Good winter for wildlife so far
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elkassassin
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True!
But I'm Still seeing an amazing number of Deer Hit on the Highways!
But I'm Still seeing an amazing number of Deer Hit on the Highways!
OpeningDay
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^^^^^, This is exactly why we need to issue many many more tags for these animals. There are so many of them, they are spilling over onto our highways. This could mean far more tags for people to draw at the expo. Can you even imagine what a Statewide Highway tag could sell for at the auction?? Think of the positives.
Why "consult" GPS coordinates when you can just sell a mile marker. Easy $$.
Why tell people to get off the roads, that would be bad info..
Think of the possibilites.
Ps. This whole thread is complete sarcasm. I must be bored.
Why "consult" GPS coordinates when you can just sell a mile marker. Easy $$.
Why tell people to get off the roads, that would be bad info..
Think of the possibilites.
Ps. This whole thread is complete sarcasm. I must be bored.
2lumpy
Long Time Member
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South Central Utah has had very little moisture/snow this year, it's been a little unnerving.......... but, we had 3/4 inch of rain in Glenwood yesterday and there was snow on all the surrounding mountain tops this morning. Snow on the tops, rain in the valleys is a perfect mule deer winter, in my opinion. I sure hope it stays mild so far as temperatures are concerned and that we get more rain in the valley and snow on the tops, until April.
On another note, regarding deer numbers, a pair of Fish and Game biologist's stopped by the house a few days before Christmas. They were just returning from counting and age classifying mule deer on a unit to the east of my house. They have a yearly route they work every year, so they can compare the populations, year against year, to track trends and changes. The route they had worked that day had very few young deer, both male and female, in the counts. Down over previous years, enough they were concerned for both the buck and the doe numbers.
Two years ago we lost a lot of young deer here on the local winter range, which at first they believed was localized and not region wide, but now, not so much. Again last year, a lot of young deer didn't survive the winter, and the lack of the young buck population was very evident this summer and during the fall hunting seasons. (yes, there were pockets of young bucks that hunters killed but over all the numbers were off for this years hunters)
With low populations, on these South Central mountains, for the last 20 plus years, two years of back to back loss of our fawn production is going to hurt. You can't blame Fish and Game for the weather but I sure wish we had all been more concerned and worked together to hold the base herd we had 20-30 years ago, so we could better deal with these kind of weather situations. I hate it when we operate so close to the edge, just doesn't seem like a wise thing to be doing.
Oh well......... I'm pretty much just an observer now days. What ever you do, don't let them touch that 5 year mule deer plan again, keep killing them. Oh, did I mention, we had an antlerless mule deer hunt here last fall. Ya............ I did mention that......... a few months ago. 90% of our hunters have no idea and 80% don't care. The survey's are interpreted to say, 60% just want a tag every year, regardless of the weather, the population trends, or the age class trends. I don't believe the interpretation of the survey but those that make the rules do believe it, so there's no point in getting animated over it anymore.
Gonna buy an air rifle an shoot eurasian doves, BobCat. Gonna get that renown form back.
DC
On another note, regarding deer numbers, a pair of Fish and Game biologist's stopped by the house a few days before Christmas. They were just returning from counting and age classifying mule deer on a unit to the east of my house. They have a yearly route they work every year, so they can compare the populations, year against year, to track trends and changes. The route they had worked that day had very few young deer, both male and female, in the counts. Down over previous years, enough they were concerned for both the buck and the doe numbers.
Two years ago we lost a lot of young deer here on the local winter range, which at first they believed was localized and not region wide, but now, not so much. Again last year, a lot of young deer didn't survive the winter, and the lack of the young buck population was very evident this summer and during the fall hunting seasons. (yes, there were pockets of young bucks that hunters killed but over all the numbers were off for this years hunters)
With low populations, on these South Central mountains, for the last 20 plus years, two years of back to back loss of our fawn production is going to hurt. You can't blame Fish and Game for the weather but I sure wish we had all been more concerned and worked together to hold the base herd we had 20-30 years ago, so we could better deal with these kind of weather situations. I hate it when we operate so close to the edge, just doesn't seem like a wise thing to be doing.
Oh well......... I'm pretty much just an observer now days. What ever you do, don't let them touch that 5 year mule deer plan again, keep killing them. Oh, did I mention, we had an antlerless mule deer hunt here last fall. Ya............ I did mention that......... a few months ago. 90% of our hunters have no idea and 80% don't care. The survey's are interpreted to say, 60% just want a tag every year, regardless of the weather, the population trends, or the age class trends. I don't believe the interpretation of the survey but those that make the rules do believe it, so there's no point in getting animated over it anymore.
Gonna buy an air rifle an shoot eurasian doves, BobCat. Gonna get that renown form back.
DC
Gator
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Just remember NO SNOW means no ground moisture in the spring for growing feed for new crop of young animals will hurt them. Need water/moisture for growing in the spring. Kind of a double edge sword.
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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