rac meetings

Downrange

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can anybody who attended any of the rac meetings tell us what happened as far as things that passed and things that did not?
 
If your talking about the one in Cedar City yes. We got there late. I was only interested in the increase in deer tags like Pinevally unit #30. I had a hard time hearing what they we're talking about because there microphones sounded muffled. Anyway it sounded like most of them voted yes for the additional deer seasons. I would like them to do a survey to get a public opinion on this subject. I think they should wate one more year before the increase in deer tags/seasons.
 
They are not adding tags. The are adding seasons/opportunities to spread the crowding and using the later season muzzy hunts for buck to do ratio management.
 
>can anybody who attended any of
>the rac meetings tell us
>what happened as far as
>things that passed and things
>that did not?

I got to 3 of them, but I can't tell you what happened in the SW or NW Regions.

Basically, the Central, Northern and Southern RAC's passed all of the DWR proposals as presented (per the packet), with the exception of the expansion of the late LE Muzzy hunts on the general units. Currently there are several of those hunts on a few general units, but that proposal would put a late LE muzzy on ALL of them in opposition to the Mule Deer Plan and most of the RAC members thought we shouldn't be mixing LE hunts in with general units and they wanted to follow the 5-year Mule Deer more closely than we may have done in the past.

In addition to the printed proposals there were a few new ones proposed by the public including: (1-Adding archery only hunts to more OIL species-passed in all 3 RAC's, (2-Establishing Rocky Mountain and Desert ewe sheep hunts like the cow moose hunts-passed in all 3 RAC's and (3-Adding the option of shooting antlerless elk on the muzzy hunts like we currently do with archery hunts-presented and passed in the Southern RAC. There may be some I missed, but the buck/bull/OIL presentation contains so many items it was difficult to deal with them all in one motion.

The rest of the items (Waterfowl, Prairie Dogs, Deer in Commercial Elk Operations, etc.) passed quite quickly.
 
So TR17 none of these proposal are adding additional tags that sounds good to me. I haven't had a chance to look overything great.
 
Interesting, I had heard the central rac didn't pass more muzz hunts on general units, that's the one that concerns me the most. Not really sure if I am In Favor of that hunt or not.
 
>So TR17 none of these proposal
>are adding additional tags that
>sounds good to me. I
>haven't had a chance to
>look overything great.

I assume you're talking about deer tags, but we won't actually know until the May/June meetings whether or not additional deer tags will be added on ANY unit. However, if they are, it won't be due to these proposals because this proposals just spread out the designated unit tag numbers. It will be due to the buck to doe ratios being higher than the Mule Deer Plan calls for. And in this case, that includes 24 of the 29 units, including Pine Valley. If the Wildlife Board follows the Deer Plan which they approved, then there will be increases throughout the state.

Additionally, some of the units are also above the population objectives, so those units could have even higher increases in order to comply with the Mule Deer Plan.

Now, FWIW, the DWR already did a public survey during the Deer Planning Committee meetings and the results are reflected in the 5-year plan which went through the RAC and Wildlife Board process where the public had a further opportunity to be heard. If you weren't part of that process, then it might be to your best interest to be at the May/June meetings to express your opinion then.

Finally, I'm curious as to why you would want to wait one more year to follow the 5-year plan that's already in it's 3rd year? The Pine Valley unit is now in it's 4th or 5th year of being over the buck to doe ratio and the last two tag increases have not even stopped the ratio increase, let alone reduced it and I suspect waiting one more year will not change that. Please remember that this unit is managed for opportunity and those buck to doe ratio increases (and population increases) need to be addressed with tag increases. Awaiting your reply.
 
First of all I'm new to the state of utah. We moved here in 2012. So I don't have alot of knowledge...still on the learning curve here. When we did get the chance to go deer hunting, we picked Pinevalley. I'm a season hunter if that means anything. I noticed there wasn't many bucks in the middle Range (22-26)...just lots of young bucks and a few older class bucks but hardly anyhing in the middle range. I just couldn't figure it out? I thought maybe one more year would allow that age class to show up? At the RAC meeting I was able to ask the question to someone there and was told it had to do with where I was hunting and it was due to the lack of good feed in that area.
 
>I assume you're talking about deer
>tags, but we won't actually
>know until the May/June meetings
>whether or not additional deer
>tags will be added on
>ANY unit. However, if they
>are, it won't be due
>to these proposals because this
>proposals just spread out the
>designated unit tag numbers. It
>will be due to the
>buck to doe ratios being
>higher than the Mule Deer
>Plan calls for. And in
>this case, that includes 24
>of the 29 units, including
>Pine Valley. If the Wildlife
>Board follows the Deer Plan
>which they approved, then there
>will be increases throughout the
>state.


The draw is complete by around the 20th of may every year. Tag numbers are always decided in April. Not may or june
 
LAST EDITED ON Nov-23-17 AT 03:59PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Nov-23-17 AT 03:26?PM (MST)

LAST EDITED ON Nov-23-17 AT 03:24?PM (MST)

>
>>I assume you're talking about deer
>>tags, but we won't actually
>>know until the May/June meetings
>>whether or not additional deer
>>tags will be added on
>>ANY unit. However, if they
>>are, it won't be due
>>to these proposals because this
>>proposals just spread out the
>>designated unit tag numbers. It
>>will be due to the
>>buck to doe ratios being
>>higher than the Mule Deer
>>Plan calls for. And in
>>this case, that includes 24
>>of the 29 units, including
>>Pine Valley. If the Wildlife
>>Board follows the Deer Plan
>>which they approved, then there
>>will be increases throughout the
>>state.
>
>
>The draw is complete by around
>the 20th of may every
>year. Tag numbers are always
>decided in April. Not may
>or june

My bad! You're correct! I shoulda looked at the DWR schedule instead of relying on my fading memory.

Edited: And FWIW, I checked my RAC notes and realized the Northern RAC passed the proposed late muzzy deer hunts, but during the break several RAC members said they regretted voting yes because they didn't understand that ALL the general units would now qualify for that Limited Entry hunt.
 
>First of all I'm new to
>the state of utah. We
>moved here in 2012. So
>I don't have alot of
>knowledge...still on the learning curve
>here. When we did get
>the chance to go deer
>hunting, we picked Pinevalley. I'm
>a season hunter if that
>means anything. I noticed there
>wasn't many bucks in the
>middle Range (22-26)...just lots of
>young bucks and a few
>older class bucks but hardly
>anyhing in the middle range.
>I just couldn't figure it
>out? I thought maybe one
>more year would allow that
>age class to show up?
>At the RAC meeting I
>was able to ask the
>question to someone there and
>was told it had to
>do with where I was
>hunting and it was due
>to the lack of good
>feed in that area.

You've been here a few years, but welcome to Utah deer hunting. It's good to have you here.

I'm not a biologist and I don't fully understand the answer you were given, but I do know that many of the younger and middle aged bucks are taken on the general units, while the older bucks survive. I think it's because most Utahns don't get far enough from roads and camp where the older bucks live and they are willing to shoot younger ones. In any case, I'm pretty sure waiting one more year (or 20) won't change those buck dynamics. You'd have to change the way folks hunt around here and that would take some doing!
 
Your probably right about not letting younger bucks get older. We bought are first quad when I was 50 now I'm 61. We still like to get away from the roads when we can.
 

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