R
Russ
Guest
Did anyone happen to attend the rac meeting the last 2 nights in Utah?? If so could you tell me what the concensus was?? I will hit the southern utah rac tonight, but want to be prepared.
C
Clint_N_Di
Guest
Check the bowsite under the utah conference there is a thread about the Rac's.
c3
Very Active Member
- Messages
- 2,099
I was at last nights Southeast RAC. The votes are going down pretty much to DWR plan.
Doing away with the AR301 archery hunt. Doing away with the ML300 sort of.
Making every LE elk unit a choose your weapon draw. SWF has proposed that 10% of the permits be allocated to a "hunt all three seasons" permit. Similar to the existing auxiliary permit, but on every unit in the state.
Total permit numbers for each LE elk unit will be split as follows:
-50% any weapon,
-25% Archery only,
-15% muzzleloader only
-10% hunt all three seasons if needed for one bull
This is what the SE RAC voted for. The NE RAC voted for 55% any weapon, 25% archery only and 20% muzzleloader only and no auxiliary permit type.
The ML300 permits will be gone, but muzzleloaders can purchase a muzzleloader permit out of the 19,000 spike bull and 14,000 any bull permits available next year. They will be for their own season separate from the rifle hunts, but will have no hunters choice option. In otherwords now all 19,000 spike bull permits could go to muzzleloaders if they got them first in the OTC and online sales of these permits.
Jim presented a new Deer management plan that sounded pretty good. Like usual it is all about $$$ appropriations to to make it all happen.
Deer hunts will be pretty much unchanged next year with the exception of season dates and permit numbers. Due to the very low fawn production, days and permits could be cut again next year.
The major change is that 15% of the total permits in each of the 5 units will be reserved for youth hunters. In other words, another 1875 some permits will be taken away from the southern unit and reserved for youth hunters exclusively there.
There was some mention of the dedicated hunter program, but nothing specific was voted on.
I presented the case for significantly increasing primitive weapons use on the LE elk hunts as a way to ensure more opportunity for LE elk hunting here in Utah. It fell on deaf ears as usual.
Cheers,
Pete
Doing away with the AR301 archery hunt. Doing away with the ML300 sort of.
Making every LE elk unit a choose your weapon draw. SWF has proposed that 10% of the permits be allocated to a "hunt all three seasons" permit. Similar to the existing auxiliary permit, but on every unit in the state.
Total permit numbers for each LE elk unit will be split as follows:
-50% any weapon,
-25% Archery only,
-15% muzzleloader only
-10% hunt all three seasons if needed for one bull
This is what the SE RAC voted for. The NE RAC voted for 55% any weapon, 25% archery only and 20% muzzleloader only and no auxiliary permit type.
The ML300 permits will be gone, but muzzleloaders can purchase a muzzleloader permit out of the 19,000 spike bull and 14,000 any bull permits available next year. They will be for their own season separate from the rifle hunts, but will have no hunters choice option. In otherwords now all 19,000 spike bull permits could go to muzzleloaders if they got them first in the OTC and online sales of these permits.
Jim presented a new Deer management plan that sounded pretty good. Like usual it is all about $$$ appropriations to to make it all happen.
Deer hunts will be pretty much unchanged next year with the exception of season dates and permit numbers. Due to the very low fawn production, days and permits could be cut again next year.
The major change is that 15% of the total permits in each of the 5 units will be reserved for youth hunters. In other words, another 1875 some permits will be taken away from the southern unit and reserved for youth hunters exclusively there.
There was some mention of the dedicated hunter program, but nothing specific was voted on.
I presented the case for significantly increasing primitive weapons use on the LE elk hunts as a way to ensure more opportunity for LE elk hunting here in Utah. It fell on deaf ears as usual.
Cheers,
Pete
R
Russ
Guest
So do you see them cutting the hunting rifle deer season to a 5 day season? Are the 25% archery elk based on total tags or based on kill?? For example archers typically kill 25% success, so we will give them more tags?? By getting rid of the ar301, is that going to cost bow hunters tags??
c3
Very Active Member
- Messages
- 2,099
5 day rifle hunts for deer are again going to be a strong possibility. Day and permit numbers are not set till the spring.
The splits on LE Elk units is based on permit numbers. The UBA is in favor of basing it on harvest. Splitting the harvest 50%, 25%, 25%, but two RAC's did not entertained the idea in any way.
Here's the rough numbers from the DWR's proposal. It's not what it will be, but roughly the ball park.
625 Rifle permits (50%)
313 Archery only permits (25%)
188 Muzzleloader only permits (15%)
125 Hunt all three seasons permits (10%)
------------------
1251 permits total
It'll cost a few permits for archers. It's a shame too. Much of the state doesn't support archery as a means to lessen crowding on rifle hunts. They simply call it unfair and don't see how additional archery and muzzleloader opportunity will draw lower point folks out of the rifle draws in droves.
There were 3000 archers and 6000 muzzleloaders who put in for the AR301 and the ML3000, now all those hunters are in the points draw. How many will go back to rifle draw is up to debate. Only time will tell.
Cheers,
Pete
The splits on LE Elk units is based on permit numbers. The UBA is in favor of basing it on harvest. Splitting the harvest 50%, 25%, 25%, but two RAC's did not entertained the idea in any way.
Here's the rough numbers from the DWR's proposal. It's not what it will be, but roughly the ball park.
625 Rifle permits (50%)
313 Archery only permits (25%)
188 Muzzleloader only permits (15%)
125 Hunt all three seasons permits (10%)
------------------
1251 permits total
It'll cost a few permits for archers. It's a shame too. Much of the state doesn't support archery as a means to lessen crowding on rifle hunts. They simply call it unfair and don't see how additional archery and muzzleloader opportunity will draw lower point folks out of the rifle draws in droves.
There were 3000 archers and 6000 muzzleloaders who put in for the AR301 and the ML3000, now all those hunters are in the points draw. How many will go back to rifle draw is up to debate. Only time will tell.
Cheers,
Pete
R
Russ
Guest
I guess I just do not understand, how they are having very successful hunts, and then they are cutting the archery permits. I may not have agreed with how the ar301 draw was done, but it was a great hunt, had 300 oppertunities for archers, and never hurt one unit. Now there will only be slightly more archery permits throughout the whole state. I really think on some of these units there are way too many bulls. I know that don't make a lot of sense, but some of these units that have more tags ex Dutton are killing bigger bulls than these units that have fewer tags. I don't know if the rac's even listen, or if they just do the meeting so you think you have an input. It looks like I wont be hunting elk for a long long time now. 1 more year waiting period, and all these hunters that have been putting in for other elk hunts will be one up on me. The deer limited entry #'s will go up too.
