- Joined
- Mar 11, 2001
- Messages
- 70,011
- Reaction score
- 1,007
22 more elk and deer die after trying to cross ice
F&G still trying to steer animals to safer route
Roger Phillips, The Idaho Statesman
01-13-2004
Another 22 elk and deer drowned or had to be killed after they fell through the ice Monday morning trying to cross the Mores Creek arm of Lucky Peak Reservoir.
Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials and volunteers have been trying to prevent elk and deer from crossing the ice since last week, when dozens of the animals fell through the ice and died or had to be killed by F&G personnel.
The agency will continue trying to haze elk and deer from the area to places where it is safer to cross the reservoir.
The total number of animals killed in that area this winter is now 90 elk and 25 deer, according Jerry Scholten, manager of Idaho Department of Fish and Game´s Boise River Wildlife Management Area.
Scholten said it´s the largest number of animals he has seen drown in a winter in his more than 30 years on the WMA. In 1997, 41 deer either drowned or had to be killed after becoming trapped in ice on the reservoir.
Al Van Vooren, regional supervisor for the Southwest Region, said that although the drownings are “heart-wrenching,” they won´t have an impact on the overall elk herds. F&G counted 7,300 elk in Unit 39, which encompasses most of the Boise River drainage, when the department did its last aerial surveys in 2002. The 90 drowned elk represent slightly more than 1 percent of that population.
But the large number of drowned elk this year took F&G officials by surprise.
“We don´t have a significant history of elk migrating there,” Van Vooren said.
Elk usually winter in the Middle Fork of the Boise River drainage and don´t migrate to the low-elevation winter range on the west side of Idaho 21, Scholten said.
F&G officials suspect a combination of factors could have driven the elk down into the area. A series of snowstorms blanketed the mid-elevations, including the south slopes where the animals can usually find refuge from deep snow.
The Middle Fork has experienced a number of fires and landslides in the last decade, and that, coupled with recent droughts, may mean less food is available, they said. That forces the elk to move into different areas.
Despite the drownings, big game animals are not facing a harsh winter so far.
“This isn´t an abnormally severe winter,” Van Vooren said.
F&G has started feeding deer and elk in a few areas of the state, but none in the Southwest Region.
“If winter tracks out normally, we´re going to expect some winter losses, but nothing significant,” said Brad Compton, F&G big game manager.
Snowfall and cold weather have driven more big game animals to lower elevations than in past years, when mild winters allowed them to stay at higher elevations and disperse over larger areas.
“We are putting more of an emphasis on monitoring winter conditions than we have in the last couple years,” Compton said.
Low-elevation winter range in Southwest Idaho should be able to support the animals, he said.
Most deer and elk didn´t migrate into the lower elevations until late December, and spring green-up starts as early as late February or March.
Compton also said there is only about 4 to 6 inches of snow in the Boise foothills and still lots of open slopes on which animals can feed.
“It´s not deep enough to worry about,” he said. But he added that winter has just started, and conditions could change.
Winter feeding advisory committees in each region have developed criteria that determine when to start feeding. In the Southwest Region, that includes snow depth reaching a minimum of 18 inches on south-facing slopes for at least five consecutive days, snow crusting and daytime high temperatures not exceeding 0 degrees Fahrenheit for five consecutive days.
Snow depths on south slopes in the Garden Valley area peaked at between 14 and 16 inches after recent snowstorms, but temperatures have warmed since then and some snow has melted, Van Vooren said.
But if there was a repeat of the storms that hit over the holidays, “it would probably kick us into a an emergency feeding situation,” Van Vooren said.
To offer story ideas or comments, contact Roger Phillips
rphillips@idahostatesman.com or 373-6615
F&G still trying to steer animals to safer route
Roger Phillips, The Idaho Statesman
01-13-2004
Another 22 elk and deer drowned or had to be killed after they fell through the ice Monday morning trying to cross the Mores Creek arm of Lucky Peak Reservoir.
Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials and volunteers have been trying to prevent elk and deer from crossing the ice since last week, when dozens of the animals fell through the ice and died or had to be killed by F&G personnel.
The agency will continue trying to haze elk and deer from the area to places where it is safer to cross the reservoir.
The total number of animals killed in that area this winter is now 90 elk and 25 deer, according Jerry Scholten, manager of Idaho Department of Fish and Game´s Boise River Wildlife Management Area.
Scholten said it´s the largest number of animals he has seen drown in a winter in his more than 30 years on the WMA. In 1997, 41 deer either drowned or had to be killed after becoming trapped in ice on the reservoir.
Al Van Vooren, regional supervisor for the Southwest Region, said that although the drownings are “heart-wrenching,” they won´t have an impact on the overall elk herds. F&G counted 7,300 elk in Unit 39, which encompasses most of the Boise River drainage, when the department did its last aerial surveys in 2002. The 90 drowned elk represent slightly more than 1 percent of that population.
But the large number of drowned elk this year took F&G officials by surprise.
“We don´t have a significant history of elk migrating there,” Van Vooren said.
Elk usually winter in the Middle Fork of the Boise River drainage and don´t migrate to the low-elevation winter range on the west side of Idaho 21, Scholten said.
F&G officials suspect a combination of factors could have driven the elk down into the area. A series of snowstorms blanketed the mid-elevations, including the south slopes where the animals can usually find refuge from deep snow.
The Middle Fork has experienced a number of fires and landslides in the last decade, and that, coupled with recent droughts, may mean less food is available, they said. That forces the elk to move into different areas.
Despite the drownings, big game animals are not facing a harsh winter so far.
“This isn´t an abnormally severe winter,” Van Vooren said.
F&G has started feeding deer and elk in a few areas of the state, but none in the Southwest Region.
“If winter tracks out normally, we´re going to expect some winter losses, but nothing significant,” said Brad Compton, F&G big game manager.
Snowfall and cold weather have driven more big game animals to lower elevations than in past years, when mild winters allowed them to stay at higher elevations and disperse over larger areas.
“We are putting more of an emphasis on monitoring winter conditions than we have in the last couple years,” Compton said.
Low-elevation winter range in Southwest Idaho should be able to support the animals, he said.
Most deer and elk didn´t migrate into the lower elevations until late December, and spring green-up starts as early as late February or March.
Compton also said there is only about 4 to 6 inches of snow in the Boise foothills and still lots of open slopes on which animals can feed.
“It´s not deep enough to worry about,” he said. But he added that winter has just started, and conditions could change.
Winter feeding advisory committees in each region have developed criteria that determine when to start feeding. In the Southwest Region, that includes snow depth reaching a minimum of 18 inches on south-facing slopes for at least five consecutive days, snow crusting and daytime high temperatures not exceeding 0 degrees Fahrenheit for five consecutive days.
Snow depths on south slopes in the Garden Valley area peaked at between 14 and 16 inches after recent snowstorms, but temperatures have warmed since then and some snow has melted, Van Vooren said.
But if there was a repeat of the storms that hit over the holidays, “it would probably kick us into a an emergency feeding situation,” Van Vooren said.
To offer story ideas or comments, contact Roger Phillips
rphillips@idahostatesman.com or 373-6615
