Deer and elk populations are increasing in areas of Rocky View County (RVC) and hunting might be the best solution to keep numbers in check, according to a regional habitat biologist with the Environment and Sustainable Resources Development (ESRD).
Brett Boukall spoke to members of the RVC Agricultural Services Board (ASB) on Feb. 20 about the wildlife management issues in the County and what ESRD is doing to address the concerns raised by affected landowners and agricultural producers.
Boukall said the County’s landscape, particularly in the west, creates an ideal habitat for many wild species, such as elk and deer.
“It’s a heaven, to some extent, for the elk, but not for the cattle producers,” he said, adding the hills and tree cover create ideal grazing conditions.
Boukall is among the two regional habitat biologists that monitor an area covering RVC, portions of Wheatland County, Foothills County and Red Deer River, and in the future will include Bighorn and Kananaskis East.
He said he’s noticed populations of white tail and mule deer have “been growing steadily for quite some time,” and he has received “anecdotal sightings” of increased amounts of wolves in the Cochrane area.
There are several factors that could explain the growing numbers, said Boukall, from weather conditions, to development growth limiting hunting areas and the amount of interest in hunting.
“We’ve had a relatively low (wildlife) harvest success rate due to harsh weather conditions this year,” he said, which has limited the hunting season. He added hunters are the main tool to keep growing populations in control.
He said another issue contributing to the problem is that many landowners are not allowing access to their property to hunt wildlife.
“A lot of producers are saying no to access largely because they get overwhelmed. Because we’re so close to Calgary, people don’t want someone knocking on their door every night at 6 p.m. asking for permission to hunt,” said Boukall, adding ESRD is considering how to “increase the ethics of hunters to bridge the gap between landowners.”
He said he also noticed the Province’s system for applying for a draw to hunt is oversubscribed.
“We gave out 300 tags this winter – 150 in December and 150 in January – but more than 900 people applied for a draw. But we found out of the 300 that received a tag, only 133 people actually bought a permit,” said Boukall, adding that might come down to hunting conditions or whether the fall hunting season was successful for the individual hunter.
Cochrane-area Councillor Bruce Kendall, who is also a member of the ASB, said he noticed the increased amounts of wildlife in his division.
He said a particular issue for him is the increasing amounts of cougars. Last year, one of his dogs was killed by a cougar in his yard. He’s also heard from many nearby residents about cougars wandering close to homes, and an instance where four horses were attacked and killed.
Kendall said while he understands the issues of access to private land, hunting is important for the safety of residents and the protection of producers’ animals. Boukall said ESRD is planning an aerial survey of the region next winter.
