Shorter hunting seasons proposed for cow elk, doe

The loss of wildlife from a near record snowfall during the winter of 2007-2008 could result in shorter hunting seasons in 2009 for cow elk, white-tailed doe and archers.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game at 7 p.m. Monday, March 16, will host a public meeting in the wildlife building at Bonner County Fairgrounds in Sandpoint to discuss other proposed big game hunting seasons. A meeting is not scheduled for Boundary County.

Significant proposals, according to Fish and Game biologist Wayne Wakkinen, include:

• Limiting the traditional four-week archery season for elk and white-tailed deer to two weeks, from Aug. 30 to Sept. 14. It has run from Aug. 30 to Sept. 30. It’s also proposed that the Dec. 10-23 archery season be eliminated.

• Limiting the seven-day cow elk rifle season to three days. The season is traditionally held Oct. 15 to 21. It’s proposed the three-day season run Friday through Sunday.

• Limiting the rifle white-tailed doe season from Nov. 1 to  Nov. 9. Traditionally, it’s been from Nov. 1 to Dec. 1.

The elk population was assessed from the sky.

“One of the things we saw (from the helicopter) was a low (elk) cow-calf ratio,” Wakkinen said. “It’s interesting, we’ve got pretty good numbers of elk on the hills, but the cow and calf ratios are down.”

A bad winter makes it tougher for elk to find food. In addition, some calves were born with snow on the ground.

“They were stressed and we probably had a high calf mortality,” Wakkinen said.

The white-tailed buck season should remain the same, running from Oct. 10 to Dec. 1.

Cutting the archery to a two-week season is for protecting the overall elk population, he said.

“We’re afraid if we restrict the cow harvest to three days, people will really hit the bulls hard,” Wakkinen said. “It’s an attempt to cut back on the harvest.”

“If we have a mild winter and normal calf production, it will be a year or two and we should have our numbers back,” he added.

Wakkinen doesn’t foresee changes related to bears and mountain lions.

The season proposals also will be available for review and comment on the Idaho Fish and Game Web site: fishandgame.idaho.gov, or by contacting the Panhandle Region office at 208-769-1414. The deadline for on-line and mailed comments is 5 p.m. Friday, March 13.