Winter Wildlife Condition Report
Southeast Idaho - Region 5
January 26, 2009

In order to help keep the citizens of Idaho informed regarding the effect of winter conditions on their wildlife the Southeast Regional Office will be issuing reports throughout the winter. This report is intended to periodically consolidate information regarding the physical condition of wildlife and winter range in southeast Idaho. Reports reflect information gathered from IDFG field staff and contacts in local communities. Reports will be issued as conditions change, especially if a major winter weather situation develops. Requests for further information should be directed to Jennifer Jackson at 208-232-4703. Reports of local conditions for consideration in this report should be submitted to Jason Beck at 208-232-4703 or jbeck@idfg.idaho.gov.

Animal condition: Animals appear to be in good condition. Fawn capture by population biologists is completed. A total of 63 fawns were captured in the region with an average weight of 71lbs. Unit 72 had 15 fawns averaging 69lbs and unit 76 had 10 fawns averaging 70lbs. All other units had fewer than 10 fawns captured so they won’t be considered as separate data sets, but were included in the region-wide totals. These weights were somewhat below average, so this will warrant special consideration by the Winter Feeding Advisory Committee.

Winter conditions: A winter storm settled on the region over the past weekend. Conditions preceding the storm were very favorable for wildlife survival. Most areas experienced rain followed by snow – a situation that is good for animal movement and browsing on shrubs, but making grazing difficult. SNOTEL sites report 91-102% normal snow-water content for the 3 drainages in the region for this date.

Depredations: Major depredations had slowed due to several weeks of mild weather. Wildlife usually stay put during bad weather, so it take several days after a storm before depredations pick up.

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Local Reports

• Fish Creek — 1/26/09 Light snow. Increased highway mortality with deer trying to feed on green-up near road and Lava city parks.
• Soda Hills — 1/26/09 3-6” of snow. Rained for 3 days.
• Georgetown Canyon — 1/26/09, 2-4” inches of new snow. Deer were observed up higher on the ridges than normal due to the presence of open ridges at higher elevations and deeper snow present at lower elevations.
• Oneida Narrows —
• Cub River —
• Dayton — 1/26/09 .25” of rain. 2-4” of snow
• West Side — 1/26/09 .25” of rain. 2-4” of snow, lots of drifting, bare areas
• Franklin — 1/26/09 .25” of rain. 2-5” of snow, some drifting
• East Swan Lake — 1/26/09 Lots of rain over the weekend
• Cleveland —
• Inkom — 1/26/09 Heavy, wet snow and rain over the weekend.
• Montpelier — 1/26/09 1-2” of light snow on top of previously open ridges. Deer and elk high on open ridges. Daytime temps above freezing
• West Bear Lake — 1/26/09 1-6” of light snow
• East Bear Lake — 1/26/09 1-6” of light snow, depending on elevation. Ridges were more open than normal prior to storm.

Reports of local conditions for consideration in this report should be submitted to the Pocatello IDFG office: Jason Beck at 208-232-4703 or jbeck@idfg.idaho.gov.

Or contact your local Winter Feeding Advisory Committee member from the chart below:

Name	Area	Phone/E-mail
Dick Patchett	McCammon, ID	775 – 3628 (h) fpatchet@ida.net
Dennis Caywood	Montpelier, ID	847-1386 blsports@hotmail.com
Larry Bull	Pocatello, ID	775 – 4582 (h) lb_cb@msn.com
Mike Veile	Soda Springs, ID	547 – 0389 (h) mike.l.veile@monsanto.com
Randy Moser, WFAC Chair	Preston, ID	852 – 2893 (h) vbdigit@q.com