Looking Back at 19 Years of Mule Deer Adaptive Harvest Management in FWP Region 6

Abstract

The FWP adapted the Mule Deer Adaptative Harvest Management plan in 2001 and since then, mule deer densities within FWP Administrative Region 6 have increased significantly over the last two decades, as estimated through 11 deer trend areas across the region. Due to increasing densities, increased hunting pressure, new disease threats and potential game damage concerns on private lands, the FWP has steadily increased harvest through available antlerless blicenses. The majority of the region is either-sex, general hunting opportunity for both deer species with liberal b-licenses but available b-licenses have fluctuated in the last 19 years, as low as no b-licenses available for two years, to over 6,000 offered across the region in 2019. In recent years, the demand from both landowners and sportsman for increased harvest opportunity and the need to reduce higher concentrations of deer has also increased. Mule deer numbers have thrived under AHM since its inception and the FWP’s objective to maintain deer densities at a more tolerable and closer to average level provides mostly liberal hunting seasons across the region while minimizing landowner conflicts with mule deer and maintaining a healthy population.