Southern Interior Mule Deer Project Update

[Wild one]

not to mention it probably wouldn't help much. How many hunters actually see a cougar? As far as i know it's a very low number of people.

They don’t get seen often that is for sure. I have only see a handful out hunting in my life and only 3 would have been possible for a shot. Most cougar sightings are a fast glimpse even when you see them

[Ourea]

More deer where captured and collared last week in the Boundary.

[Wild one]

One to consider is wolves are also known to push cougar of their kills in turn causing the cougar to hunt more.

This could be playing a roll in this as well

[Bugle M In]

More deer where captured and collared last week in the Boundary.

Good thing! as it was looking like they wouldn't have enough to study by X-mas
Thanks for the update.

[Bugle M In]

One to consider is wolves are also known to push cougar of their kills in turn causing the cougar to hunt more.

This could be playing a roll in this as well

Really good point I had never considered!

[Bugle M In]

very cool. Post up the FB map!!

Not sure if this is going to help you and others, but I will post up what I think is the link???
BUT, if people would go to the FB site for:
British Columbia Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers

Link: https://www.facebook.com/BCWildlifeF...TE2MzI1NDM2Mg/

[Bugle M In]

If that link worked, it shows "everybody" how important the Columbia Valley is to deer and all ungulates come winter!
And we have done really nothing to protect much of those areas for them.
Instead, we have had them culled due to some "private interests" as well as just continuing development.

[Pauly]

It would be interesting to see where the deer were getting killed. I'm no scientist, but I believe the deer in the Cache Creek Study Area are surviving because they are all wintering in a fresh burn.

That said, I'm curious if there was better survival in the Boundary Study Area specifically around the recent Rock Creek burn than in other parts of the Study Area.

Actually the fire actually destroyed good habitat as in the way of fir in the valley the deer eat the lichen of the limbs now it’s all grassland another 10 years and all the burnt timber will be down on the ground . Fire helps and fire hurts. If anything deer numbers have dropped since the fire.

[ratherbefishin]

Hunted all my life and only seen two cougars ,seen cat tracks by by boot prints when retracing my path though..never saw them,even when they followed me for half a mile

[Bugle M In]

Actually the fire actually destroyed good habitat as in the way of fir in the valley the deer eat the lichen of the limbs now it’s all grassland another 10 years and all the burnt timber will be down on the ground . Fire helps and fire hurts. If anything deer numbers have dropped since the fire.

Sounds like you and me have hunted the same areas.
I would agree, that in the case of the Ashcroft Reserve Fire, that some areas that burnt were in fact a "bad thing", as it was one some
prime winter range, and yes, lichen is something they like to have in their mouths and which the fore destroyed a lot of and what
MD need thru winter.
Now, on the main Plateau, where so much of it was obliterated by logging, summer range, that would have been a great area to have had
a fire...naturally occurring, but without all the logging already present, would have been ideal.

Some of the fringe areas of the fire, that did burn in winter range, is where I think there were big benefits!
Where, just like spot logging, this combination of mature growth winter fir with lichen and then fresh grasses and plants from the burn
intertwined is perfect, imo.

I think the decline of deer in the area however, already started when the logging got heavy, and then followed by wolves and R5 closure and added hunting pressure.
It is possible that benefits from the burn may take years to see, rather then some areas like the OK fire where many hunters found some
real benefits from it within a year or 2.
The extensive logging makes this different.