5 Day Deer Rifle Hunt in utah 2010
Goofy Elk
12/4/09 7:19am
Here's a link to the SLC trib showing some of the changes approved for 2010.....
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13921749
14,248
Just a few of my thoughts.
Deer hunt date change back to 5 days is a bit embarrassing IMO. Makes it look like the DWR doesn't have a clue what it's doing in managing Mule Deer. 9 day to 5 day, then back to 9 day for 1 year and then back to 5 day. Makes perfect sense right?? NOT IMO, lets be consistent here and get the facts strait and not manage for politics or money. Lets manage for Mule Deer herds success.
If a unit is in trouble I understand 5 days somehow I don't think the whole state is in trouble. How did the trophy hunters get so much power in Utah? Are they the squeeky wheel?
Geeze
Its herd managment, thats there job and I'm sure they are doing it for good reason, just like you know your job I'm sure they know theres. It may suck for us now but if we score later we will all be thanking them.
So what is the point exactly then? (???) (???)
I think the 9 day this year my have brought the buck to doe ratio down some.
The over all population seems to be up.
This years fawn crop is excellent.
Percentage of older deer still way better that five years ago.
I say stay at five day rifle.
Cut way back on archery days{Sorry}.
Cut back a little on over all tags.
The potential for a fantastic herd is definitely there.
More and more money for tags and less quality of deer and now less days to hunt them. Nothin like flying by the seat of your pants, huh boys....... :>/
They are going to let youth hunters 18 and younger hunt the full nine days.........
My oldest boy is excited...Here's the latest DWR news link on the changes.
You speak untruth! :>/ The Southern and Southeastern RAC did vote for a 5 day season. In fact they begged for it to be brought back. I wish Don really had that much power, then maybe we would have a decent deer herd. Know your facts before pipe off! =;
It's a bit different but if you've read it already, pass it bye. Thanks for your patience...
Some of your comments sadden me my friends. Nothing personal, I've seen the propaganda before and I can tell you "That dog don't hunt". Maybe it is because I find myself as part of a generation who has different priorities. Maybe our time and opinions have run their course. This may be an effort by myself, to selfishly use this forum in a desperate attempt to return to a time or conditions which I remember to be described as brighter days. Maybe you'll have to trust me when I say "I just know better". You see when I was a teen, I remember a time in the 70's and 80's when some 200,00 Utah hunters were in the field hunting. A time when local sporting goods stores such as Sunset Sports and Wolfs had statewide "Big Buck Contests" where the winners won a brand new Jeep, hunting rifles, shopping spree's ect. It seemed like there were plenty of good bucks to go around back then. Hunting was a family tradition. Schools were out on the friday before the deer hunt because the schools knew that a majority of the students would not be present anyway. All centered around two great traditions; families and hunting.
Then it happened. The powers that be decided a couple of things that would forever change the landscape of Utah hunting traditions.
1st they decided to prioritize the quality of the elk herds at the expense of the deer herds. Old timers had great concern. They worried that the quality of Mule Deer herds would suffer in exchange for a limited entry opportunity to hunt elk. They also thought that they might only realize one chance to hunt a limited entry elk in a lifetime. That theory will prove true for some people based on the odds calculated and waiting period needed to succeed in more than one draw cycle. They were not in favor of the trade off. They lost. No one heeded warning.
2nd In an attempt to address the quality of Mule Deer opportunities, they reduced the number of mule deer tags to 90,000 and made hunters pick their weapon. They also made them pick their region of choice and limited the number of hunters one could have in his group. Many hunters and families were furious. They new that this could well be the end of their family tradition. They went away ticked off! The continued tradition of family hunting took a huge blow. Younger generations were no longer being taught the reverence and enjoyment of hunting and family tradition coupled as one. Many of our past and future hunting brothers and sisters were and have been lost as a result of the decision.
Now we're being led to believe this is the next great fix. There will be some trophy hunters who will be happy if there are less hunters in the field to compete with that is true. Shorten the hunts, "great they say, it is what is needed to achieve quality in our deer herds, well worth the sacrifice". Maybe true, maybe not.....
It is my concern that they are going to just tick more people off and turn them away from holding on to hunting traditions. Hell, it ticks me off! Hunting and family are two traditions that together have stood the test of time. Take family out of the equation and hunting may be the thing we all lose. How many families will stop hunting this year because of this decision? I have been told by some friends their done! They will instead take their family fishing at the Berry for a week from now on, instead of hunting. You see the thing that makes hunters strong and our voices heard is our numbers. As foolish decisions continue to be made, our numbers decline and the sport of hunting may be the real loser. Keep chopping away at the hunting tree, and some day that tree may fall.
The issue may be cloaked and we may be miss directed by issues like winter kill, predation, road kill, and deminishing winter feeding grounds, and yes...QUALITY. They are all things that need to be looked at, and addressed I would agree. But don't get it twisted...... For heck sakes, don't be convinced that you can milk a bull.
I think the thing that we need to ask ourselves is this.........
Can this sport survive by itself, with out being linked to the tradition of family? I say no.
Without family tradition how do we create the passion and numbers needed to fight off non-hunting legislation? We can't
I will stop my rant with this thought....
There are many ways to improve the quality of mule deer hunting, other than a 3 or five day hunts. Three (3) point or better units, or statewide four (4) point or better regulations are both options. How about this; You can only harvest three (3) bucks in a five (5) year period, take your pick. None of these options keep families from enjoying a nine (9) day hunt in the field and I still believe that you could achieve better quality. I don't care who proposed this new reg, Don Paey, the wildlife board, whoever, I could care less. I just wish they understood that there are more important things to consider about hunting, than harvesting a big buck.
Family is the common denominator to the future of the sport of hunting. If we lose that.....
What are the ramifications, that's all I ask you to consider.........
Thanks for your patience and good hunting,
L4AB1
Ask anybody on the wildlife board who proposes the state wide five day hunt. (In the KSL article wrtitten about the subject they come out and said it was on the recomendations of SFW no the DWR). IT was not the DWR, it was don peay, Maybe the southern region racs wanted it but the other three did not, so the DWR would not propose it. Don peay does have that kind of power if you do not believe that then you are a Idiot. Call Anis and ask him what his proposals were, he'll tell you it was for 9 day seasons