By the numbers

• Total mule deer harvest in 2023: 18,329
• 2022 harvest total: 23,588
• Overall hunter success rate: 25%
• Antlered: 15,245
• Antlerless: 3,083
• Taken during general hunts: 13,267 (21% success rate)
• Taken during controlled hunts:5,062 (46% success rate)

How it stacks up

Leading up to the 2023 mule deer hunting season, Fish and Game wildlife managers knew hunting would be tough due in large part to one of the worst winters we've had on record in eastern Idaho.

In March 2023, Fish and Game wildlife managers saw the writing on the wall, and proactively cut many antlerless hunts for that year. Despite a large effort by staff and volunteers to emergency feed deer and elk, a lot of animals were lost due to deep, prolonged snow and frigid temperatures that stretched into spring.

Harsh winters like the one in 2023 can potentially set herds back several years, and the department will continue to monitor the effects in the upcoming years.

Looking at last year's mule deer harvest numbers from a statewide perspective, we see a roughly 22% decline from the previous year, marking the first time mule deer harvest has, too, been below the 20,000 mark in over 12 years.

Hunters themselves appeared less on the landscape last year, too, tallying 74,503 during 2023. That's a 6% drop.

Back in August 2023, Idaho Fish and Game wildlife officials noted that hunters should expect to see fewer fawns and two-point bucks in those hard-hit areas, and smaller herds in general. And while mule deer herds typically take several years to rebound from a harsh winter, they are a resilient bunch. And incredibly mild winters, like the one we just had, can significantly benefit rebounding muleys.

The bottomline: Mule deer herds got hit hard in parts of southern Idaho, but history has shown they can recover, and a few more mild winters can accelerate that effort. Hunters need to have some patience, but they may start to see signs of recovery as early as next fall with more young bucks being out there.