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Thread: Mule deer study in the Okanagan

  1. #1
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    Mule deer study in the Okanagan

    There is a mule deer study going on in the Okanagan as to why the mule deer are dying. One has to wonder why the any mule deer buck season in region 8 Okanagan is not shut down. I have not hunted mule deer in the Okanagan for years as the numbers, in my opinion, are not there.

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  3. #2
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    Re: Mule deer study in the Okanagan

    Link to story here: https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelown...r-mystery-case

    Wildlife scientists and conservationists are trying to solve the mystery of why mule deer across the Okanagan Valley are dying.


    Jesse Zeman, director of the Fish & Wildlife Restoration Program, says the project is in its first year and is the largest collaborative project that B.C. has ever seen.


    “We want to know how they are moving across the landscape, what is killing them, and how the habitat is affecting our deer population,” said Zeman.


    “We don’t know what’s driving the mortalities so far but that is why we hire these great people from UBCO and the University of Idaho.”


    Sophie Gilbert, assistant professor from the University of Idaho and one of her students are in the Okanagan to investigate.


    “Nobody can really tell us the reason,” she said.


    Gilbert says the original herd they were concerned about was the Boundary herd.


    “That historically was the most productive herd in the province and now it is just a shadow of its former self,” said Gilbert.


    Deer survival has been really low, much lower than expected, in the boundary area according to Zeman.


    The partners in the project include the B.C. Wildlife Federation, B.C. Fish and Wildlife branch, government staff, Okanagan National Alliance, the University of Idaho and UBCO.


    “Mule deer are kind of an icon in southern B.C., there has been a lot of concern over the species,” said Zeman. “We’ve been hearing about this since the 1970's.”


    Gilbert says they have a bunch of different ideas about what might be driving the decline.


    “The absence of fire from the ecosystem is one of those potential drivers, we also see a lot more white-tailed deer in the system they prefer disturbed habitats, old forest. White-tail deer feed predators, predators also eat mule deer,” she said.


    Wildfires produce a lot of deer food as the regrowth provides high quality and abundant food.


    “I know for people that are hunters that is their food, they go out and hunt mule deer and they want them to be sustainable. And the other thing is that they are an indicator that shows us that we are doing right by our ecosystems,” said Zeman.


    As a group, they will collar 30 adult does and 20 fawns per year in their study area.


    The deer will be GPS collared so they know where they are moving and health samples are taken.


    “We checked to see if the deer was pregnant, in this case, she was. She had two fetuses, two babies and we checked overall body condition,” said Zeman.


    The project will take a total of five years and then will give a recommendation on how to restore the mule deer habitat and population


    “Our first step is to identify which of these various factors on the landscape are driving the declines and will help stop the decline of mule deer and hopefully bring them back,” said Gilbert.
    ...

  4. #3
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    Re: Mule deer study in the Okanagan

    Quote Originally Posted by Walksalot View Post
    There is a mule deer study going on in the Okanagan as to why the mule deer are dying. One has to wonder why the any mule deer buck season in region 8 Okanagan is not shut down. I have not hunted mule deer in the Okanagan for years as the numbers, in my opinion, are not there.
    Walksalot, have you looked at the data on pregnancy rates with this project?
    It's almost 100%, and, a good percentage are sporting twins.
    (they do field ultrasounds on captured deer)

    If MD are showing almost 100% pregnancy how will closing any buck seasons help make more deer?
    Will they get even more pregnant?
    It will only impact age on bucks.


    I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with keyboards and forums. - F L Wright


    Try and be kind to everyone but fear no one. - Ourea


  5. #4
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    Re: Mule deer study in the Okanagan

    Quote Originally Posted by Walksalot View Post
    There is a mule deer study going on in the Okanagan as to why the mule deer are dying. One has to wonder why the any mule deer buck season in region 8 Okanagan is not shut down. I have not hunted mule deer in the Okanagan for years as the numbers, in my opinion, are not there.
    While there are buck to doe ratios below the target levels of 20:100 in some MUs in the OK, early results of the study have shown that sperm supply is not an issue (very high pregnancy rates).

    Provincially we saw some changes last year reducing the mule buck limit to one buck in the central and southern regions. There is no plan to change the any buck season at this point until the wide spread reduced buck limit proves ineffective.

    Areas in the east koots and boundary region have gone to a 4 pt only season and have watched their mule deer numbers continue to go down

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  6. #5
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    Re: Mule deer study in the Okanagan

    It's not just Reg 8. Reg 3 is struggling as well. Logan lake is a sanctuary for Mule deer. Last fall there was hardly any deer around. My buddy is born and raised there and he is as in tune with the wildlife as anyone could be. Normally trees around town would be scraped up during the rut but this fall the deer were just not there. I also know a hunting guide and he says mulie #s are down 70% compared to historical levels around Kamloops. The WT are taking a hit as well. He has over 20 cams out and says he didn't get on buck over 160 last fall and saw few bigger deer.
    My buddy hunted private land near Kamloops near the end of Nov and saw over 50 MD in one day but only a few were small bucks.
    Scary shit.

  7. #6
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    Re: Mule deer study in the Okanagan

    Quote Originally Posted by Ourea View Post
    Walksalot, have you looked at the data on pregnancy rates with this project?
    It's almost 100%, and, a good percentage are sporting twins.
    (they do field ultrasounds on captured deer)

    If MD are showing almost 100% pregnancy how will closing any buck seasons help make more deer?
    Will they get even more pregnant?
    It will only impact age on bucks.
    I see the same thing in R3, in the mu's I hunt.
    But, with all that, I still don't see an increase in population (and I think they could sustain higher #'s there)

    There is something happening between December, when al these fawns still exist, and after the hunting season!, till the following season.
    Maybe it's between Dec and Apr/May.

    I am just glad to see that people recognize there is an issue.
    And I am glad they have some "quality" people looking into it.
    However, I wish they could have collared more deer!, BUT, requires more funding!!??
    Looking forward to seeing the results.

    All I heard is, there was some "oddity" to a deer's movement etc!?
    Something about "not expecting" what they were doing.

    Again, shutting down a season might show some "short term" benefits.
    But again, if the issue is "not hunting as per their decline", then "long term", we have achieved sweet F'all,
    and then you will see their #'s further decline, and no hunting...ever...because you haven't
    "addressed the issue that has created the decline"!

    Seen that in the EK with elk.
    Not addressing the "real issues" is what has screwed up all the game pop's in the Province.
    Not hunting

  8. #7
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    Re: Mule deer study in the Okanagan

    Coyotes, wolves, cougar, bear, vehicle strikes....deal with the issues.

  9. #8
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    Jun 2018
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    Re: Mule deer study in the Okanagan

    Wildfires, loss of habitat due to forestry and increased predator numbers seem to be major factors.

  10. #9
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    Re: Mule deer study in the Okanagan

    Quote Originally Posted by Bubbacanuck View Post
    Wildfires, loss of habitat due to forestry and increased predator numbers seem to be major factors.
    As stated in the article, fires help wildlife.


    I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with keyboards and forums. - F L Wright


    Try and be kind to everyone but fear no one. - Ourea


  11. #10
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    Re: Mule deer study in the Okanagan

    all I know on the matter is that when up there last year, we went to a few vineyards and a park on the far side of the lake. I saw 7 or 8 mule deer does and 3 of them were injured on the back end...not sure if it was hit by cars, attacked by dogs, or attacked by predators but it looked like they may have been attacked while giving birth and had their fawns taken as there were no fawns in the groups of 2 or 3 that I saw....I know this anecdotal info means nothing but it did strike me as a bit disturbing seeing so many wounded/injured does

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