Mule Deer Fanatic

Here at Mule Deer Fanatic, we hope you had a great hunting season, and that you will draw deer tags for 2011. To your SUCCESS!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

The Utah DWR has been wanting for years to force deer hunters to hunt in smaller units. In 2012 that is slated to become a reality. And, because mule deer numbers continue to decline, the number of hunt permits will be cut by about 13,000 tags or about 15 %.

The Utah DWR cannot comprehend that predators are responsible for declining mule deer numbers so it is the hunters that must suck it up. The state will be divided into 29 units, and buck to doe ratios must be 18/100 (DWR count) or permits numbers will fall further.

By now, most hunters have forgotten the promises made by the DWR when they cut tags to 90,000 and divided the state into five regions. The DWR promised that there would be more bigger bucks and a better hunting experience and that the deer numbers would increase. But the herd just keeps going down hill and they cannot figure out why.

The DWR is now making similar promises for the new plan. Permits prices are to increase to make up for the revenue shortfall, so once again, hunters take it in the shorts. Mule deer are moving into subdivisions to escape the predators.

Very few hunters showed up at the public meetings to oppose the plan

Terri Hunt, a Utah resident killed this buck on the Henry Mountians in 2010

Photo submitted by Paul Baxter

The western mountain lions are running out of mule deer so they are moving east to eat whitetails. Western Missouri just had a confirmed mountain lion sighting along with a photo. Hair was taken from the site for DNA testing.