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What is a quality Deer Hunt?By Bill FenimoreAlthough, I am an At Large Representative on the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Northern Regional Advisory Council (RAC), I wrote this article, as an individual. Hopefully, the personal opinions that I express here, may motivate deer hunters and others to communicate their opinions to the DWR, RAC and Wildlife Board. First, it is important for hunters, anglers, birders and all outdoor sports enthusiasts to recognize that the RAC is your ticket for telling DWR and the Wildlife Board your thoughts on wildlife management, hunting, fishing and other outdoor pursuits in Utah. We need and want your opinions and input, so that the decisions made regarding Utah's wildlife and outdoor sports recreation reflect your interest. The way the system is currently designed for implementing changes to current rule and proclamation regarding wildlife and hunting/fishing regulations is through proposals and recommendations initiated by DWR that are presented to the RAC. Utah has been divided into five RAC areas: Northern, Northeast, Central, Southeast and Southern. The RAC's meet monthly (Northern Region in Brigham City) discussing issues on an agenda that is published on the DWR web site: www.wildlife.utah.gov/. The RAC is a public meeting where representatives from a variety of stake holders in the community, including the attending public, discuss the proposals and recommendations presented by DWR. Currently, there are 14 Northern RAC members from: agriculture, US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Non-consumptive, Sportsmen, Elected, US Forest Service (USFS) and At Large representation. The general public is encouraged to provide input at this meeting on the topics under discussion. The Wildlife Board meets at the DWR Salt Lake City office each month, following state wide RAC meetings. They consider recommendations made by each of the RAC's on DWR's proposals, as well as receiving information directly from DWR and the public too. DWR provides the RAC and Wildlife Board with the biology, science and rule regarding wildlife, while the RAC considers the social aspects of the recreating public. This is a public meeting too. The Wildlife Board attempts to synthesize all of the inputs from the RAC's, DWR and the public, rendering decisions that then become policy. If you are not engaged in the process, you leave the decisions on wildlife management to others. We would rather have a more comprehensive decision that encompassed your input. An example of the opportunity for public input in the decision making process was brought up at the September RAC meeting. Deer Hunt Pressure Management in the Northern Region was discussed in a presentation by Jim Karpowitz, Big Game Program Coordinator and Ronald Hodson, Northern Region Wildlife Section Manager for DWR. They discussed and defined the following issues: 1. Increased hunting pressure; 2. Hunter crowding; 3. Low deer numbers and 4. Low buck/doe ratios. Some current statistics shared on the Northern Region Deer Hunt: 23,000 any weapon deer tags, 4,000 muzzleloader tags, 1,800 archers in the Northern Region. Hunter density is 4.1 hunters per square mile. DWR asked the RAC to consider and review options it was studying for reducing crowding during the deer hunt in Northern Utah. There were five options presented: cutting tags from the regional cap; divide the northern region into public land and private land units - move tags into private; divide public land rifle hunt into two seasons; move some rifle hunters into primitive weapons seasons and last, move some rifle hunters into a season concurrent with rifle elk on some units. Remember, these are only options under consideration. No decisions have been made, nor will any be made in 2005, so you have ample opportunity for input. The action items agreed to for follow up were: DWR will conduct a survey on the issue this year; pursue legislative action on the rifle hunt opening date; discuss muzzleloader and deer/elk concurrent tag options. DWR has received feedback that hunters would like the quality of the deer hunt improved. One question you must ask yourself is what is meant by a quality deer hunt? Does it mean seeing more 3 and 4 point bucks? Does it mean seeing fewer hunters while afield? There are many ways to define a quality hunt. We need to receive your input on what a quality hunt means to you. Your input will help us make decisions based on more comprehensive information and opinion from the interested and engaged hunting public. I conducted an experiment and kept a journal to evaluate my experience during the recent rifle hunt in the Northern Region. My hunt would take me onto private and public land. How many hunters might I encounter? How many deer would I see? Saturday morning, dawned with me arriving at my hunting area. There were two trucks parked nearby. One was empty and other occupied by hunters. I hiked to my stand. Two hunters were down slope of my stand, perhaps 200 yards away. They later walked up to me and asked if I had seen anything. Two more hunters would walk up to me that morning, separately, as they hiked around the mountain in search of a buck. At the end of the morning, I tallied my hunter contact and found I had seen a total of ten hunters, coming into contact with four of them. My tally of deer was six, all doe/fawn combinations. Additionally, I saw three elk and six cow moose. One nearby hunter had shot a two point buck. Weather and a Utah Wolf Working Group Meeting would keep me out of the field until Wednesday. Wednesday morning, I found the mountain was mine alone. During the course of the morning hunt there were no other hunters present. I saw 20 doe/fawn deer, six rutting bull/cow moose and one shooter buck. Less I embarrass myself; I'll hold the buck story for another day. Saturday was obviously more crowded with hunters a field with Wednesday finding myself alone. Does this mean that the opening weekend is the time of hunting pressure that affects the quality of the hunt? Mine was just a survey of one hunter. We need your thoughts, experiences and opinions too. E-mail can be sent to Ernie Perkins, Northern RAC Chair at eperkins@comcast.net. Bill Fenimore welcomes e mail at BirderB@aol.com |
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