Idaho harvest stats, accurate?? (2025)

  • Jul 9, 2020
  • #1

J

JRMiller

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While doing some research for the 2021 season, i was reviewing harvest stats for all units general deer for 2019
The numbers i see are very low, averaging just %24 for Any Legal Weapon, even lower for archery/muzzy
Those numbers seem way low to me
Does Idahos F&G harvest scoring process just suck?
Do a lot of hunters under report?
Did Idaho just have a terrible 2019?

  • Jul 9, 2020
  • #2

T

TheTone

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There is no penalty to not report or for lying on a report unfortunately. The success rates probably aren’t too far off though. I’ve never really looked at the archery or muzzleloader success rates around where I live but I would expect success rates are very, very low as not many people really participate. I would wager near me almost all of the archery deer hunting is essentially incidental to elk hunting

  • Jul 9, 2020
  • #3

Customweld

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By and large, I would say yes. You have to know some folks are less than truthful on their reporting, but I don’t think it would be enough to throw the percentage off to far. 2018 and 2019 have both been off back to back hard winters, so I believe the low percentage is reflected in that.

  • Jul 9, 2020
  • #4

R

Raghornklr

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24% is low to you? Hell , where have you been hunting.

  • Jul 9, 2020
  • #5

Dioni A

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I would think that's pretty close. Things aren't looking that good for a good chunk of Idaho. Deer numbers are down and it's going to be a while before we see what we had in 2015 and 2016 again.

  • Jul 9, 2020
  • #7

B

Brianb3

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24% is outstanding. 1 in 4 hunters harvest.

With out the option of a second tag this year I wonder if I’m that number will go down?

I will sure miss my second tag this year. Extra meet is always enjoyable.

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  • Jul 9, 2020
  • #8

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Blackcats06

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Yeah where do you hunt that 24% hunt success is bad? Most states manage for 20% ish...

  • Jul 9, 2020
  • #9

Wassid82

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Yes. While some people lie or under or over report their harvest the Law of Large Numbers.....The law of large numbers, in probability and statistics, states that as a sample size grows, its mean gets closer to the average of the whole population. In the 16th century, mathematician Gerolama Cardano recognized the Law of Large Numbers but never proved it. In 1713, Swiss mathematician Jakob Bernoulli proved this theorem in his book, Ars Conjectandi.

At a state aggregate level their number of surveys would mean their harvest numbers are highly accurate.

  • Jul 10, 2020
  • #10

KurtR

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Blackcats06 said:

Yeah where do you hunt that 24% hunt success is bad? Most states manage for 20% ish...

I had look for South Dakota this is from 2016 but our average harvest is 43% and that’s with archery counted in.

But comparing the two states is like apples and oranges. Idaho is way way way harder to hunt

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  • Jul 10, 2020
  • #11

87TT

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The truth is it it actually lower. The dfg always figure in a certain percentage for possible under reporting.

  • Jul 10, 2020
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  • #12

JRMiller

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TheTone said:

There is no penalty to not report or for lying on a report unfortunately. The success rates probably aren’t too far off though. I’ve never really looked at the archery or muzzleloader success rates around where I live but I would expect success rates are very, very low as not many people really participate. I would wager near me almost all of the archery deer hunting is essentially incidental to elk hunting

Thanks, that makes sense

  • Jul 10, 2020
  • Thread Starter
  • #13

OP

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JRMiller

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dioni.a.312 said:

I would think that's pretty close. Things aren't looking that good for a good chunk of Idaho. Deer numbers are down and it's going to be a while before we see what we had in 2015 and 2016 again.

Thanks. Sounds like many are confirming some bad winters so the numbers make sense in that regard

  • Jul 10, 2020
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  • #14

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JRMiller

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Raghornklr said:

24% is low to you? Hell , where have you been hunting.

You just made me feel a whole lot better Idaho harvest stats, accurate?? (8)!
I consider my self a mediocre hunter and while i dont want forkies and not looking for trophies either i average %40

  • Jul 10, 2020
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  • #15

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JRMiller

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Raghornklr said:

24% is low to you? Hell , where have you been hunting.

Utah Wyoming Colorado. Never been to Idaho yet

  • Jul 10, 2020
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  • #16

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JRMiller

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Brianb3 said:

24% is outstanding. 1 in 4 hunters harvest.

With out the option of a second tag this year I wonder if I’m that number will go down?

I will sure miss my second tag this year. Extra meet is always enjoyable.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks. The two tags has me wondering now if many residents are simply buying two tags but once they bag buck #1 they call it good enough and go home

  • Jul 10, 2020
  • #17

B

Brianb3

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My guess and imo the majority of people who buy two tags know how to get it done on two. My guess since there’s a ton of new people hunting Idaho and no one with second tags there’s a possibility of that harvest rate dropping further. Which is probably a good thing. Idaho hunting is not easy. I hunt easy places. Idaho can be a grind. I like that.

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  • Jul 11, 2020
  • #18

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Jim Carr

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1 reason Idaho stats show up lower. Is the fish and game method of recording statistics they ask everyone which units you hunt in if you hunt in 4 different units and harvest in 1 unit the other 3 units will still be recorded as unsuccessful.

  • Jul 13, 2020
  • #19

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bluetick78

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1 in 4 sounds about right. Doing a mental survey of hunters I know puts it more like 1 in 6, but I'd definitely believe 24% harvested. Bad winters, heavy pressure on sagging populations and 24%is what you end up with. Should be interesting this fall to see if it "feels" like there's more hunters out there. After talking to acquaintances at F&G it sounds like they are selling tons more resident licenses thus far this year, and non res is sold out. Could be a busy fall.

  • Nov 3, 2020
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  • #20

Mossyhorns51

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The land of big bucks and decent bulls

Lot of deer and elk in Idaho go unreported and Untagged whole lot of poaching going on in certain units

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Idaho harvest stats, accurate?? (2025)

FAQs

What is the deer success rate in Idaho? ›

According to IDFG, there was about a 40% success rate in bagging a deer. Heading into 2023, overall harvest numbers for whitetails increased from 19,182 to 19,828. In 2021, epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) damaged the Clearwater region's whitetail herds, killing an estimated 6,000-10,000 deer that year.

Where are the most deer in Idaho? ›

White-tailed deer are mostly found north of the Salmon River but are becoming more common in central Idaho. They like woodlands, dense brush and marshy areas. They especially like the areas where different habitats meet, like the edges between meadows and forests.

How many deer are killed in Idaho each year? ›

White-tailed Deer Hunting

Remains to be seen, but signs are encouraging. Last year, an estimated 47,286 white-tailed deer hunters harvested 19,182 whitetails in 2022, 11% fewer deer than in 2021. A combined 38% of hunters notched their white-tailed deer tags in 2022.

What is the best game to hunt in Idaho? ›

Idaho has some of the best elk hunting in the world. Deer are found throughout Idaho, with whitetails found primarily north of the Salmon River, and are generally hunted later in the fall than mule deer. Mule deer are more numerous, and found mostly in the southern two/thirds of the state.

What is the best unit to hunt deer in Idaho? ›

Units 11, 36B, 44, 45, and 52 turn out a few great bucks every year. While those units are typically the best hunts in the state, almost every unit that has a late rifle hunt in November will produce 180"+ class bucks, but you will have to put some time in to turn one up.

What states harvest the most deer? ›

Texas boasts the largest whitetail deer population in the United States at more than 5 million deer. More than 3-4 times the next most populous whitetail deer states of Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi and Wisconsin.

Where is the best deer hunting zone in Idaho? ›

The northern Panhandle and Clearwater regions hold the greatest number of whitetails, but most areas north of the Salmon River have solid numbers.

How many elk are left in Idaho? ›

Today, about 125,000 elk are distributed throughout the state from the sagebrush-dominated deserts in southern Idaho to dense, cedar-hemlock forests of the north. Managing elk populations and their habitats for a sustainable yield is a high priority for management agencies.

How many moose are in Idaho? ›

Hunting for moose in Idaho can take you from the heavily timbered forests of North Idaho to the meandering streams of the Snake River Plain. Fewer than a thousand animals a half a century ago, Idaho's moose are now estimated at 10,000 to 12,000.

Which state has the most deer killed by cars? ›

Around 1.5 million car crashes involve collisions with deer every year. That leads to more than $1 billion worth of damages and about 175 to 200 fatalities and 10,000 injuries. What state has the most car accidents with deer? West Virginia is the state with the greatest number of deer-car accidents.

What distance are most deer killed at? ›

Field & Stream tells us that the average shot distance for deer hunting is about 100 yards or less. Still, sometimes, you will want to take a shot at a long range, such as 300 or 400 yards. When Field & Stream experimented with distances, they found that they were threats to deer at distances up to 300 yards.

What state has the most deer limit? ›

The states with the most deer hunting bag limits.
  • Florida has a limit of 5 deer per season – of which, no more than two (2), can be antlerless.
  • South Carolina Residents are allowed to bag 5 antlered deer per season. ...
  • Connecticut Bow Hunters are allowed to take 4 deer total, 2 of which can be antlered.
Sep 22, 2021

What unit in Idaho has the most elk? ›

Idaho's best elk tag is the unit 54 muzzleloader hunt that opens on September 25th. The bulls will be rutting like crazy, and hunters will have plenty of big bulls to chase. Typically, there are some 380"+ bulls taken on this hunt. Another rut muzzleloader hunt is unit 39.

What is the #1 hunting state? ›

1. Alaska. Unsurprisingly, Alaska is one of the best states for both fishing and hunting.

What are the best counties in Idaho for hunting? ›

The best Idaho whitetail counties include (south to north) Idaho, Nez Perce, Clearwater, Latah, Shoshone, Benewah, Kootenai, Bonner and Boundary, with Boone & Crockett bucks seemingly more abundant as you move northward. This is in large part due to hunting pressure.

What percent of deer hunters are successful? ›

What is this? The truth is, we have maximized deer harvest in many areas, and neither longer season lengths nor higher bag limits will increase it. Only 41% of all hunters in America harvested at least one deer in the 2022-23 deer season. This ranged from 18% of hunters in New Hampshire to 71% in South Carolina.

What is the survival rate of a deer? ›

Estimated adult male survival rates varied from 0.55 to 0.79, and legal hunting accounted for 40–75% of all mortality.

What animal has the highest success rate in hunting? ›

Dragonflies have the highest observed hunting success of any animal, with success rates as high as 97%. They are also opportunistic and pursue a variety of prey. Predatory performance may have consequences in terms of energetics, mortality and potential loss of feeding or mating territories.

Is Idaho good for deer hunting? ›

Idaho has one of the strongest populations of whitetails in the West, and the state is about 70% public ground. It's a very appealing option for the DIY hunter.

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