DWR Press Release
The number of mule deer in Utah is growing. If you’re a deer hunter, that’s great news: it might mean more chances to hunt deer in the state this fall.
Division of Wildlife Resources biologists are recommending a total of 87,050 general deer hunting permits for this fall’s hunts. In 2014, a total of 84,800 permits were offered.
Starting the week of March 23, you can see all of the big game permit recommendations online.
Plans that will guide the management of mountain goats in Utah on various management units will also be available to review.
Learn more, share your ideas
After you’ve reviewed the proposals at wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings, you can let your Regional Advisory Council members know your thoughts by attending your upcoming RAC meeting or by sending an email to them.
RAC chairs will share the input they receive with members of the Utah Wildlife Board. The board will meet in Salt Lake City on April 30 to approve permit numbers for Utah’s 2015 big game hunts.
Dates, times and locations for the RAC meetings are as follows:
- Northern Region
April 7, 6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N 300 W, Brigham City - Central Region
April 8, 6:30 p.m.
Springville City Civic Center
110 S. Main St., Springville - Southern Region
April 14, 5 p.m.
Beaver High School
195 E. Center St., Beaver - Southeastern Region
April 15, 6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E Main ST, Green River - Northeastern Region
April 16, 6:30 p.m.
DWR Northeastern Region Office
318 N Vernal Ave, Vernal
You can also provide your comments to your RAC via email. Email addresses for your RAC members are available online.
The group each RAC member represents (sportsman, non-consumptive, etc.) is listed under each person’s email address. You should direct your email to the people on the RAC who represent your interest.
Permit recommendations
The following are the total number of permits biologists are recommending:
| Hunt | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|
| General buck deer | 84,800 | 87,050 |
| Premium limited-entry deer | 183 | 184 |
| Management buck deer | 49 | 46 |
| Limited-entry deer | 811 | 1,068 |
| Doe deer | 410 | 625 |
| General any bull elk | 14,300 | 14,300 |
| Youth any bull elk | 300 | 500 |
| Late season youth any bull elk | 20 | 15 |
| General spike bull elk | 15,000 | 15,000 |
| Limited-entry bull elk | 2,842 | 2,938 |
| Cow elk | 16,715 | 14,985 |
| Buck pronghorn | 781 | 804 |
| Doe pronghorn | 699 | 644 |
| Bull moose | 67 | 65 |
| Cow moose | 0 | 0 |
| Bison | 91 | 80 |
| Desert bighorn sheep | 40 | 41 |
| Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep | 38 | 37 |
| Mountain goat | 108 | 107 |
More chances to hunt deer
In addition to the general-season hunt, biologists are also recommending more permits for the limited-entry deer hunt. If their recommendations are approved, a total of 1,068 limited-entry deer permits would be available for hunts this fall. In 2014, a total of 811 were available.
Most of the additional permits would be for a high-country buck deer hunt on unit 8a (the North Slope/Summit unit).
Justin Shannon, big game coordinator for the DWR, said the deer population on unit 8a, which sits next to Utah’s border with Wyoming, includes some really big bucks. “Unfortunately, many of those bucks head to Wyoming before the general rifle hunt starts,” he said.
The high-country buck deer hunt will be held Oct. 3–15.
“Starting the season that early should get hunters into the area before the bucks leave,” Shannon commented.
Deer are doing well
Biologists base their deer hunting permit recommendations on deer classifications they do each year. During the classifications, biologists survey deer on their winter ranges to determine how many bucks, does and fawns are in the herds.
What the biologists found during their most recent survey should be encouraging news for hunters and wildlife watchers alike:
- After the hunts were over last fall, biologists saw an average of 21 bucks for every 100 does. That’s on general-season units that are comprised mostly of public land.Shannon said the higher buck-to-doe ratio is good news for hunters—it means more bucks, and older bucks, will be available this fall.
Shannon said biologists manage 14 of Utah’s 30 general-season units for 15 to 17 bucks per 100 does. The remaining 16 units are managed for 18 to 20 bucks per 100 does.
“So, to be at a statewide average of 21 bucks per 100 does is great news for Utah’s hunters,” Shannon said. “It means the herds have plenty of bucks in them.”
- Based on surveys after last fall’s hunts, biologists estimate the total number of deer in Utah at 355,600. That’s up more than 22,000 deer from the 332,900 estimated in the state after the 2013 hunts.
- Deer studies are also providing encouraging news.
Over the past five years, biologists have placed radio collars on hundreds of deer across Utah. Placing the collars allows biologists to track the deer and know when one of them dies. Based on data gathered through the survey, biologists estimate 84% of the doe deer in Utah and 82% utaof the fawns made it through 2014.
“Those are great survival rates,” Shannon said. “There’s no question that mule deer populations are growing in Utah.”
Why are deer doing so well?
Shannon said several factors have combined to help Utah’s deer herds:
- At the top of the list are mild winters that have allowed deer to survive until the following spring.
- The DWR and its partners have conducted many long-term habitat projects. Those projects are starting to pay off by providing deer with better habitat.
- Highway fencing, underpasses that allow deer to cross safely under roads, predator control and other management actions are helping too.
“We’re really excited,” Shannon said. “Utah’s deer herds are in the best shape they’ve been in since the early 1990s.”
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- Photo by Lynn Chamberlain