack Region. We go in deep on habitat and what hunters should look for when identifying good mule deer areas, including some vegetation specifics and what they’re doing or need to do for habitat improvement in Idaho. Also, Idaho just adopted a new mule deer management plan in 2020-2025 and as a result, there are potential changes to the nonresident tag allocation structure in the legislature right now. While it won’t affect hunters in 2020, it’s something to keep an eye on. These are two great guys, and both sportsmen who have devoted their professional careers to working on wildlife issues and we touch on that as it seems to be pretty consistent with all biologists I’ve come across in this series. I really appreciated these guys taking time out of their busy days between winter range counts and crunching harvest data to sit down and talk mule deer.
Show Notes:
Intro & Biologist Background – 0m 35s
Overview – Idaho Mule Deer Management – 6m 18s
Controlled Hunts & Buck:Doe Ratios – 11m 59s
Winter Herd Losses – 18m 41s
Populations, Habitat & Food Sources – 22m 9s
Hunter Data, Numbers & Opportunity – 47m 8s
What to Ask a Biologist When Researching – 63m 19s
Closing – 69m 19s