Be a part of some Utah deer hunting history

Photo by Paul Bohman

By Don Allphin - Herald Correspondent

If you would like to take part in a bit of Utah's deer hunting history, this just might be your last opportunity. At 7 a.m. on July 27, the remaining deer tags, approximately 3,200 for the general rifle and muzzleloader hunts in the Northern Region of Utah, go on sale.

They can be purchased online at the Division of Wildlife Resources Web site (www.wildlife.utah.gov) or at any of the 300 license agencies spread throughout the state or in the regional DWR offices.

In Utah County, that office is located in Springville at 1115 North Main Street, and the phone number is 801-491-5678.

Just as an aside to this story, general season elk tags go on sale on the same date and at the same time.

The Division of Wildlife Resources is changing the way we hunt deer in Utah. There was a time in the not-so-distant past that residents could simply purchase a deer tag and go hunting wherever they wanted across the state.

Then, due to extreme hunting pressure in specific areas that historically produced larger deer, or in sections that struggled to maintain strong deer populations, wildlife officials came up with a plan to limit the pressure by dividing the state into regions, and holding yearly drawings to determine who could hunt in each region.

This plan was met with opposition from every part of the state. Regional boundaries made little sense to many hunters who wanted to hunt the entire Strawberry Valley, for example, but after the changes were forced to choose which part of the valley they wanted to hunt since it had just been split in at least two ways.

Other problems were just as frustrating. Families that had hunted together for generations and lived in very popular regions found themselves without licenses to hunt deer in their proverbial own backyard because they weren't lucky enough to "draw" permits.

Wildlife managers eventually noticed that the buck-to-doe ratio in the state was and still is less than desirable based on comparisons with other popular hunting states, and therefore in an effort to fine-tune the management process have now once again changed the rules. Instead of having five regions in the state, in 2012 the state will be broken down even further into 30 smaller hunting areas which will now be called "units."

By doing so, it is hoped that tighter controls over the management and harvest in each hunting unit will ultimately result in a healthier deer populations statewide.

It is very easy to criticize any of the management plans of the DWR. And, by no means can I state categorically that this new system will be any better than the old. Wildlife managers were forced to find alternatives to the current program. Highway mortality, poaching, weather-related mortality and loss of winter range were all factors officials considered before determining the new course of action. And in the end, an ever-increasing human population in Utah still very much enjoys hunting deer.

Today, quality deer hunting is a huge draw, not only to residents of Utah but to others who will pay top dollar for an opportunity at bagging a big Utah mule deer buck. Bringing hunters from other states to our motels, our sporting goods stores, restaurants and grocery stores provides a very real boost to our struggling economy.

Regardless of the reasons or the rationale, 2011 just might be the last opportunity you might have to walk up to a sales counter and purchase a deer permit and enjoy an old-fashioned family deer hunt.
For more information, contact me.