percieved lack of antelope?

T

thirtythirty

Guest
The last few year, I've had the opportunity to crisscross Idaho a number of times. One thing that always strikes me is that for being so desolate in many places, you would think that would be a lot more antelope. I know we have herds but it just seem there is room for more. Can anybody expound upon this?

30-30
 
I have thought that many'a times.. The only thing that i can think of is lack of suitable witer range. But that is just a guess..
 
For many years I have bowhunted bears in Idaho every year. When I first started bear hunting the area I hunt, we would see 20-50 antelope daily. We had one bait that was almost 9,000 feet in elevation. A large strip of timber comes off the mountain and down into the sage flats. The first few years I hunted that area I saw antelope almost to the top of that mountain in the open slopes.

One year when my son was still pretty young (about 9-10)we were driving my four wheeler down a two track road and could see a nice buck laying on the side of steep ravine. I kept going down the road and out of sight of the buck and then stopped and told my son to sneak up there and get as close as he could. It was a chance for him to practice his stalking skills as antelope have such great eyes.

I watched from a long distance as he closed the distance on the buck and notice he got well within bow range. He then turned around and came back to me and told me he thought the buck was sick as it had saliva running out its mouth.

I had dinner in a dutch oven so we headed back to camp and ate. We then got back on the bike and headed back toward the antelope and by the time we got back the buck had died. I had a good friend who was the game warden in that area and I told him about what happened when he came into camp a few days later and ask if he knew of any disease antelope had, but he didn't.

Skip forward 18 years and we seldom see an antelope in that area during the whole bear season, let alone at 9,000 feet. Its great habitat but the antelope just aren't there like they should be. I have often wondered why myself. I have thought often about that buck and what made him die and if the same thing killed all the antelope that used to inhabit that area.

Have a good one. BB
 
bingo! Also unregulated archery hunting has kept them beat down. Archery hunters are killing more than rifle hunters. Ron
 
I think the number one threat to antelope in Idaho is poaching. The farmers and their help do not like them. A good friend of mine was scouting in our area a month before the season opened and saw a farmers helper shoot a doe out of the window of his truck. My friend called immediatley called it in and was amazed at what he heard. The person on the line said "yea, most farmers don't like the antelope eating in their fields and we can't follow up on every single one. Thanks for calling anyway."
 
Idahoron,
Just curious - What are the harvest success rates in Idaho for bowhunters hunting antelope? I haven't had time to look at the #'s, but I find it really hard to believe that archers are the reason for small or dwindling populations of speedgoats in Idaho. I can't imagine the success rate is that high.
 
Percentage wise I could not tell you state wide and I don't think that "open" success is out on the web but I might be wrong. I know last year when the "draw archery" antelope permit was being kicked around the reason for doing something was increased success rates and dwindling antelope populations. Unit 46 was singled out at that meeting and the rifle hunt has 60 permits. Most years they kill just short of 60 antelope. I was told at that time that Archery kills exceed 60 animals every year in that unit. Another issue was poor sportsmanship in the archery hunt. There were several cases where "archery" hunters were putting bleach into water holes to keep antelope off other guys blinds. I have personally seen some things that should lead to a closing of the hunt all together. I say this and the only antelope I have ever killed was with a bow. I can't support the activities that these so called hunters are doing on public land. Ron
 
The state has been dropping the numbers of tags over the last ten years. The drought has hurt the winter ranges. Also, there have been some freak accidents with trains that have wiped out huge numbers of pronghorns during the winter. Or is it the wolves?
 
Drought, harsh winters, over grazing, fires, Yes trains, and in my opinion over hunting have proven to be efficient in removing antelope from our state. Driving through the desert in unit 46 was like driving through Africa. It was lousy with Antelope. Same thing can be said for the area around Mackay, and Arco. There were AMAZING herds in the Little Lost, but not any more! Now it is rare to see antelope at all. I don't think that wolves are doing much to antelope. The fact is we need to reduce hunter harvest for a few years. If we have an area that has depredation concerns trap them and ship them to areas where the population is so low that they could use some recruitment in the population. Antelope in this state are in a tough spot. Populations are not increasing and in most places are reducing. But that is nothing new for Idaho. Every game animal we have in this state is in a decline. Well decline might not be the right words. FREE FALL is a little closer to the right words. Ron
 
This is sobering. You need to post his on this on the "Idaho" forum. I remembering archery hunting antelope in the Copper Basin area in the 80's and it was fantastic. We were constantly stalking B&C sized antelope. Idaho has some serious problems and there just doesn't to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Quick, somebody tell me something positive about the game situation in Idaho. Waterfowl doesn't count!

30-30
 
Coyote predation could be a factor here.Being from Wyoming,coyotes take their share of fawns in certain areas here.Probably "all the above" plays a role in you guys 'lope numbers.Seems kinda strange we have so many with what appears to be the same type of habitat.We also have grazing/overgrazing by livestock,predators,development,etc.Sounds to me like you Idahoans really need to get on the F&G's butts up there and demand some change!!
 
>This is sobering. You need
>to post his on this
>on the "Idaho" forum.
>I remembering archery hunting antelope
>in the Copper Basin area
>in the 80's and it
>was fantastic. We were
>constantly stalking B&C sized antelope.
> Idaho has some serious
>problems and there just doesn't
>to be a light at
>the end of the tunnel.
> Quick, somebody tell me
>something positive about the game
>situation in Idaho. Waterfowl
>doesn't count!
>
>30-30

I used to hunt copper basin in the early to mid 90's. It was on a down ward cycle even then but you could see some dandys. Now you would have a hard time finding many at all. I have been putting in for antelope since 1984. I have yet to pull my first tag. With the population now I am not sure if I want one. Ron
 

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