I haven't read the article, but after all of the Banter, I am not sure whos side I am on. I certainly side with Prism that for trophy class deer Utah does a poor job of management, but for opportunity with a rifle. They may do better than most states. I currently live in Arizona and to actually hunt the prime mule deer habitat in this state it will take you 10 plus years. To hunt elk it is very similar. I have spoken to numerous people here who used to be hunters, support hunting etc., but as time has passed and they realized that they can only hunt the animal they love to hunt in their home state once every 10 years they have now given up the sport altogether. Remember Arizona has javelina, and coues deer that you can hunt every year. But if your passion is mule deer hunting and you don't have the time or money to go out of state then we have lost another advocate of hunting. I travel to different states and enjoy trying to attempt hunting large mule deer and Utah sucks in this regard, but I am very concerned about the diminishig population of hunters. Yes we could be selfish, as less and less hunters can get on private land and have a great experience and less opportunity, means bigger bucks for the minority, which probably includes most of us here on this site, but in reality it will probably also mean that our children and their children will not hunt. If they don't hunt, they will probably take your trophy rack and sale it at a yard sale or take it to the DI. They may even laugh their heads off that you even cared that much to spend so much time killing an innocent little animal. Boys it is a chain reaction, once we lose hunters, we lose legislation etc., etc.
I think a state has to be very sensitive to this issue and allow as much management for opportunity as they do for trophy status. Also remember that the trophy hunters will be the most vocal and probably will get things changed as the opportunity hunter doesn't usually have time to be an all out advocate like we do. I have met with several trophy hunters and it seems that the more success they have on private land and the bigger the ego gets, the less and less they remember the rank and file deer hunter, which in the end is what really gives them their rights and success in the first place. So in the end look at all sides of the issue and try not too be too myopic as my wish is that my children will also someday have many opportuniies to hunt.
T