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AZ Deer Association members, USFS and AGFD employees and a member of the AGFD commission (Hayes Gilstrap) made a tour of the Kaibab deer winter range to discuss issues with management of that deer herd.

Kaibab Field Trip May 21-22, 2005

Here is a summary of last weekend's Kaibab field trip for those that couldn't make it.  Please keep in mind that this is a preliminary report and that things may change as the process moves forward. 

Read a history of some of the issues that the ADA has been working on with the AGFD.   That article provides a good framework for the meeting that was held this May.

 

The were almost 30 dedicated people in attendance. We had representation from the ADA, the Buckskin chapter, the local HPC, the Kaibab National Forest, the AZ Game and Fish Department, and the AZ Game and Fish Commission.  It was a great turnout!

 

Saturday morning started with a tour off the west side of the plateau.  We traveled out to see some of the harder hit areas of the intermediate and critical range.  These areas had obviously been used heavily.  After this winter's good moisture, there is a lot of new growth starting on most of the plants.  We also traveled through quite a bit of the Bridger fire area.  After 9 years, it's finally coming back.  There was a substantial amount of new growth throughout the area. 

 

Next we traveled further west and looked at Horse Springs tank (in the middle of the critical range).  Because of it’s location, and a lack of other tanks, this water is very important.  There is a flaw in the setup and the tank will only hold about 8 inches of water.  There are plans for repairs of this tank.  Hayes Gilstrap, the Commissioner in attendance, said he would see what he could do to help get this tank taken care of.

 

Next we drove to an area in the north/central intermediate range near Slide Tank.  We discussed the current proposal to reseed this area and later perform some Pinion/Juniper removal work.  The required archeological paperwork is already complete for most of this area.  The department would like to see work begin as soon as possible.

 

From there we traveled on to looked at Table Rock tank.  This is a new water source with a 6,000 gallon tank.  It looks like a great setup and it already has some deer tracks around it.  The ADA had previous approved funding for this project. It was nice to see the money was well spent!

 

Saturday evening the ADA supplied a great dinner – everyone especially enjoyed the tasty cheese crisp appetizers.  They were cooked to perfection!

 

Jim deVos presented a high level summary of a new department proposal for the Kaibab.  In order to identify the maximum carrying capacity of the area, the department is identifying critical biological and ecological informational needs.   They are further developing a proposal for obtaining that information.  This includes gathering a variety of new biological information.  The department will collect information from both pellet analysis and veterinary work on deer.  The department is reviewing the requirement/possibility of harvesting some deer the first weekend in March.  This is the time that the deer are just coming off the critical winter range.  This will provide the department with the “worst case” condition of the deer. The department would like to utilize junior sportsman for the collection of these deer if at all possible.  However, there are many concerns about the collection method, especially surrounding the time it will take to get the deer from the field to the veterinarians.  There are many data points that are time sensitive.  The department is thinking about setting up a seminar for the hunters explaining what the objectives are and the best approach for collecting valid data.  The department also has many habitat projects that they would like to start work on.  These include some additional water tanks, seeding, mechanical work, and hand crews.  Many of these projects already have archeological paper work complete.  The department has assigned Chasa O'Brien, a super research biologist, to work on the Kaibab projects.

 

Bruce Taubert, Assistant Director for the Wildlife Management Division, provided a wrap up on Sunday morning.  The department is very focused on effecting positive changes on the Kaibab critical and intermediate winter range, and ultimately on the deer herd.  The department is currently developing a plan for this overall project.  They will be forwarding the plan, requesting comment and involvement from the ADA sometime in the next couple of weeks.  The plan will be sent to Dom.  The ADA will need to review and respond to the plan quickly.  The department would like to present it to the commission soon.  Bruce stated that he would like to see some of the habitat project work actually begin on the ground by October.

 

Because of the criticality of this effort, and the short time frame to get going, Bruce asked the ADA to provide two contacts (one from core ADA and one from Buckskin) that the department can work directly with.

 

If anyone would like to review the details and/or get involved in this process please contact Dom. 

 

In the end, Bruce stated that he has the commitment, and funding, from the Game and Fish Director to move all of this work forward with the Kaibab National Forest.  He will personally spearhead this effort with Jim deVos, the AZ Game and Fish Research Branch Chief.

 

This was probably one of the best meetings we've ever had surrounding the Kaibab.  It was clear that everyone is interested in making long term improvements in both the habitat and the deer herd.  It was great to see all parties moving forward with a plan of action.  I personally am very encouraged and look forward to the day when we can all sit back and say "job well done!"

 

Mark Bool, past president ADA

 

Kaibab deer photo taken by Amanda Moors during the weekend trip.  Last year was a great reproductive year for these deer.  Most does we saw had two yearlings with them.