2lumpy
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 8,001
buglinbilly,
Regard you post on the "close the deer hunt" and other ACTION items.
Many, many sportsmen in Utah agree with every word you have said. It didn't have to be this way but "it is what it is" however the door has now been opened to start doing something more than what has been done about it in the past. The mule deer plans are good stuff, now that we can more specifically target them to each unit more good for the re-growth of our suffering herds can be done, without destroying those few herds that are still robust.
I believe we must begin to establish "friends of the pauns" type task forces on every unit, immediately, not wait for the agency folks to see what they want to do but get started right now. Invited DWR biologists into your "friends" circle, invited Federal agents, gov. trappers, primary landowners, bow hunters, mountain men, and rifle hunters. Include CWMU operators, your wives and girl friends, your youth.
Find out from the gov trappers what your predators are doing and what you can do to help and where and when to do it. Go over your deer habitat issues with Forest Service ad BLM agents, have then tell you what the feed situation is at. Get with the DOT people and look in what kind of highway mortality you have, where it's the worst and what they think would help fix it. Get your DWR Conservation Officer involved, find out if you can help reduce poaching and harassment activities. Look into watering systems that can carry deer through a drought. See if there would be any way to have rapid feeding programs in place if the winter requires it. Line up people that care, that can donate time and money, on short notice so your ready to move quickly if you need to feed on short notice.
Encourage the local DWR folks to lead, if they will, if they won't, then you lead. Don't get discouraged with people when they say you can't or shouldn't be meddling with deer management. As these unit by unit regulations roll out the RAC and the Wildlife Boards are going to be looking to the "friends of YOUR unit" to provide input and offer recommendations.
It's going to be different now. A RAC from one area will have no reason to want to over ride a decision made by a RAC from across the State because the units, the biology, and the hunt/harvest strategies will no longer be pushed and pulled by huge unrelated regions or by State wide decisions. Season dates, the length of the season, the kinds of weapons, the buck/doe ratios, the fawn/ratios can NOW be independent and will effect only a single herd of deer.
REMEMBER, there is no central leadership in this MOVEMENT, the hunters from each unit are going to have to rise up on their own and take control of their deer herd. The hunters in Vernal are not going to get anything out of the hunters in Cedar City. Same with the hunters in Price, don't expect much from the sportsmen in Delta. etc. etc.
If this management tool is going to grow more deer YOU have to be the one to do it. The deer can't do it without YOU and you've seen what has happened if you wait for a State agency to do it without your help.
Nobody is going to step out of the trees and save your deer, YOU have to be the one.
Call a meeting THIS WEEK, get started NOW, start with a few passionate hunters, invited the pros, push them, work with THEM and work for them, enlarge you "friends" make it happen in your back yard.
DO NOT WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE RACS AND THE BOARD AND THE DWR WILL DO, START TODAY! BECOME A FORCE FOR MULE DEER TODAY!!!!
WE CAN DO THIS!!!
DC
Regard you post on the "close the deer hunt" and other ACTION items.
Many, many sportsmen in Utah agree with every word you have said. It didn't have to be this way but "it is what it is" however the door has now been opened to start doing something more than what has been done about it in the past. The mule deer plans are good stuff, now that we can more specifically target them to each unit more good for the re-growth of our suffering herds can be done, without destroying those few herds that are still robust.
I believe we must begin to establish "friends of the pauns" type task forces on every unit, immediately, not wait for the agency folks to see what they want to do but get started right now. Invited DWR biologists into your "friends" circle, invited Federal agents, gov. trappers, primary landowners, bow hunters, mountain men, and rifle hunters. Include CWMU operators, your wives and girl friends, your youth.
Find out from the gov trappers what your predators are doing and what you can do to help and where and when to do it. Go over your deer habitat issues with Forest Service ad BLM agents, have then tell you what the feed situation is at. Get with the DOT people and look in what kind of highway mortality you have, where it's the worst and what they think would help fix it. Get your DWR Conservation Officer involved, find out if you can help reduce poaching and harassment activities. Look into watering systems that can carry deer through a drought. See if there would be any way to have rapid feeding programs in place if the winter requires it. Line up people that care, that can donate time and money, on short notice so your ready to move quickly if you need to feed on short notice.
Encourage the local DWR folks to lead, if they will, if they won't, then you lead. Don't get discouraged with people when they say you can't or shouldn't be meddling with deer management. As these unit by unit regulations roll out the RAC and the Wildlife Boards are going to be looking to the "friends of YOUR unit" to provide input and offer recommendations.
It's going to be different now. A RAC from one area will have no reason to want to over ride a decision made by a RAC from across the State because the units, the biology, and the hunt/harvest strategies will no longer be pushed and pulled by huge unrelated regions or by State wide decisions. Season dates, the length of the season, the kinds of weapons, the buck/doe ratios, the fawn/ratios can NOW be independent and will effect only a single herd of deer.
REMEMBER, there is no central leadership in this MOVEMENT, the hunters from each unit are going to have to rise up on their own and take control of their deer herd. The hunters in Vernal are not going to get anything out of the hunters in Cedar City. Same with the hunters in Price, don't expect much from the sportsmen in Delta. etc. etc.
If this management tool is going to grow more deer YOU have to be the one to do it. The deer can't do it without YOU and you've seen what has happened if you wait for a State agency to do it without your help.
Nobody is going to step out of the trees and save your deer, YOU have to be the one.
Call a meeting THIS WEEK, get started NOW, start with a few passionate hunters, invited the pros, push them, work with THEM and work for them, enlarge you "friends" make it happen in your back yard.
DO NOT WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE RACS AND THE BOARD AND THE DWR WILL DO, START TODAY! BECOME A FORCE FOR MULE DEER TODAY!!!!
WE CAN DO THIS!!!
DC