Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
WDFW calls deer season "non-eventful"
DAVENPORT – It appears that this year’s ammo shortfall didn’t encourage the deer population to reveal themselves to hunters, as early hunting season has netted the smallest harvest in some time.
“It’s probably one of the slowest, non-eventful deer seasons I’ve ever worked,” Officer Curt Wood of the Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
Wood has worked in Lincoln County in his position for 25 years. He said opening weekend for deer hunting season was “one of the slowest weekends” he’s had on the job.
“I think deer populations are way below normal,” Wood said.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, WDFW isn’t doing check stations like it normally would, so Wood or the department weren’t able to provide exact harvest numbers from early hunts. However, Wood said he only heard of a few deer being shot, and he only received four calls for service from Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office opening weekend…all of which regarded a hunter trespassing on private property.
“Biggest case I had all of opening weekend was a littering case,” Wood said.
Davenport Sporting Goods owner Kevin Hupp said he’s only heard of roughly five bucks being legally shot since the season began on Oct. 17.
The low deer harvest numbers aren’t attributable to fewer hunters; Wood said the number of hunters has remained steady, while to Hupp it seems like there’s more hunters and hunting families every year.
“It feels like there’s more (hunters) with the sizes of families in our town,” Hupp said. “More are going to hunter’s ed.”
There are three main reasons for low deer numbers in Lincoln County, according to Wood. Both Wood and Hupp brought up a notorious, stealthy big cat as a predatory reason for declining populations.
Wood has heard of two cougars being harvested since the season began, both of which were in canyons in northern Lincoln County. One was shot in Indian Creek, while the other was tagged in Hawk Creek.
The cougar tagged in Indian Creek was a big male. Wood spoke to the successful hunter, who had a trail camera set up to track the cat and a deer carcass the tom was feeding on. When he reviewed camera footage, he saw three more cougars feeding on the same carcass.
The cougar harvested in Hawk Creek was tagged within one square mile of the tom in Indian Creek, meaning there were five cougars either killed or caught on tape within one square mile of each other.
“When you get five cats within a square mile, the deer are not going to fair well,” Wood said.
Hupp said tagging cougars is vital for attempting to slow the decline of deer population.
“We need to kill more cougars,” Hupp said plainly. “For every cougar (killed), you save 52 deer … I’m a WSU fan, so I like cougars, but we have to limit them.”
Cougars tend to frequent the wooded areas near Lake Roosevelt in northern Lincoln County, but Wood has received reports of cougar sightings all over the county.
Wood and Hupp also brought up wolves as potential predators attacking deer, though cougars are the largest threat. Black bears have also attacked deer, though their diet is more likely to consist of herbivorous material.
“We’re told (wolves) aren’t here, but they are,” Hupp said.
Most predators lurk in wooded areas near Lake Roosevelt, but Wood has received reports of cougars and wolves all over the county, including a wolf reporting west of Harrington earlier this year.
Another reason for low deer populations is the outbreak of Bluetongue disease, an insect-borne viral disease that has struck various deer populations in the county over the last two years.
“That disease killed a lot of whitetails in the Reardan and Davenport area two years ago,” Wood said. “The next year it hit Wilbur and Creston (deer).”
The Whitney Road fire that consumed nearly 200 square miles of Lincoln County land also plays a role in declining deer populations. Wood referenced the thousands of acres of lost habitat, including sage brush that will take years to grow back; if it ever grows back at all. Hupp also brought up the poor air quality the fire brought, noting many animals likely suffocated even if they avoided the flames.
“I think (the fire) took out more than we think,” Hupp said.
Hupp said there are still likely a few cases of poaching in the area, though it’s rare. Wood recently came into Hupp’s store while a deer that had been killed and not tagged.
Hunters down on their luck with finding deer may have better luck with birds. Turkey populations are doing very well in Lincoln County, Wood said, while other birds such as grouse, pheasant, duck and goose are “steady.”
Wood has heard of a couple elks being tagged and a few being spotted, but elk hunting success has been predictably low so far.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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