Mule Deer Fanatic

March 15 is the deadline for applying for a deer hunt in Wyoming.  You may apply online. Fees must be paid in advance. There are three prices to keep in mind: 1) Special Deer – $566; 2) Regular Deer – $326; and 3) Preference Point – $40. Each price includes a non-refundable application fee of $14. Add $40 to the price of application fees if you want a preference point for not drawing. Forty percent of tags are reserved for applicants who pay the higher fee. Seventy-five percent of available draw tags are allocated to individuals with the highest preference points; 25% are available for random drawing using random numbers assigned to applicants. Preference points may be purchased between July 1 and September 30. If you don’t apply for two consecutive years, you lose your preference points. DRAWING A LICENSE AS A SECOND OR THIRD CHOICE DOES NOT CAUSE PREFERENCE POINTS TO BE DELETED FROM YOUR ACCOUNT.

Utah                  March 3

Wyoming           March 15

New Mexico     March 28

Colorado           April 6

Nevada              April 18

Kansas              April 29

Oregon              May 15

Washington       May 26

California           June 1

Montana           June 1

Idaho                June 5

Arizona             June 8

South Dakota    July 23

I believe Wyoming is still the best value for price deer hunt overall.

Applications are accepted between January 1 and March 15, 2010.

Click  MULE DEER BY STATE or on the States page for more information and for applying online.

Non-residents pay: $326 for Region General or limited quota tags; $566 for Special deer tags; and $124 for Youth Deer tags. A non-refundable processing fee of $14 is included.

Editor:

I’m probably going to blow my chances at getting any Wyoming Game & Fish draw licenses, but here goes.

After my graduation from the University of Wyoming in 1977, I had six months before I could get into my Army Cavalry Class at Fort Knox, Ky., in January 1978. After a Labor Day antelope hunt with some friends northwest of Rawlins, I drove to Afton, where outfitter L.D. Frome hired me on to guide for mule deer in the famous Grey’s River.

That was one of the last years for big bucks in that region. Sure, there are still some trophies but the weather, oil exploration, predators, chronic wasting disease and related factors have seriously impacted mule deer there and all over the West.

Hunting a big mule deer is challenging. Their intelligence is keen and they travel alone or in pairs. They are the sharpest game animal to hunt.

Wyoming’s G&F makes more money selling deer licenses than any animal. We only wish they would devote more time and money to solving the mule deer dilemma.

They waste thousands if not millions of dollars supporting non-game species. The black-footed ferret and the Wyoming Toad are just two examples. Wyoming Wildlife is not what it used to be.

I loved getting that publication decades ago to read about hunting adventures. While reading about other living creatures and our environment may appeal to yuppies, us hunters have stopped reading.

I will let my subscription expire and pick up the Wyoming G&F newspaper as it fills that need.

BILL PADILLA, Cheyenne

This buck was taken in Wyoming during the 2009 season:

Photos submitted by Paul Baxter

The following story was emailed to me. I consider the source reliable and the pictures substantiate the story. What does this have to do with Mule Deer? I’ll let you figure that out. The author was apparently in Wyoming where wolves are having a hey day on game animals.

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I had one heck of an experience this past Friday. I was walking into an area I spotted 5 bulls last weekend when wolves started howling, growling and snarling about 300 yds away in the timber below me. It was just getting light so, I hung out for a while hoping to get a look at the wolves. Nothing appeared so, thinking that there were probably no elk in this spot, I headed back to the truck. I unloaded the ATV and was headed to an area called the “Natural Corral” on Bald Ridge.

About ½ mile down the dirt road I came upon a herd of cattle running around in a circle and making all sorts of sounds. The herd parted and 2 wolves popped out to look at me. Just beyond the two was another wolf on the hind end of a cow pulling a chunk of flesh from the cow that was still alive. The two wolves ran to my right and stopped about 50 yds away.

The wolf on the cow jumped off and stood on the road. I charged him with the ATV and he ran to my right and stopped 25 yds. away. I had my .44 mag and could have popped him, but knowing the penalty for killing a wolf, I pulled out the camera instead and took a picture of him while he was running away. It’s a grueling sight to see an animal being eaten alive.

I called 911 to get the local Game Warden, Chris Queen. He called back and was heading to the spot after he finished loading hay. I asked if I should put the cow down since it was still alive. He knew the owner of the herd and said not to finish it since the owner was particular about killing his cattle.

Chris called Mark Brucino, USF&W biologist that handles wolves and grizzlies in the area. Mark called me back to say he was on the way. I told him that I was heading back out to look for elk and would be back later.

The wolves starting to attack the herd again further down the road behind me. I took off down the road, but the wolves were gone. I got back to elk hunting and spotted 3 groups of cows, calves and spike bulls totaling 41. A plane appeared and was flying transect patterns. I knew it must be FWS people. The elk didn’t care for the plane and slowly head back into cover. This was not working for elk hunting so I twisted off the hunt and headed back to the truck. At the kill site I met Mark and an agent with USDA Wildlife Services (formerly Animal Damages Board), Monty Nicholson. Mark said they were trying to pick up any signals from collared wolves. None of the wolves I saw had collars. After explaining my account of the situation and a description of the wolves they made a decision to call in a chopper and hunt them down. The chopper came in and Monty jumped in with a 12 gauge and #4 Buckshot, his standard load for killing wolves and coyotes from a chopper.

Monty had explained that the area I was in is the border for 3 wolf packs; Sunlight Basin, Absaroka and Clark’s Fork. He believes these 3 wolves are lead by a older male wolf that walks with a limp. Because of the injury the older wolf cannot compete with stronger wolves for females and is leading the 3 younger males. The older wolf has a radio collar, however the plane did not pick up the signal.

Soon the rancher and trail riders arrived. Mark wrote out a ticket for the rancher to get reimbursed “7 to 1″ meaning he will get paid 7 times the cost of the 2 yr. old cow. It is based on the assumption that the cow would be able to produce 7 calves during the life span. Of course the money comes from the State even though the Feds brought the wolves into WY and now we have to deal with the mess.

What was the cost of this one situation?

– Time for 1 DOI FWS biologist

– Time for 1 USDA Wildlife Services agent

– Time for 1 WY Game Warden

– Flight time for 1 surveillance plane

– Flight time for 1 chopper

– Payment for 1 cow (.85/lb x 1000 lbs x 7 = $5,950)

So much for wolf management in WY. I could have helped out for the low, low price of one .44 mag round. At least I could have taken care of ¼ of the pack!

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Story submitted by Paul Baxter

From the Wyoming Game and Fish Department

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An adult mule deer buck collected from hunt area 80 near Saratoga was found to have a heavy infestation of the exotic louse Bovicola tibialis. This is the first time this nonnative external parasite has been documented in Wyoming

http://wdfw.wa.gov/factshts/hairloss.htm

this exotic louse was thought to be one factor in a large mule deer decline in eastern Washington.”If it affects Wyoming mule deer similarly to how it has affected Washington state mule deer, then we would expect this parasite to be a source of additional mortality in our herds, disproportionately affecting fawns. Although treatable in captive deer, there is no effective treatment for free-ranging deer,” Kreeger said.

Deer infected with exotic lice tend to develop severe skin irritation, leading to excessive grooming by the animal and eventual patchy hair loss and loss of body condition. Lice infestations are heaviest during winter and early spring. Normal seasonal hair loss or molting can usually be distinguished from disease related hair loss because the coat under the molt appears normal and healthy. According to the Washington state site this exotic louse does not affect humans or domestic livestock.

Anyone observing wildlife that appears sick is encouraged to contact their local game warden or wildlife biologist or call their regional Game and Fish office.

Big game

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) – State wildlife officials say the winter mortality rate for mule deer, pronghorn antelope and elk was below normal in most of the state.

The mild winter and the lack of major snow accumulation in lower-elevation wintering ranges produced good conditions for the state’s big game populations.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says herds are in particularly good shape in popular hunting areas. That includes the Casper region, south-central Wyoming and the huge deer herd of the Wyoming Range.

For fall hunting season, officials say they expect deer and antelope quotas to be similar to previous years with the possibility of slightly more licenses available for elk.

If you are going to apply for a deer hunt in Wyoming you have until March 15.

For more info go to the States page and click on Wyoming

As quoted from the Wyoming Game and Fish :

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On March 28, 2008, wolves were officially removed from the Endangered Species List in the Northern Rocky Mountains. This includes the entire states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, as well as portions of Utah, Oregon, and Washington. However, a number of groups have filed a lawsuit challenging the delisting of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Those same groups filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to restore Endangered Species Act protection to wolves while the lawsuit is being heard. On July 18, 2008, a federal judge in Montana granted this injunction, returning management authority for wolves to the federal government.

News Release
Contact: Eric Keszler
eric.keszler@wgf.state.wy.us
July 18, 2008
Cheyenne Headquarters
5400 Bishop Blvd.
Cheyenne, WY 82006
Phone: (307) 777-4594 ▪ Fax: (307) 777-4600
http://gf.state.wy.us
Federal Court Decision Changes Wolf Management in Wyoming
CHEYENNE—A decision issued today in federal court will have significant impacts on the way
wolves are managed in Wyoming. Judge Donald Molloy issued an injunction to suspend the
removal of wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains from the federal Endangered Species List.
Wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains were removed from the Endangered Species List in
March 2008. A number of environmental groups are challenging the US Fish and Wildlife
Service’s delisting decision. Today’s injunction effectively returns management authority for
wolves in the region to the federal government while these legal challenges are heard.
Under state management, wolves in Wyoming were classified as Trophy Game animals in the
northwest corner of the state and Predatory animals in the rest of the state. In the Trophy Game
area, wolves could only be taken by hunters with a wolf hunting license during an open season or
by ranchers who had been issued a lethal take permit by the Game and Fish. In the Predatory
Animal area, wolves could be taken by anyone at any time.
As a result of today’s injunction, wolves can no longer be taken anywhere in Wyoming except in
cases where wolves are in the act of attacking livestock. Ranchers who are experiencing
livestock depredation problems anywhere in the state should contact their local Wyoming Game
and Fish office.