Numbers for archery season are holding strong, improving

SANDERS COUNTY – With archery season only ten days away, hunters are out scouting their favorite spots, practicing their calls and making sure their bow is on point, in hopes of finding that prize winning six-point bull to bring home.

Wildlife biologist for Region One, Bruce Sterling, said numbers are looking good for both deer and elk. Elk numbers have remained stable while white tail deer numbers are on the rise.

Fawn recruitment, a number that looks at the number of fawns per adult does, was above average.

White tail numbers were in the upper 30s, a number that increased from the mid to low 30s the year before. Elk fawn recruitment numbers were 25 calves per hundred cows, a little lower than average but an overall improvement from the last two years.

“Recruitment numbers have improved for both species. Overall, the population appears really good for the upcoming hunting season,” said Sterling.

Although, archery season is not as popular as rifle season, Sterling said the last five or six years has seen an increase in the season. Sterling credited the increasing interest in archery season to the improved technology and the idea that people have more time on their hands to spend hunting.

“It’s an opportune time to be out in the woods chasing critters around,” said Sterling.

Archery hunters have a few precautions that rifle hunters do not have to deal with as much.

During archery season bear activity is higher in the woods because the bears are in a hyperphagia stage, a period of excessive eating to ready themselves for their upcoming hibernation.

“(Bears) are actively looking for a food source at that time. Archers need to be careful if they come back to the kill site and need to check for bears or other carnivores that might be on the meat source,” said Sterling.

Another concern for archery hunters is the number of yellow jackets and bees out in the woods, a population that Sterling said is “exploding.”

Bees are attracted to blood and meat, and with warmer weather the smells will attract a lot of bees, possibly creating issues for archery hunters.

“Hunters need to be extra careful,” said Sterling.

Black pepper is known to keep the bees away if applied on the meat after the harvest. However, Sterling warns that bees will still be attracted to the meat and can get aggressive around food sources.

Other archery seasons will be opening up as well with grouse and turkey, big horn sheep and a few couple minor seasons but the main focus for most are the big game, said Sterling.

Archery season opens up on September 7th and this year no new regulations have been put in place.