Idaho Mule Deer with Idaho Fish and Game – Season 3 Episode 8 – April 27

On this episode of Talking Mule Deer, Steve is talking with Daryl Meints, Idaho Department Fish and Game’s (IDFG) deer and elk coordinator, and Matt Pieron, IDFG’s Mule Deer Initiative Coordinator. We hear about Idaho’s new Mule Deer Management Plan that was recently completed. Matt and Daryl tell us about how they developed the plan and some of the issues, like hunter congestion, that they are attempting to tackle. They also talk about habitat projects, including MDF’s work in the Bennett Hills to restore sagebrush in important mule deer winter range after wildfires burned through the area. Steve asks them about some of the Idaho priorities for big game migration corridors through their Secretarial Order 3362 state action plan. One of their projects include improving deer crossings over Highway 30 in the Rocky Point migration corridor in the southeast corridor of the state, an area that has had significant deer mortality during seasonal movements every year. They’ve also identified research priorities to analyze data from collared animals to better understand deer migrations. We wrap up by talking about Idaho’s upcoming hunting season and tag applications.