wileywapati
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Posted Thursday, October 9, 2003
Mule deer and elk changes in 2004 the focus of upcoming public meetings
SALT LAKE CITY ? Division of Wildlife Resources officials have a goal for elk hunting in Utah in 2004 ? make it simpler, fairer and more consistent without sacrificing the quality hunters have come to enjoy.
They'll share their ideas on how to do that at an upcoming series of Regional Advisory Council meetings. People are encouraged to attend the meetings and provide the DWR with their input and ideas.
Another major item to be discussed will be Utah's Mule Deer Management Plan, which will guide the management of mule deer in Utah through 2008. The DWR is proposing new goals, objectives and strategies to guide the management of Utah's deer herds. Copies of the proposed plan are available on this Web site. ? (PDF format, 156 KB) Copies will also be available at the meetings.
Meeting dates, times and locations are as follows:
Northeastern Region
Oct. 27, 7 p.m.
Vernal City Office
447 E. Main St., Vernal
Southeastern Region
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
885 E. Main St., Green River
Southern Region
Oct. 29, 7 p.m.
Beaver High School
195 E. Center St., Beaver
Central Region
Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m.
Department of Natural Resources
1594 W. North Temple, Salt Lake City
Northern Region
Nov. 5, 6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N. 300 W., Brigham City
Among the major big game hunting changes the DWR is recommending for 2004 are the following:
Set aside 15 percent of the general buck deer permits in each region for youth hunters ages 14 to 18.
Eliminate the second drawing for big game permits and sell permits not taken in the first big game draw over-the-counter in June.
Eliminate AR301 archery elk permits. AR301 permits are special archery elk permits that have allowed 300 archers to hunt all of the state's general any bull elk units, as well as several spike bull and limited entry units.
Allocate limited entry elk permits on all units in a consistent way, based on weapon type ? 25 percent archery, 65 percent any weapon and 10 percent muzzleloader. This distribution would reduce current rifle elk hunting opportunities on some units and increase the number of archers and muzzleloader hunters on the units. This would lay the groundwork for expanded limited entry elk hunting opportunities in the future, because archers and muzzleloader hunters are less successful than rifle hunters. It would also distribute hunting pressure over three hunts, which would lessen hunting pressure during the rifle hunt and provide a better experience for rifle hunters.
Eliminate ML300 muzzleloader elk permits and add the 1,300 ML300 permits to the general any bull elk permit cap. This would increase the any bull elk cap to 14,300 permits. When hunters buy an any bull permit, they could choose whether they wanted their permit to be a rifle permit or a muzzleloader permit.
"The thing we keep hearing from elk hunters is that the regulations are too complicated. They also want the regulations to be fairer and more consistent across the board," Jim Karpowitz, big game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources said about the proposed elk hunting changes. "At the same time, they don't want the quality of their hunting experience to decline. We believe we've come up with recommendations that will provide hunters what they're looking for."
RAC citizen representatives will take public input received about the recommendations to the Utah Wildlife Board when it meets Nov. 13 in Salt Lake City to approve Utah's 2004 Big Game Proclamation.
For more information about the meetings, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.
Mule deer and elk changes in 2004 the focus of upcoming public meetings
SALT LAKE CITY ? Division of Wildlife Resources officials have a goal for elk hunting in Utah in 2004 ? make it simpler, fairer and more consistent without sacrificing the quality hunters have come to enjoy.
They'll share their ideas on how to do that at an upcoming series of Regional Advisory Council meetings. People are encouraged to attend the meetings and provide the DWR with their input and ideas.
Another major item to be discussed will be Utah's Mule Deer Management Plan, which will guide the management of mule deer in Utah through 2008. The DWR is proposing new goals, objectives and strategies to guide the management of Utah's deer herds. Copies of the proposed plan are available on this Web site. ? (PDF format, 156 KB) Copies will also be available at the meetings.
Meeting dates, times and locations are as follows:
Northeastern Region
Oct. 27, 7 p.m.
Vernal City Office
447 E. Main St., Vernal
Southeastern Region
Oct. 28, 6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
885 E. Main St., Green River
Southern Region
Oct. 29, 7 p.m.
Beaver High School
195 E. Center St., Beaver
Central Region
Nov. 4, 6:30 p.m.
Department of Natural Resources
1594 W. North Temple, Salt Lake City
Northern Region
Nov. 5, 6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N. 300 W., Brigham City
Among the major big game hunting changes the DWR is recommending for 2004 are the following:
Set aside 15 percent of the general buck deer permits in each region for youth hunters ages 14 to 18.
Eliminate the second drawing for big game permits and sell permits not taken in the first big game draw over-the-counter in June.
Eliminate AR301 archery elk permits. AR301 permits are special archery elk permits that have allowed 300 archers to hunt all of the state's general any bull elk units, as well as several spike bull and limited entry units.
Allocate limited entry elk permits on all units in a consistent way, based on weapon type ? 25 percent archery, 65 percent any weapon and 10 percent muzzleloader. This distribution would reduce current rifle elk hunting opportunities on some units and increase the number of archers and muzzleloader hunters on the units. This would lay the groundwork for expanded limited entry elk hunting opportunities in the future, because archers and muzzleloader hunters are less successful than rifle hunters. It would also distribute hunting pressure over three hunts, which would lessen hunting pressure during the rifle hunt and provide a better experience for rifle hunters.
Eliminate ML300 muzzleloader elk permits and add the 1,300 ML300 permits to the general any bull elk permit cap. This would increase the any bull elk cap to 14,300 permits. When hunters buy an any bull permit, they could choose whether they wanted their permit to be a rifle permit or a muzzleloader permit.
"The thing we keep hearing from elk hunters is that the regulations are too complicated. They also want the regulations to be fairer and more consistent across the board," Jim Karpowitz, big game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources said about the proposed elk hunting changes. "At the same time, they don't want the quality of their hunting experience to decline. We believe we've come up with recommendations that will provide hunters what they're looking for."
RAC citizen representatives will take public input received about the recommendations to the Utah Wildlife Board when it meets Nov. 13 in Salt Lake City to approve Utah's 2004 Big Game Proclamation.
For more information about the meetings, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.