rockymtnhunter
Active Member
- Messages
- 198
Please excuse the length of this post, but I've read with much interest all the posts recently, and over the past few years, about Utah deer hunting and how it it isn't what it used to be - and isn't the way many want it to be now, and in the future. Everyone seems to have an idea on how to make things better - i.e. reduce the number of permits, 3-pt or better, kill all the coyotes & lions, more units-less units, shorter seasons, closures and so on. Almost everyone laments that there are no deer - and the deer hunt in UT is dead.
I first hunted in Utah in October 1968, and yes there were lots of deer, lots of bucks, and lots of hunters. Big bucks, little bucks, lots of bucks. "Southern Utah" was the place to go and everyone hunted - and places like Monroe Mtn, Manti Mtn, Dixie NF, Tabby Mtn, Monte Cristo, Skyline Drive, Book Cliffs, the North Slope, and Strawberry were legendary. There were big buck contests at Sunset Sporting Goods, Wolfe's, Zinik's, Kammayer Sports and other sporting goods stores (none of these stores exist now). If I remember correctly there were over 225,000 deer hunters in the late '60's-early 70's. I graduated from Clearfield HS in '70 and then went to USU studying forestry. I've bowhunted, muzzy-hunted and rifle hunted muleys in the Northern, Southern, NE and SE regions. My career has taken me all over the West and I've hunted muleys in AZ (No. Kaibab), NM, WY, MT (where I presently live), CO, and OR. My career started with the U.S. Forest Service and now with another federal land and water resource agency - I went to school with, hunted with and have worked with many wildlfe biologists. I joined the Utah Hunters Federation back in 1980, and later witnessed what happened to UT deer hunting in the early '90s, attended some of the first organizational meetings of SFW, but their objectives didn't quite click for me.
This year, on a whim, I applied for and drew a UT non-resident archery tag - and hunted an area near Salina where I last hunted in 1980. I wasn't sure what I would find now after 30+ years, but it used to be a great area and I had chased many big bucks there. I knew there would be a lot of hunters, roads, ATVs and development. And that was true big time - as I headed up the mtn on the first morning I was worried about whether there were still deer in my favorite basin, or whether it would be overrun with hunters. As I passed camp after camp, vehicle after vehicle, ATV after ATV on the road my worry grew and I was sure I was headed for big disappointment. I parked my truck and slowly walked through a sage/aspen meadow not knowing if this was going to be a bust or not. I hadn't walked 200 yrds before a nice 3-pt buck walked up the slope 150 yards from me and my spirits rose - perhaps there were still deer here! I walked another 15 minutes and topped out on a ridge looking into a basin that I hadn't laid eyes on for 30 years - and immediately my eyes were drawn to 5 white rumps in the growing light about 300 yards from me - I put my binocs on them and it was 5 big bucks - the biggest about 28-30" in with some extra kickers.
Over the next 5 days I saw many other big bucks as I walked 1/2 to 1 mile off the roads, but I didn't see any other hunter off the road more than 200 ft. In the end I didn't arrow a buck but I was thrilled to know there were still deer, and big bucks here. I guess what I learned is that the big bucks are still there, but you have to get off the road to find them. And there are other lessons I learned which could be topics of other postings.
A few thoughts:
1.IMO habitat is everything for deer - and lot of habitat, esp. crucial winter range, has been lost to development - everytime I return to UT I am dismayed by the amount of habitat I see lost to new homes, business development, and urban growth/sprawl.
2. Deer vs. Elk - elk are winning, but with the right mgt by UDWR with meaningful & effective collaboration from hunters, deer herds could be winning too.
3. Coyotes & Lions - Yes they're out there, but if I understand predator/prey population relationships, then there shouldn't be many 'yotes & lions because there are supposedly no deer for them to eat. If there are lots of predators, then there must be lots of prey (deer).
4. Overhunting/too many hunters - probably, esp. when you see how the Books and Henry's responded to hunting closures.
5. Family hunting - I love to hunt with my sons and their families, but does everyone need a tag to enjoy the hunt/deer camp experience?
6. Do you need to hunt every year? The harsh reality is that we as hunters need to do a reality check and understand that we may not get a tag every year - a "quality" hunt may only be available every few years.
7. Reduce the no. permits - probably.
8. Archery v. muzz v. rifle - we need to pick our weapon and that's it for the year.
9. Smaller hunting units with controlled no. of permits - yes, just like every other western state.
10. Raise the price of tags - Yes, hunters have always paid, and will continue to pay, the price to achieve effective mgt of deer herds. But those increased tag fees must be plowed into habitat acquisition, improvement and protection - and UDWR needs to get that message!
Just something to think about...
I first hunted in Utah in October 1968, and yes there were lots of deer, lots of bucks, and lots of hunters. Big bucks, little bucks, lots of bucks. "Southern Utah" was the place to go and everyone hunted - and places like Monroe Mtn, Manti Mtn, Dixie NF, Tabby Mtn, Monte Cristo, Skyline Drive, Book Cliffs, the North Slope, and Strawberry were legendary. There were big buck contests at Sunset Sporting Goods, Wolfe's, Zinik's, Kammayer Sports and other sporting goods stores (none of these stores exist now). If I remember correctly there were over 225,000 deer hunters in the late '60's-early 70's. I graduated from Clearfield HS in '70 and then went to USU studying forestry. I've bowhunted, muzzy-hunted and rifle hunted muleys in the Northern, Southern, NE and SE regions. My career has taken me all over the West and I've hunted muleys in AZ (No. Kaibab), NM, WY, MT (where I presently live), CO, and OR. My career started with the U.S. Forest Service and now with another federal land and water resource agency - I went to school with, hunted with and have worked with many wildlfe biologists. I joined the Utah Hunters Federation back in 1980, and later witnessed what happened to UT deer hunting in the early '90s, attended some of the first organizational meetings of SFW, but their objectives didn't quite click for me.
This year, on a whim, I applied for and drew a UT non-resident archery tag - and hunted an area near Salina where I last hunted in 1980. I wasn't sure what I would find now after 30+ years, but it used to be a great area and I had chased many big bucks there. I knew there would be a lot of hunters, roads, ATVs and development. And that was true big time - as I headed up the mtn on the first morning I was worried about whether there were still deer in my favorite basin, or whether it would be overrun with hunters. As I passed camp after camp, vehicle after vehicle, ATV after ATV on the road my worry grew and I was sure I was headed for big disappointment. I parked my truck and slowly walked through a sage/aspen meadow not knowing if this was going to be a bust or not. I hadn't walked 200 yrds before a nice 3-pt buck walked up the slope 150 yards from me and my spirits rose - perhaps there were still deer here! I walked another 15 minutes and topped out on a ridge looking into a basin that I hadn't laid eyes on for 30 years - and immediately my eyes were drawn to 5 white rumps in the growing light about 300 yards from me - I put my binocs on them and it was 5 big bucks - the biggest about 28-30" in with some extra kickers.
Over the next 5 days I saw many other big bucks as I walked 1/2 to 1 mile off the roads, but I didn't see any other hunter off the road more than 200 ft. In the end I didn't arrow a buck but I was thrilled to know there were still deer, and big bucks here. I guess what I learned is that the big bucks are still there, but you have to get off the road to find them. And there are other lessons I learned which could be topics of other postings.
A few thoughts:
1.IMO habitat is everything for deer - and lot of habitat, esp. crucial winter range, has been lost to development - everytime I return to UT I am dismayed by the amount of habitat I see lost to new homes, business development, and urban growth/sprawl.
2. Deer vs. Elk - elk are winning, but with the right mgt by UDWR with meaningful & effective collaboration from hunters, deer herds could be winning too.
3. Coyotes & Lions - Yes they're out there, but if I understand predator/prey population relationships, then there shouldn't be many 'yotes & lions because there are supposedly no deer for them to eat. If there are lots of predators, then there must be lots of prey (deer).
4. Overhunting/too many hunters - probably, esp. when you see how the Books and Henry's responded to hunting closures.
5. Family hunting - I love to hunt with my sons and their families, but does everyone need a tag to enjoy the hunt/deer camp experience?
6. Do you need to hunt every year? The harsh reality is that we as hunters need to do a reality check and understand that we may not get a tag every year - a "quality" hunt may only be available every few years.
7. Reduce the no. permits - probably.
8. Archery v. muzz v. rifle - we need to pick our weapon and that's it for the year.
9. Smaller hunting units with controlled no. of permits - yes, just like every other western state.
10. Raise the price of tags - Yes, hunters have always paid, and will continue to pay, the price to achieve effective mgt of deer herds. But those increased tag fees must be plowed into habitat acquisition, improvement and protection - and UDWR needs to get that message!
Just something to think about...