The Idaho Fish & Game has completed its winter survival rate counts for the year. Every year, for the last 23 years, Idaho has tried to track the winter survival rates of both fawn deer and calf elk. A mild winter and slightly lower snowpack helped get more deer and elk through the winter. Biologists typically complete this count in two ways. Firstly, they physically count as many elk and deer as they can find. Secondly, they use GPS collars to track deer and elk through the winter. As a result, of these counts and studies, Idaho has seen several trends over the years.
“We do have a really good fawn to doe ratio that we surveyed this year pretty much region-wide for us, that mixed with a good survival equates to a lot more deer on the hills. We are a little bit dryer than usual, but barring any catastrophic droughts, the outlook is good.” – Iver Hull with Idaho Fish and Game
Deer & Elk Survival in Idaho
In the winter of 2021, IDFG saw a survival rate of 77% for elk calves and 64% for deer fawns. This data was very similar to what they saw last year. The same amount of elk survived the two years. However, 1% more deer survived in 2020. Over the past 23 years, IDFG has found that on average 57% of deer fawns survive the winter. With back-to-back years being above average, wildlife managers are excited about the fawn winter survival rate.
Iver Hull also stated that on average calf elk have a better survival rate than deer. They believe that is due to them being a little more drought resistant. Likewise, they believe that calf elk can handle a lack of food better than deer fawns. Another theory is that because the elk calves are large at birth they can handle cold weather and snow better in winter extends into April or May.
