Upland Game Management Plan 2019-2025
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Idaho Upland Game Management Plan 2019-2025 Prepared by IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME July 2019 Recommended Citation: Idaho Department of Fish and Game. 2019. Idaho upland game management plan, 2019-2025. Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Boise, USA. Front and Back Cover Photographs: Front Cover: Ruffed Grouse ©Agnieszka Bacal CC YB -NC-ND 2.0, Shutterstock Back Cover: ©Glenn Oakley Additional copies: Additional copies can be downloaded from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game website at idfg.idaho.gov Idaho Department of Fish and Game – Upland Game Planning Team: Tyler Archibald – Regional Wildlife Biologist, Southwest Region Regan Berkley – Regional Wildlife Manager, Southwest Region (McCall) Rachel Curtis – Regional Wildlife Biologist, Southwest Region Don Jenkins – Regional Habitat Manager, Clearwater Region Jeffrey Knetter – Team Leader and Wildlife Program Coordinator, Headquarters Joe Kozfkay – State Fisheries Manager, Headquarters David Leptich – Regional Wildlife Biologist, Panhandle Region Mike McDonald - Regional Wildlife Manager, Magic Valley Region Ann Moser – Wildlife Staff Biologist, Headquarters Greg Painter - Regional Wildlife Manager, Salmon Region Sal Palazzolo - Wildlife Program Coordinator, Headquarters Maria Pacioretty - Regional Wildlife Biologist, Southeast Region Matt Proett - Regional Wildlife Biologist, Upper Snake Region Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) adheres to all applicable state and federal laws and regulations related to discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, gender, disability or veteran’s status. If you feel you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility of IDFG, or if you desire further information, please write to: Idaho Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID 83707 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Assistance, Mailstop: MBSP-4020, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203, Telephone: (703) 358-2156. This publication will be made available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact IDFG for assistance. Costs associated with this publication are available from IDFG in accordance with Section 60-202, Idaho Code. Approved July 2019 Idaho Fish and Game Commission Meeting. Printed 1/2020/PCA 41901. GG Idaho Department of Fish & Game iii Executive Summary ©Martha Wackenhut FOR IDAHO FISH AND GAME pland game hunting resources available in opinion survey of hunting license buyers during UIdaho are unique, not only in the West, but August 2018. nationally, because of the diversity of species and This Plan will function as the action plan for habitats available to hunters. In general, seasons upland game management in Idaho. Major are structured to maximize hunting opportunity. issues that affect upland game species are These seasons provide for abundant youth identified, and will help guide overall direction hunting and mentoring opportunities, as upland for upland game management during the next game hunting is often considered a good way to 6 years (2019–2025). This Plan will guide the introduce people to hunting. Department in annual work plan development In the Department’s prior Upland Game Species and program prioritization, and provide direction Management Plan (IDFG 1991), adopted by the for development of regulatory recommendations. Commission in 1990, priority issues and strategies As such, the Plan identifies 3 main priorities to focused on maintaining and improving habitat address during the next planning period: quality and quantity, developing consistent harvest strategies, and improving population • Population and harvest management and monitoring techniques. monitoring, This Idaho Upland Game Management Plan (Plan) • Habitat improvement and management, will provide guidance to Department staff to • Hunting access. implement management actions that will enhance These priorities were identified by the upland upland game habitat and populations, and game planning team as issues that need to be provide recreational hunting opportunities that addressed to improve upland game management reflect preferences of Idaho hunters. To better and hunter opportunity. Furthermore, responses understand views of upland game hunters in to the upland game opinion survey reinforced Idaho and inform management guidance for this importance of habitat improvement and planning process, the Department conducted an management, and increased access for upland game hunters in Idaho. iv Idaho Department of Fish & Game Executive Summary Population and Harvest Management and roadside routes has been developed. Managers Monitoring - For most upland game species, lack need to evaluate these data collection programs of efficient and reliable monitoring techniques for their utility for management and public remain a management issue. Estimating information. Efforts that do not provide useful population size for most upland game species information will be discontinued. The Department is difficult because of their secretive nature and will investigate and implement new methods wide distribution across a variety of habitats. to survey populations and improve annual Unlike some big game species that congregate on monitoring (e.g., modeling efforts that consider winter range (i.e., mule deer and elk), most upland weather and vegetative indices in relation to game species do not concentrate in areas where annual harvest). they can easily be counted; therefore, efforts to - Long- estimate upland game populations are not cost- Habitat Improvement and Management term population trends of upland game species effective. Consequently, the Department has are determined by quality and quantity of relied on 2 primary sources of data for monitoring available habitat. Annual (short-term) population upland game trends: harvest data and data levels fluctuate primarily in response to weather gathered on roadside surveys. conditions during nesting, brood-rearing, and The Department does not have an efficient winter periods, with magnitude of fluctuations method to survey hunters who pursue upland determined in part by habitat effectiveness. game. Without a way to target upland game Therefore, habitat management is the most hunters, surveys have been sent to a random important component to sustain upland game sample of hunting license buyers. Respondent populations. Additionally, respondents to the answers are then extrapolated to all active upland game opinion survey believe habitat hunting licenses. Although this method provides improvement should be one of the Department’s metrics that include estimates of harvest and highest priorities. hunter numbers, such estimates are imprecise. Upland game species are associated with either The Department will explore new methods to natural landscapes or agriculture-related habitats. obtain accurate harvest trend information. Those occupying natural habitats are subject to Each autumn, Department biologists collect natural (e.g., wildfire), and human disturbances hunter-harvested wings at access points to (e.g., timber harvest, grazing), but generally popular hunting areas. From these wings, require less intensive habitat management biologists can identify age, and sometimes because they are found primarily on large tracts gender, of harvested birds. Proportion of of public lands. However, species associated with juveniles to adults in the harvest provides an agriculture have been impacted by changes in index of annual productivity. Unfortunately, agricultural practices and development that have number of wings collected is a small proportion reduced amount of available habitat. As such, the of total harvest, and often come from only future of upland game species associated with a few locations. To address these issues, the agriculture will largely depend on private land Department will standardize and expand the wing management and federal Farm Bill programs. collection program to obtain more comprehensive In Idaho, there are 15.9 million acres of private indices to annual upland game bird productivity. land (31% of state), 5.1 million acres of which is in agricultural production. The Department conducts standardized roadside surveys to track upland game trends. However, For those species that primarily reside on public these surveys are most effective for agriculture- lands, the Department will continue to work dependent species such as pheasants, and have with partner agencies and provide technical limited applicability to species that inhabit more input that will help inform management rugged country, such as chukars or forest grouse. decisions that protect and improve upland game Furthermore, value of these routes to index habitat (e.g., nesting and brood-rearing cover, populations has declined as land along many riparian habitat areas, etc.). Furthermore, the Idaho Department of Fish & Game v Idaho Upland Game Management Plan, 2019-2025 Department will provide technical and financial populations. This could include opportunities assistance to conduct cooperative restoration on Wildlife Management Areas or Access Yes! and rehabilitation of diverse habitats across land properties. ownership boundaries. These actions are in line Hunting Access - Recent surveys (i.e., upland with opinion survey results that suggest forest game and white-tailed deer) indicate Idaho grouse and chukar hunting are among activities hunters would like additional opportunities to upland game hunters most prefer. hunt on private lands. Furthermore, lack of access Respondents to the upland game opinion