DWR deer units 2012

nebo12000 · Apr 22, 2011

http://go.usa.gov/CI4

Follow the above link if you are interested in the new 30 unit deer managment for 2012. It also includes info regarding dedicated hunters program, 20% of the general season tags will be reserved for youth, lifetime tag holders etc.

BIGJOHNT · Apr 22, 2011

Wow it looks like you will be stuck in a small area during the deer hunt.

pugs · Apr 22, 2011

Sure glad I have a life time license. If I am reading everything correctly it looks as if life time license holders will get to select whatever general unit they want to hunt every year

dillon · Apr 22, 2011

How many lifetime license holders are there left in the state of Utah that hunt? Last I heard it was around 3,000.

PleaseDear · Apr 22, 2011

Thanks Nebo

Robb

prn · Apr 23, 2011

I'm not sure I understand how the dedicated hunter "preference" point works. Does that mean that if your signed up for the program but don't draw a general permit that you still have to pay for the tag and are still required to fulfill the requirements? I'm sure it will all eventually become clear.

mulemanrack · Apr 23, 2011

My dad's #4545.....got it the last minutes of the last day sold.
My #2443....looking more and more like a wise investment....Only wish I'd bought all my kids one at the same time.

Prism · Apr 23, 2011

Just so I understand this correctly.

20% set aside for the youth
15% set aside for dedicated hunters
apprx 5% set aside for lifetime license holders
?% set aside for conservation tags
?% set aside as LO tags
Did I miss anyone?

Prism · Apr 24, 2011

Forgot to include 10% for nonresident hunters.

slcmuley · Apr 24, 2011

Its lookin that way Prism. At least 50% of the general unit tags will be accounted for prior to the actual general tag applications.
Looks like our 2nd 3rd 4th & 5th choices are really gonna come into play.

Look at the North Slope, they have combined what used to be in 2 different regions. We should be able to see the hot spots in just a year or 2. My guess is this will all equal out by 2015, by then we will have a good feel for points needed to draw, tag #s, success, size of bucks, etc.
I would still like to see them combine the points. IMO this would free up some of the better general units if folks were holding out for the True LE units.

Daxter · Apr 24, 2011

I also really wish they would combine the points systems. I don't think it makes sense to have that many units and 2 different points systems. With point creep getting worse every year for LE units to me it only makes sense to combine points systems. I am sure there will be some general season units that take a few points to draw too. Make people choose what they really want either quality or opportunity, and then have the DWR manage a few units for something in the middle too. If we are going to try so hard to be like CO, lets do it right.

Dax

There is no such thing as a sure thing in trophy mule deer hunting.

isayNUNYA · Apr 24, 2011

Not sure if they are going to combine points but you are going to have to chose between LE and General now since all deer unit will be basically LE. Not sure what they will do with the guys who have 12 LE points and 3 GD points.
No more applying for Henrys and southern, etc. I guess your 2nd choice will come into play there, as stated by someone above. However with the tag cuts drawing a decent once general unit will be pretty long with a second choice.
I'm excited to see some great bucks in the coming years taken off the shot out general units! Been a long time coming.

Moosey69 · Apr 24, 2011

I'm sorry, but I don't see why I would want them to combine the points. I would like to have the choice of building points for a true LE i.e. Henrys, Pauns, Triangle... and still get a general tag every year or two.

Daxter · Apr 24, 2011

As more and more people aquire points they become worth less and less. If a kids starts applying now with 0 points it will be decades before they draw even a unit like the Book Cliffs unless they get really lucky. I think if they combined the point pools it would make it easier for guys that want to hunt general season units every year, and easier for guys that want to hunt quality units to draw too. Look at how it works in CO, they only have one point pool draw odds are a lot more reasonable.

The way it is proposed right now you would still be able to put in for one of the new 30 general season units as well as put in for a LE unit like Pauns, Henry's etc.

Dax

There is no such thing as a sure thing in trophy mule deer hunting.

HillbillyNnevada · Apr 24, 2011

I think 30 units is a good idea but the tag reduction is going to bite you guys in the @$$. I give the new program 2 years before they try to poach the nonresident quota. There are too many tag entitlements slopping at the trough already as Prism laid out.

grizzly · Apr 25, 2011

I agree the only way to balance this out is to combine point systems (like Colorado). That way every hunter chooses and the free-market system will naturally assign values to each unit.

Grizzly

BHBISH · Apr 25, 2011

That's all good on combining the deer units, but if I'm a life time hunter . . . I'm hunting the Henries every year!

travishunter3006 · Apr 25, 2011

All tag cuts should go to the non residents first and then effect residents.

It was a big bodied 2 point.

prn · Apr 25, 2011

They will never combine points without causing a riot between lifetime license holders and non-holders. Unless something drastic changes, it won't happen until the lifetime license holders all die.

cabinfever · Apr 25, 2011

+1 on combining the point pools.

hossblur · Apr 25, 2011

The manti unit is freaking huge, you could split it up into smaller chunks and not hurt anything. We would never get from fairview to salina in a hunt, but good on them, but I want it locked in stone for 10 yrs or better, no change it in two years crap!!!

cache · Apr 25, 2011

Combine the point pools! That way all you "quality" guys can stay out of the general pool and sit on your couch for the next 15 seasons while I'm chasing quality bucks every year with my general tag.

Deerlove · Apr 25, 2011

Amen Cache

prn · Apr 25, 2011

All of you guys that want to combine the points, would you still make people pick between elk and deer? If you allowed everyone to put in for both you will flood the system with a huge amount of point creep (See when they allowed nonresidents to put in for everything). If you didn't allow it, people who wanted to hunt LE elk would only get to hunt big game once a decade.

Prism · Apr 25, 2011

I don't have a problem with residents applying for all species.

Most current LE tags are once in a lifetime anyways. I've drawn one Utah LE tag in my lifetime and I'm 35. It's likely I'll never draw another LE elk tag in my life and there's several LE deer tags I will never catch up too. Odds would suck, but they suck already, and a small chance at drawing is better than no chance at all.

Prism · Apr 25, 2011

Why in the world isn't the filmore oak creek LE unit boundary changed to the highway surrounding it and I15?

HillbillyNnevada · Apr 26, 2011

>All tag cuts should go to
>the non residents first and
>then effect residents.
>
>
>
>
>
>It was a big bodied 2
>point.

Here we go already. That sure didn't take long.

hossblur · Apr 26, 2011

>Combine the point pools! That way
>all you "quality" guys can
>stay out of the general
>pool and sit on your
>couch for the next 15
>seasons while I'm chasing quality
>bucks every year with my
>general tag.
>
>

AMEN, put your money where your mouth is, want to cut tags to get those 200 point bucks, see you every two decades or so. The rest of us "non hunters" will enjoy spending the falls hoping for a good buck, but just happy to have the oppurtunity.

huntnfool · Apr 27, 2011

LAST EDITED ON Apr-27-11 AT 01:00PM (MST)[p]edit

SMELLYBUCK · Apr 27, 2011

I'd love to see the point pools combine for deer. That way the trophey hunters can fight about their precious units. They can cut dates, cut tags, increase fees, and split the paunsagaunt, henries, oak creek, vernon, books, ect... into 1000 well mangaged trophey units. They can show the rest of us how wonderful their ideas have worked out before they ram another overhaul through the system.

Downrange · Apr 27, 2011

the reason the oak creek boundary is not at the highways is because of all the land owners in the unit wanting their southern tags for all their family to hunt. We have tried to change that boundary for a couple of years now and all the land owners do not want it changed. They like to hunt their land every year. The problem is it is killing the oak creek deer unit. The general season tag holders knock the hell out of all the bucks heading to winter grounds and hay fields below the forest service boundary. A Big buck is hard to come by in that unit anymore. Its a dang tough hunt with not alot of deer. The boundary needs to be changed because there is alot of guys that venture above it and into the forest service and hunt in the limited entry unit every year. The boundary is not marked clearly enough and some guys can't read a dam map.