RE: Beaver Unit Dvereer Herd
>Just 3 years ago it seemed
>there were lots more deer
>and lots of bucks making
>it thru the rifle season.
> Skip to the next
>season and it was ridiculous
>how few deer were in
>the same areas, and the
>lack of anyone seeing bucks.
> To me that
>was a drastic decrease in
>just one season?
>I don't this the winter
>that year was too bad.
> Just seems like that
>year it really took a
>big hit...
https://www.drought.gov/drought/states/utah
Note Beaver area on map (use zoom tool).
Note years of drought on chart (1012 to 2019) especially 2018. A drought this long is especially hard on sagebrush which is the staple of winter ranges.
https://wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/bg/plans/deer_22.pdf
This is the 5 year Beaver unit plan established in 2015.
In several places the low fawn recruitment and poor fawning habitat are mentioned. (See link below to see what has been and is being done to improve fawning habitat and other issues.) Note also that the DWR works with many other partners (NFS, BLM, NRCS, WRI, SFW, MDF, etc..) to help solve this and other problems, so they are not the only ones responsible for any decrease (or increase) of deer populations.
https://wri.utah.gov/wri/map/map.html
This shows the work done under the Watershed Restoration Initiative. It doesn't include all of the projects from the EXPO and Conservation tag funds. Note all the dots on the Beaver unit. Not all of them are for deer, but most also benefit deer. (11 current, 1 pending completion, 4 proposed, about 80 completed)
There may indeed be a problem with the deer population on the Beaver unit, but to claim the DWR ignores it and is responsible for it is misleading and nonproductive.
If you choose to be part of the solution, then show up at the RAC and Wildlife Board meetings with suggestions AND contact your Regional office and volunteer.