In your opinion....

[eastwind]

In your opinion, which state or states have had the best success at managing their mule deer population. Including all factors, doe to buck ratio, habitat, size of the antlers, overall health of the deer population, etc.

What have they done to be so successful? There has to be things that other states have done that can help Utah improve their managment over the muleys here, dont you all think?

 

[dgwoody]

Well "in my opinion" I think they need to reduce the number of tags. I'm sure this will turn into a debate over "three point or better" and so on, but to me I think they kill too many deer. If they want to make money on the heard, raise the price of tags five bucks.

 

[sremim]

Look at Colorado.











It's Bush's fault!!!

 

[gemstatejake]

Whichever states restrict hunting the most......... Good luck getting a good tag in any of them.

 

[Foxbow]

I have not hunted there in a long time, but Colorado has got it going on with their mulies.
Mainly very limited licences far as I can tell.

 

[larrbo]

I have hunted 8 different western states. I see more bucks in Nevada than the other states.

 

[mlycrzy]

I've only hunted 3 different western states over the past 15-16 years, but Nevada seems to have the most quality bucks of the three.

 

[basinyotehunter]

The states that produce books with 15" bases

-Cody AKA BigBuck92

 

[Silentstalker]

From what I hear I would say Nevada and then Colorado. Although I have never hunted either for deer! I really think we need Utah to switch to a more micro management style of units rather than the whole "region" type. The reason is we actually do have areas that are doing fairly well for a while in the same region as areas that are doing really crappy. Smaller units help distribute hunters and give the "managers" a better idea of what harvest to expect. As a small region dips below objectives, you lower the hunter #'s in that area and increase areas that are doing above average.

Maybe this would be too restrictive? I really don't want to think of a total draw for deer where my son and daughters can not grow up hunting deer every year but is that where we are headed?

Just thinking out loud! Perhaps a switch in focus to vastly improveing habitat on our general units rather than continuing such efforts on our LE and premium units where the deer are already doing well?

 

[Coloradoboy]

ya it seems like nevada and colorado are both right up there. But Colorado has be having so pigs killed this year, just look at that 300 class buck that 14 year old kid killed.

 

[UtahIdahoHunter]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-05-08 AT 02:00AM (MST)[p]Utah really needs to do something about the buck to doe ratio. Especially in the northern region.

You will never kill a big one if you continue to kill the small ones.

 

[Packout]

Colorado cut their tag numbers by 50% AFTER Utah cut tag numbers by 70%. Nevada only gives around 11,000 deer tags for their herd of 150,000+-. So hunters in those states are giving up opportunity. If you want to hunt 4-5 year old bucks every year, then Utah has the opportunity. If you want to kill 4-5 year old deer every 3-5 years then you can choose the other approaches. (I personally don't think there would be the leftover option in Utah like there is in Colorado-- Utah would be more like Nevada, years between drawing)

By the way, the Colorado unit I hunted this year has 2 (yes TWO) mature bucks per 100 doe. That is worse than almost every management herd in Utah. Remember, Colorado counts 50% of the fawns as bucks and uses that number in their Buck to Doe ratio. Utah uses only antlered animals in their buck to doe ratios.

-------------------------
www.sagebasin.com
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[mo]

Nevada is way over rated for big bucks.The henry's in Utah has produced more big bucks than the whole state of Nevada.If Utah would limit tags it could become the premeir mule deer state.

 

[kilbuc]

Interesting ?? Best Management is sort of an opened ended ?, best for who. In most surveys I have seen in western states hunters would rather have the opportunity to hunt every year or 2 with a small chance to take a "trophy deer" rather than hunting for "trophy deer" every 5-10 or in some states once or twice in there life time. The old cunundrum of opportunity vs. quaility, and the State Wildlife Agencies are in the middle trying to satisfy all deer hunters. I suspect many of the members on MM are for quailty but you are in the minority of most deer hunters. Many states have a combo, some high quaility units and some with high opportunity.

Habitat management is another goal/issue that is frequently discussed. But be aware, State Wildlife Agencies don't control management in most of the deer ranges. Most is private or in federal ownership. While a State Agency has input on management direction they are don't necesarily have any more status than other interest, many times less. The dirty little secret is that management for mule deer on federal lands is NOT thier highest priority. In fact many of their management policies completely conflict with good habitat management for deer.

from the "Heartland of Wyoming"

 

[huntin100]

I agree with packout. Colorado and Nevada may have best quality. Colorado has the largest elk herd in the world. They can provide opportunity to hunt elk every year. And deer on lesse units. If Utah cut tags alot we would be like Nevada. Hunt every 3-6 years. It will be interesting to see what happens. It's my opinion that it's not a good idea to limit elk in most the units, for world class elk and greatly limit deer tags in most regions or areas to provide better trophy quality. We need to provide some sort of big game hunting in Utah every 1-2 years. We need to recruit more hunters and have opportunity for kids especially. Having fewer and fewer hunters is a great threat to our future of hunting imo.

 

[ColoradoOak]

>By the way, the Colorado unit
>I hunted this year has
>2 (yes TWO) mature bucks
>per 100 doe. That
>is worse than almost every
>management herd in Utah.
>Remember, Colorado counts 50% of
>the fawns as bucks and
>uses that number in their
>Buck to Doe ratio.
>Utah uses only antlered animals
>in their buck to doe
>ratios.

FYI, fawns are split 50/50 in population models in CO, but not in the buck/doe ratios. Only antlered deer are considered in the buck/doe ratios.

 

[Califelkslayer]

No mention of Wyoming??? My personal experences are Nv then Co but I've only hunted Wyoming twice and once was after a bad winter die-off. Its got to be up there.

 

[REDDOG]

Hands down colorado, i've hunted on second choice tags for four years that rival all but the best unit's utah and idaho have to ofer,(except in '07) but i havent hunted nevada, that says alot right there, in that i cant draw a tag if i wanted it!

 

[mntman]

Habitat! that is the top answer.
Yes tags is right there but with habitat will come more tags, which generates more money for habitat which brings more tags....


Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"

 

[rock5150]

CUT TAG NUMBERS. MICRO MANAGE UNITS. GET DATA FROM EVER HUNTER IN THE FEILD FOR EVEY HUNT. NO STATE WIDE BOW HUNT. QUICK THOUGHTS.

ROCK5150

 

[overton]

>The states that produce books with
>15" bases
>
>
>-Cody AKA BigBuck92


Yote

Good one.


Ransom

 

[HuntNevada]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-15-08 AT 09:53PM (MST)[p]MO,

How can you compare the Henry's, given its a LE deer tag for a certain section to the whole state of Nevada, thats not a very bright thought, well of course the Henry's are going to produce more quality bucks, when your only at the most harvesting 50 bucks out of the area a year, compared to thousands from the state. The odds of you shooting a quality buck in a given Unit in Nevada may not be up there with the Henrys but it won't be if your handing out hundreds of tags in a single unit compared to only 3 or 4 a season MAX!!! Nevada is up there for the best quality bucks in a general unit. But it will obviously never rank with a LE entry unit. Thats why they call them Limited Entry Tags, for quality.

 

[huntindude]

Colorado without a doubt is the best. I've hunted Nevada and it's not bad but an average unit in Colorado is better than an average unit in Nevada.

If Oregon isn't the worst state for Mule deer it's got to be a top contender.