You Know You’re In Idaho When….
February 26th, 2008 categories: Garden Valley Events, Garden Valley Living, Garden Valley Real Estate
… Fish and Game Feeds Wildlife at the Local Rifle Range
Yes! It’s true. Visiting the Garden Valley rifle range, binoculars in hand, I was able to get a really good look at the mule deer and elk coming into the Fish and Game Feeding Station.
I wondered why Idaho F&G chose such an unlikely spot to feed wild animals. About that time, Ben, our local Fish and Game officer, happened by. He shared some insight into the F&G strategy. Ben explained that it used to be the habit of the Fish and Game, local wildlife advocates and often, unsuspecting, ranchers to feed the local herds in the winter. Since elk often live to be over 15 years old, generations of animals learned that it was safe to stay in the mountains during severe weather. 
Certain food sources would always be available. For a variety of reasons, including road development and human encroachment, Fish and Game wildlife management thought it wise to encourage the herds to migrate away from the wintry mountains.
For the past eight years the winter feeding programs have been discontinued. More members of the wildlife herds now leave the mountains for the milder valley climate.
But if the plan has worked so well why are there feeding stations in Garden Valley this year? 
Ben pointed out that the feeding stations are all located on the north slopes. That is the south facing, sunny, side. The plan is to coax the wildlife to the north side of the South Fork of the Payette River, where, he explained, winter can be 6 weeks shorter. By now the animals are living entirely on what’s left of their body fat, built up before winter. After our record breaking winter, the fat reserves are running very low. Reducing their winter stress by several weeks could make a difference in the survival of some animals.
Now I know what the guy meant when he told me, “You appear to have wintered well”!
What a great program Fish and Game has to take care of the deer during a long hard winter. I don’t know how true this is but I was told that it against the law for individuals to feed deer, elk etc because it interferes with their natural migration. Only Fish and Game can.
We live in a natural migration path for the Elk. During late February, March or April it’s not unusual to wake up in the morning and watch a herd of 50 or so Elk appear out of the early morning mists in our pasture. Last year we had an injured Elk living across the lane in front of our house. I discovered or rather my German Shepherd dog Max discovered her early one morning when I took the dogs out. She couldn’t run because of an injured shoulder and he good dog that he is did not try to chase her and soon they were intent on getting to know each other nose to nose.
Now, my natural instinct was to put a big pile of hay from my barn, some grain and a bucket full of water close to her, but I called Fish and game and Ben told me they were aware of her and she had plenty of water and natural feed near by. The best we could hope for was when the herd passed through in early April she would go along with them. If I was to feed and water her that would make it easier for her to stay and she would not make it through the summer. He assured me he would check on her regularly to make sure she was fine.
I saw signs that over night she stayed next to my mare on the outside of the run and during the day she would go back to the cover of a clump of trees. Every morning first thing Max would run over and visit with her nose to nose again. Then one morning we went out and she was gone, moved on with the herd that had come through.
As long as they can stand and walk a little Fish and Game like to let nature take it’s course but if they are down and can’t get up then they take other measures.
Hi Norine,
We are so fortunate to have so much wild life in the valley. I time the seasons with the migration of various birds and animals. It’s better than any calendar.
You are so right, this is one of the reasons we moved here to GV. Because of all the wonderful wild life. I never tire of watching and consider it such a privilege that I don’t allow myself for one minute to take any of it for granted.
I was talking on the phone with a client in Chicago one day when two white tail deer wandered by in front of my house. I stopped talking in mid sentence to comment on it. My client in Chicago was amazed she had never seen a live deer before.
By the way I forgot to mention Kathy those are great pictures in your article.
I believe what you say about timing the seasons by the wild life, so is spring on the way?
Poor thing, I can’t imagine never having seen a live deer, much less an elk, eagle, moose, antelope, bear, fox, coyote, otter……
We really do have to remember not to take our world for granted.