bowhunt
Long Time Member
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- 3,192
Most of us realize that our kids will never hunt Big Bulls in Utah.
With the current levels of tags and tag allocations it just simply will not happen.
I am ok with me never hunting big bulls in Utah again, but I would like to see my kids have the chance.
With that said I have put some time into thinking about what can be done. I have come up with 2 possible solutions, but will only post one for now.
Goal of Proposal
1: Keep harvest levels at the current rate.
2: Keep the Rifle hunts during the premium time.
3: Only make changes on 2-3 units and evaluate success.
4. Give more opportunity for hunting/get people out of the pool.
Here we go.
The Wasatch Unit currently offers the following tags:
-Archery 104 tags harvest success of 33% or 34 bulls
-Rifle 239 tags harvest success of 95% or 227 bulls
-Muzz 62 tags harvest success of 70% or 44 bulls
Total harvest of 305 mature bulls per year.
Total hunters leaving the pool of applicants 405 per year.
Proposal:
-Archery 400 tags harvest success of 30% or 120 bulls
-Rifle 150 tags harvest success of 95% or 142 bulls
-Muzz 62 tags harvest success of 70% or 42 bulls
Total harvest of 305 mature bulls per year
Total hunters leaving the pool of applicants 610 or 205 more than before.
Apply this math to the Manti Unit:
Currently:
Archery 78 tags
Rifle early and late 179 tags
Muzz 11 tags
Proposed:
Archery 250 tags
Rifle early and late 125 tags
Muzz 11 tags
Total hunters leaving the pool of applicants 386 or 118 more than before.
By making these adjustments, on just 2 units, we could take an additional 323 people out of the applicant pool per year.
Cons:
-Fewer Rifle tags, when the majority of people want to hunt with a rifle.
-Crowding during the archery hunt, notice I dropped the success by 3 points
-Muzz hunters still have limited opportunity
Pros:
-More total opportunity each year
-More people moving through the bonus pool
-Rifle hunt is still a PREMIUM HUNT
-There is hope
Thoughts?
With the current levels of tags and tag allocations it just simply will not happen.
I am ok with me never hunting big bulls in Utah again, but I would like to see my kids have the chance.
With that said I have put some time into thinking about what can be done. I have come up with 2 possible solutions, but will only post one for now.
Goal of Proposal
1: Keep harvest levels at the current rate.
2: Keep the Rifle hunts during the premium time.
3: Only make changes on 2-3 units and evaluate success.
4. Give more opportunity for hunting/get people out of the pool.
Here we go.
The Wasatch Unit currently offers the following tags:
-Archery 104 tags harvest success of 33% or 34 bulls
-Rifle 239 tags harvest success of 95% or 227 bulls
-Muzz 62 tags harvest success of 70% or 44 bulls
Total harvest of 305 mature bulls per year.
Total hunters leaving the pool of applicants 405 per year.
Proposal:
-Archery 400 tags harvest success of 30% or 120 bulls
-Rifle 150 tags harvest success of 95% or 142 bulls
-Muzz 62 tags harvest success of 70% or 42 bulls
Total harvest of 305 mature bulls per year
Total hunters leaving the pool of applicants 610 or 205 more than before.
Apply this math to the Manti Unit:
Currently:
Archery 78 tags
Rifle early and late 179 tags
Muzz 11 tags
Proposed:
Archery 250 tags
Rifle early and late 125 tags
Muzz 11 tags
Total hunters leaving the pool of applicants 386 or 118 more than before.
By making these adjustments, on just 2 units, we could take an additional 323 people out of the applicant pool per year.
Cons:
-Fewer Rifle tags, when the majority of people want to hunt with a rifle.
-Crowding during the archery hunt, notice I dropped the success by 3 points
-Muzz hunters still have limited opportunity
Pros:
-More total opportunity each year
-More people moving through the bonus pool
-Rifle hunt is still a PREMIUM HUNT
-There is hope
Thoughts?