Fish Haven News

Idaho elk and deer hunters had increased harvests in 2020, and elk hunting continues to steam toward all-time highs for consecutive years of harvest above 20,000 animals. White-tailed deer harvest was also historic by topping the mule deer harvest — something that has happened just a few times in Idaho’s history. The 2020 Idaho elk and deer harvests were up about 10 percent and 11 percent from 2019. After hunter numbers dipped between 2018 and 2019, hunter numbers also bounced back by about 4 percent for deer hunters and nearly 6 percent for elk hunters. Total elk harvest was up about 12 percent from the 10-year average, whitetail harvest was about even with its 10-year average, and mule deer harvest was down about 11 percent. Success rates in 2020 were steady for mule deer and elk hunters compared with 2019, while the success rate for whitetail hunters jumped more than 5 percent from 38 to 43.5 percent.