The limited license draw deadline is April 1. A new resource for you, the Colorado Hunting Planner (PDF), is a one-page summary of season dates, fees and application dates and deadlines. It can be saved and printed for easy reference as you plan your hunt. Also available is a map of GMUs highlighting Colorado’s 3.3 millions acres of wilderness! (7.1MB, PDF) For more information on season dates for 2008 – 2009, see the 5-yr season structure document, which was adopted in November 2004.
Mr. Heffelfinger, Director of Arizona Game and Fish, is quoted below. The quote is not the first time I have witnessed an agency representative implying that money is not the main issue. I think it is worth noting that Arizona, like many other states, has done very little to increase the number of mule deer, but rather the focus is on the low number of hunters. The logical conclusion to this story, if or when carried out to the extreme is this: Everyone will hunt and pay their money, but no one will harvest a mule deer because there aren’t any.
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Quote from Jim Heffelfinger:
….The danger of reduced hunting opportunity for mule deer is not only the loss of revenue for state agencies, but more importantly, the loss of an interested and active constituency that is in tune with the issues that face mule deer.
Hunters have led the conservation movement because we care about the animals we pursue. A reduction in mule deer hunters equates to fewer constituents working and supporters working on habitat projects and fighting against the forces…..
It’s too late to apply for a Wyoming Mule Deer Hunt, but you can still apply for a “brownie point”.
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“The Department shall allocate not less than seventy-five percent (75%) of the available nonresident Elk, Deer and Antelope licenses to a preference point drawing and twenty-five percent (25%) of the available nonresident Elk, Deer and Antelope licenses will be assigned to a random drawing in which all unsuccessful applicants from the preference point drawing shall be placed.
For party applications, the number of preference points for each applicant within the party will be averaged for the preference point ranking to be used for the ranking in the preference point drawing.
Purchasing ONLY A PREFERENCE POINT can ONLY OCCUR from July 1, 2008 through September 30, 2008. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PURCHASE A PREFERENCE POINT ONLY during any of the initial license application periods. YOU MUST WAIT until July 1st to purchase only a Preference Point. The price is $50.00 for Elk, $40.00 for Deer and $30.00 for Antelope ($10.00 for youth for each species). There is NO APPLICATION FEE TO PURCHASE A PREFERENCE POINT ONLY.
REMEMBER, a PREFERENCE POINT ONLY PURCHASE is DIFFERENT THAN an application for a license with a PREFERENCE POINT OPTION. THE PREFERENCE POINT OPTION takes place during the initial license application periods. If you elect this OPTION when applying for an Elk, Deer or Antelope license, the fee, which you must remit with your application for a regular elk license, is $641.00 ($14.00 application fee, $577.00 license fee and $50.00 preference point fee). Regular deer license is $366.00 ($14.00 application fee, $312.00 license fee and $40.00 preference point fee). Regular antelope license is $316.00 ($14.00 application fee, 272.00 license fee and $30.00 preference point fee).
To purchase a Preference Point, an applicant must be at least eleven (11) years old at the time of application and be at least twelve (12) years old by December 31 of the year of application.
An applicant may fail to apply for a license or fail to purchase a Preference Point for one (1) year without losing accumulated Preference Points. However, if an applicant fails to properly apply for a license or purchase a Preference Point for two consecutive years, the accumulated Preference Points will be deleted.
The Preference Point system is designed to award a point for each unsuccessful draw attempt in a hard to draw area for individuals who elect the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION and remit the additional Preference Point fees, yet not penalize those who wish to list an easier to draw area on their second or third choice. If a person draws on the second or third choice when electing the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION, a Preference Point will be awarded even though a license is issued. If the person is successful in drawing his or her first choice, then all Preference Points are deleted but the preference point fee paid for that year is refunded. DRAWING A SECOND OR THIRD CHOICE DOES NOT CAUSE PREFERENCE POINTS TO BE DELETED.
Some suggestions when applying for licenses with the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION: DO NOT apply for an easy to draw area for your first choice. If you do and are successful, then all of your accumulated preference points will be deleted and the odds of drawing a license in a hard to draw area may be greatly diminished for the next couple of years. For example, a person applying for Antelope might list area 57/type 1 as a first choice and area 26/type 1 as the second. Based on past years, drawing odds in area 57/type 1 are less than ten (10) percent but area 26/type 1 has been a 100 % draw on all choices. Under the Preference Point system, a person, if not drawn for area 57 would be issued a Preference Point for Antelope if he or she elected the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION, and would also be awarded an area 26 Antelope license if the additional Preference Point fee was remitted as identified above.
To summarize, please remember there is a difference between PREFERENCE POINT ONLY PURCHASES and an application for a license with the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION. A PREFERENCE POINT ONLY PURCHASE APPLICATION (no chance to draw a license) CAN ONLY be submitted from July 1, 2008 through September 30, 2008. An application for a license with the PREFERENCE POINT OPTION can only be made during the applicable initial draw periods.
If you have any doubt, please call (307) 777-4600 or go to our Web Site at http://gf.state.wy.us where the difference between PREFERENCE POINT ONLY PURCHASES and PREFERENCE POINT OPTIONS WITH LICENSE APPLICATIONS will be further explained.“
Click here for more info:
Have you ever wondered what “balance between predator/prey populations” actually means? It means that predators kill all the surplus prey each year without anything left over for humans. Below is Wyoming’s Lion Management Plan:
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The goal of mountain lion management in Wyoming is to sustain mountain lion populations throughout core habitat at varying densities depending on management objectives to provide for recreational/hunting opportunity, maintain ungulate populations at established objectives or in line with current habitat conditions, and minimize mountain lion depredation to pets and livestock and reduce the potential for human injury.
The intent of this document is to provide guidelines to direct future management efforts for mountain lion populations in Wyoming and not to specifically address local management issues throughout the state; a process that occurs during the 3 year season setting process, when hunt area specific data are presented in the annual mountain lion mortality summaries. The management approach addressed in this document favors an adaptive management process where management objectives are established based on local biological and social conditions and modified/adapted over time relative to management criteria suggesting whether or not objectives have been met, to achieve balance between predator and prey populations, and address changing social factors related to depredation incidents and human-mountain lion interactions.
Core occupied habitats for adult mountain lions during the winter will be delineated statewide to evaluate impacts from the density of human-caused mountain lion mortalities and to evaluate potential impacts from future development projects. Local (by hunt area) and regional (by Mountain Lion Management Unit-LMU) management objectives will be developed and evaluated based on harvest data. A source-stable-sink adaptive management approach will be applied evaluating (1) density of human-caused mortalities, (2) sex-age composition of mountain lion harvest focusing on relative proportion of adult female harvest, and (3) the relative age of harvested adult females.
Hunt area management objectives will be based on Regional desires to meet localized situations relative to maintaining low population densities (sink), stable population densities, or to maintain areas with low mountain lion mortality to serve as source areas for mountain lion dispersal into areas experiencing negative population growth (sink areas). Sink management will be applied to maintain low mountain lion densities in areas experiencing high nuisance incidents (livestock depredation, human-lion interactions) and areas where ungulate populations are believed to be depressed primarily due to mountain lion predation; stable management objectives will be implemented to sustain long term hunting opportunity; and source management objectives will be applied to areas where nuisance incidents and predation impacts to prey populations are not an issue. Management objectives at the LMU level will strive for a combination of source, stable, and sink management that will allow for the department to sustain mountain lion populations throughout core habitat at varying densities depending on management objectives.
Status of representative source areas will be periodically evaluated to verify that these areas are functioning as source areas for mountain lion dispersal using monitoring.
techniques that can be reasonably applied relative to Department budget constraints. Success of sink management to address nuisance incidents or predation pressures on ungulate populations will be evaluated over time following the adaptive management process outlined in this plan. Similarly, mountain lion population monitoring criteria will be evaluated and modified as information becomes available addressing the utility of the proposed criteria in defining source, stable, or sink mountain lion habitats.
Hunting season structure will be based on mountain lion mortality quotas. Mortality quotas will be established for each hunt area, and the hunting season will be closed when the quota has been met. Most of the hunting seasons will run from September 1 through March 31, with the exception of a few hunt areas with chronic livestock depredations. Hunting with hounds will continue to be allowed. Hunters shall present the pelt and skull of harvested mountain lions to Department personnel within 72 hours of harvest so specific data can be recorded. These data will be used to determine the management status, age and sex structure of harvested mountain lions, distribution of mortalities, hunter effort, hunter success, and to account for and set future mortality quotas. Mortality quotas will be established every 3 years to allow sufficient time to reach management objectives and to permit adequate analysis of potential impacts of specific harvest quotas. The process by which these 3-year mortality quotas are set includes annual data analyses and summary by the Trophy Game Section, internal review and recommendations at the regional level, public review of the recommendations, and final approval by the Commission.
The Department will continue to use a variety of options ranging from no action to lethal removal, which will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, to address mountain lion depredation on domestic livestock and pets and mountain lion/human interactions. All management actions and responses will be documented for future evaluation.
Adaptive management will be implemented to address short and long-term management needs where appropriate, and additional research efforts will be conducted to address other management priorities as funds become available relative to other Department priorities.
A previous draft of this management plan was revised based on comments received from 4 peer reviewers and 73 separate public comments. We thank Brad Compton, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Fred Lindzey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit-retired, Ken Logan, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Dale Strickland, Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc, Cheyenne, WY, and members of the public submitting comments for suggestions on improving this management plan. Comments from peer reviewers were evaluated and most have been addressed throughout the revised document. Comments concerning various aspects of the proposed plan (e.g. surveying all mountain lion license holders for hunter effort data, educating hunters about sexing lions in the field, including all human-caused mortality towards quotas, oppose sink management every 3 years, balance source-sink management and reducing the reporting period for harvested lions to 48 hours) were addressed and included in the plan for consideration by the Commission.
• The Department will continue to update and expand, where feasible, information and education efforts across the state including development of a website to educate hunters on sexing mountain lions in the field, and periodically conducting public attitude surveys of Wyoming residents.
• The Department will begin to survey all mountain license holders to enhance the management database.
• All human caused mountain lion mortalities will be counted towards quotas.
By Gary Lewis
Published: January 22, 2008 12:38PM
“Scientists classify the coyote under the order Carnivorain the family Canidae. Canis latranshas been called the brush wolf and the prairie wolf. Some folks call them song dogs and others call them yodelers. The Aztecs called them coyotl. Ranchers call them trouble at calving time.Right now, I’m calling them hungry.Last month, we headed east and south into the junipers and sagebrush. An inch of grainy snow lay like a blanket on the ground and tracks laced the landscape. Almost every deer track had a coyote track that ran parallel. It looked like the dogs were hunting in packs.
Seldom have I seen such a concentration of coyote activity. A few minutes later, we saw the reason why. Mule deer. 
A herd of does bounced away through the junipers. For the rest of the winter, coyotes will be following the deer, antelope and elk herds, preying on the less-experienced fawns and calves.
It doesn’t take a lot of experience to call in a coyote, but it does take a sanitary setup and a coyote in earshot. Right now, the best coyote hunting is on winter deer and elk range. Wherever deer go when the snow flies, that’s where you’ll find coyotes.
I like edge habitat where agricultural lands butt up against sagebrush and junipers. Canyons and dry washes are like runways for coyotes. A pair or a trio will run the length of a wash, on the prowl for rabbits or deer.
Set up in front of a bush or a tree to break up your outline and post a partner to keep watch in another direction. Often, a coyote circles to catch the scent stream before charging in.
Wear camouflage and a facemask. It’s very important to conceal the shine of your face. But don’t let the facemask break up your peripheral vision, you’re going to need it. A flick of a tail, a pair of ears above the tops of the grass, a flash of fur in the sage — all could be clues that a coyote is coming.
Use the call sparingly. Start with a subtle cry, sustained for about 30 seconds. Wait two minutes, then increase the volume. Call for about 30 seconds at a time and then go silent for about two minutes. If you’re imitating a rabbit or a fawn in distress, remember that these animals have small lung capacity and cries are likely to be of short duration.
On a coyote hunt, I give each set at least 15 minutes. Going through my journals for the last three hunts, the coyotes have been coming at an average of under 31/2minutes on each successful call setup.
On our most recent hunt, we saw eight coyotes. They came in fast and hungry.
Yotey, prairie wolf, yodel-dog — call him what you like, but don’t call him late for dinner.”
HHHH
Gary Lewis is author of “Deer Hunting Tactics” and “Hunting Oregon.
This winter has brought cold weather and deep snow to much of our Mule Deer country. Some of the states are refusing to feed the deer for good reason, and, I might add, taking flack for it from the likes of the Mule Deer Foundation. I could go into a list of reasons why Mule Deer shouldn’t be fed, but instead, I will talk about the feeding program in Colorado.
There are supposedly 21,000 mule deer in the Gunnison Basin. Of those, about 7,000 are being fed. So far, 11% of the ones being fed have reportedly died. More on the way. I don’t yet know mortality rates for the ones that aren’t being fed. The local economy depends heavily on hunting, so between local businesses and the Mule Deer Foundation, the governor has been pressured into allocating $1.7m (without counting donations and volunteerism) for feeding mule deer. How many deer will they save? We’ll see. It is at times like this when special hunts should be considered.
This much is certain: Colorado’s deer herd has been a long time making a come-back, and is still not fully recovered. It would be a shame to save wintering deer and then have them eaten by predators before they could be hunted. Even if some of the deer can be saved from exposure, many of them will be eaten by predators. The older/mature bucks will be hit the hardest. If $1.7m were invested in predator eradication – particularly if it went to hunter/trapper bounties, it would be far more effective in preserving a local economy and a deer herd.
Nonresident Hunting Information
For more info – MONTANA
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As a nonresident, you can apply via Montana’s special drawing for a general license to hunt deer, elk, or deer and elk statewide and according to specific hunting-district regulations. Nonresidents can apply for deer, elk or deer/elk combination licenses online or mail in a paper application (see below).
March 15 is the deadline to apply.
* Apply online
* Print a paper application
If you draw a license, you will be notified in mid-April. Also, if you are successful in obtaining a license, you could then apply for special permits and purchase a bow and arrow license, if you wish to do so. If you do not draw a license, you will receive a refund minus the $5 drawing fee.
The tentative 2008-2009 deer, elk and antelope regulations are posted under Regulations. The FWP Commission will determine the final 2008 deer, elk, and antelope regulations in late February. The final 2008 regulations will be posted on the website in early March. Print copies will be available by late March.
Here is a general summary of nonresident elk and deer hunting license fees:
* Deer combination—$343
* Elk combination—$593
* Big game combination (deer & elk)—$643
* Landowner sponsored—$343
* Youth combination—$324
300 Nonresident Youth Big Game Combination Licenses
will be sold for $324, first‑come, first‑served, beginning
March 1 to nonresident youth who have an adult immediate
family member who possesses a current resident deer or elk
license or a nonresident big game, elk combination or deer
combination license. Applications are available from FWP’s
website and will be processed at the FWP headquarters in
Helena.
Conservation Non-resident $10 -Nonresident prerequisite for all licenses. Includes the state lands license (for hunting, fishing and trapping
Archery $10 – Required for Archery Only Season and/or areas. Specific rules apply to purchase a bow and arrow license.
Hunting Access Enhancement $10 – This is an annual fee and will be charged at the time the hunter purchases his/her first hunting license (including upland and migratory bird).
Big Game Combination (General Elk/Deer) NR$643 -Nonresidents applying for any other combination license may not apply. Includes a conservation, state lands, deer A, and elk license and authorizes fishing and hunting of upland game birds, excluding turkey. 11,500 licenses available. Deadline to apply is March 15.
Big Game Combination – Outfitter Sponsored NR$1500 – Nonresidents applying for any other combination license may not apply. Includes a conservation, state lands, deer , and elk license and authorizes fishing and hunting of upland game birds, excluding turkey. Outfitter certificates should be obtained from your outfitter sponsor. All big game hunting with this license must be done with a licensed outfitter. Issued to all valid applicants sponsored by a certified outfitter received by March 15.
Big Game Combination – Youth NR$324 – Limited to 300 nonresident youths 12-17 years of age who have an adult immediate-family member who possess resident deer or elk license or a nonresident big game elk or deer combination license. First-come, first-served. Application available online.
Deer Combination – General NR$343 – Nonresidents applying for any other combination license may not apply. Includes a conservation, state lands, and deer A license and authorizes fishing and hunting of upland game birds, excluding turkey. 2,300 licenses available. Deadline to apply is March 15.
Deer Combination – Landowner Sponsored NR$343 – Nonresidents applying for any other combination license may not apply. Includes a conservation, state lands, and deer A license and authorizes fishing and hunting of upland game birds, excluding turkey. Landowner certificates should be obtained from your landowner sponsor. 2,000 licenses available. Deadline to apply is March 15.
Deer Combination – Outfitter Sponsored NR$1400 – Nonresidents applying for any other combination license may not apply. Includes a conservation, state lands and deer A license and authorizes fishing and hunting of upland game birds, excluding turkey. Outfitter certificates should be obtained from your outfitter sponsor. All big game hunting with this license must be done with a licensed outfitter. Issued to all valid applicants sponsored by a certified outfitter received by March 15.
Deer B NR$80 – Licenses limited to specific districts. Deadline to apply is June 1.
Deer Permits NR$5 – Must be used with a general Deer A License. Nonresidents must hold a Big Game or Deer Combination License to apply. Deadline to apply is June 1.
Archery season: 5 week period from late Oct to late Nov for rifle, shotgun, muzzy, handgun, crossbow, or archery equip. Proposed 09/01 to 10/09. Was: 09/06 – 10/19.
Deer/Elk backcountry Season: Was: 09/15 – 11/30. New proposed – same as general season
Deer/Elk General Season: Proposed:10/25 – 11/30. Was: 10/26 – 11/30
10% limit on Non-residents
Regulations
Types of Licenses and Permits: All licenses and permits that
can be used in a hunting district are listed in the regulations for
that hunting district. Licenses and permits that can be used in
a hunting district are grouped by license/permit type (general,
special license, special permit, 2nd antlerless elk, etc.) and
whether they are available for purchase from FWP License
Providers or through the special drawing only.
• Conservation License: Prerequisite for all resident and
nonresident licenses. Includes the state lands recreation
license (for hunting, fishing and trapping purposes).
• General License: Resident general licenses may be purchased
from any License Provider, including online at fwp.mt.gov. They
are available to all residents and may be used throughout the
state according to the regulations. Nonresidents may apply
for/purchase general licenses specified for nonresidents in the
Licenses Available Chart. Please refer to the hunting district
regulations to see how, when and where a general license
may be used in each hunting district or portion of a hunting
district.
• Deer A License – The deer A license is Montana’s general
deer‑hunting license valid for one deer. Hunters may
purchase only one deer A license. It can be used as indicated
under the “General Deer A License” heading on the Deer
& Elk Hunting Districts pages of these regulations.
• Deer B license – valid for one deer during a specific time
period, or for a certain species and sex, and in a particular
hunting district or group of districts. May be offered through
a special drawing or over‑the‑counter.
Special License: Special licenses are generally available
through the Special Drawing. It allows you to hunt in an
otherwise restricted area or time period, usually for a specific
sex and age class of animal. A special license generally (but
not always) allows you to harvest an additional animal over and
above the one you may harvest with your general license.
Special Deer or Elk Permit: The permit must be used with a
specific hunting license. A permit is not a second license and
does not allow the holder to kill an additional animal. Rather,
it expands the opportunity to hunt for a species in a particular
hunting district.
Special Licenses and Permits:
Bonus Point System: The fee to participate in the voluntarybonus‑point system is $2 for Montana residents and $20 for nonresidents, payable with the license and application fees. You must pay the participation fee when applying to use or gain bonus points. When participating in the bonus point system, here’s how it works:
• Applicants accumulate one bonus point for each unsuccessful
year. Each bonus point essentially becomes an extra chance
in future drawings. For example, applicants would have one
chance to be drawn the first year they apply. If unsuccessful,
they would have two chances to be drawn the following year
and three chances the next year, and so on until they received
the license. Once successful, the applicant loses all bonus
points for that species.
• Bonus points are accumulated independently for each species
and only apply to “first–choice” districts. An applicant may
skip two consecutive years of participation without forfeiting
accumulated points, but if an applicant skips the third year—or
has errors that eliminate the applicant from the drawing—all
accumulated points for that species will be lost. There is an
exemption for Montana residents with full‑time active military
status.
• Rejection of an application because of applicant error is
equivalent to failure to apply.
• Points are non‑transferable.
• Applicants cannot apply just for a bonus point. You must
apply correctly for the license and be unsuccessful to get a
bonus point.
• Bonus points are not used or lost in 2nd or 3rd choice
drawings.
• FWP will contact bonus‑point participants each year by
postcard to report their accumulated points. Bonus‑point status
is also available online. It will be the applicant’s responsibility
to report AND provide proof of any discrepancies.
The number of bonus points applicable to applicants applying as
a party is the total number of bonus points held by the members
of the party, divided by the number of applicants in the party,
then rounded to the nearest whole number. When two or more
persons apply as a party and choose to participate in the bonus
point system, all party members must pay the bonus point fee.
If one or more party members do not pay the bonus point fee,
but the other members pay the fee, those who have not paid
the fee will be taken out of the party and one of the following
shall occur:
• If one individual is removed from the party, that person is
entered into the drawing as an individual applicant.
• If two or more individuals are removed from a party, these
individuals are entered into the drawing as a separate party.
All nonresidents who are unsuccessful in the nonresident
combination license drawing are mailed a form that must be
returned if they wish to accumulate bonus points for special
deer and elk permits. If you did not receive this form and wish
to participate in the bonus point system, please contact FWP at
406‑444‑2950.
Fees and Refunds: In addition to the cost of each permit or
license, there is a $5 nonrefundable drawing fee for each license
or permit you apply for. The $5 fee covers the cost of printing
and processing the application.
Party Applications: For a few special drawings, two or more
applicants may apply as a “party.” If you apply as a party, each
party member must list the identical license/permit choices in the
identical order on his/her application. If one or more party member
does not pay the bonus point fee, but the other members pay
the fee, those who have not paid the fee will be taken out of the
party. It is unlawful to loan or transfer a license to another or to
use a license issued to another.
Either everyone in the party is successful in obtaining a license
or everyone is unsuccessful. A party of individuals is assigned
one random number in the computer. If that number is drawn,
each member of the party receives a permit/license.
Deer B Licenses: A deer B license is usually a license for
antlerless mule deer or white‑tailed deer, depending on the license
type and hunting district. The deer B license allows you to kill a
deer in addition to the deer you could harvest with your deer A
license. There is no particular order in which the A and B licenses
must be purchased or used. Most deer B licenses are available
through the June 1 special drawing but some are available for
purchase at License Providers, including FWP Online Licensing.
A hunter may only possess a total of seven Deer B licenses in
any combination.
Single-Region Antlerless Mule Deer B Licenses:
• Check the hunting district in which you will hunt for specific
regulations and valid dates for the single‑region license.
Resident
• Region 7: 007‑13. All Region 7 HDs. Not valid on CMR
refuge.
• Region 7: 007‑14. 2nd MD B License. All Region 7 HDs. Not
valid on CMR refuge.
x
Special Deer Permits
• Hunters who receive a special deer permit must use it with a
current deer A license. A deer permit does not allow you to take
a second deer.
• Hunters who receive a special deer permit valid for taking an
antlered buck mule deer (with their deer A license) are restricted
to taking an antlered buck mule deer only in the district or portion
of district specified on the permit. They may not hunt antlered
buck mule deer anywhere else in Montana even if the General
Season or Archery Only Season is open to mule deer buck
hunting with a deer A license. This applies to all special deer
permit areas, whether limited or unlimited, for antlered buck
mule deer.
• The following special deer permits are available through the
June 1 special drawing to Residents and/or Nonresidents. Be
sure to check individual hunting district regulations for specific
special deer permit details.
Mule Deer permits
• R1 100‑60 103‑60 104‑60 121‑60 122‑60
123‑60 130‑50
• R2 202‑50 204‑40 210‑50 240‑40 250‑40
261‑50 270‑50 281‑40 291‑50 291‑51
292‑40
• R3 300‑50 312‑50 318‑40 319‑40 324‑50
335‑40 339‑40 343‑40 380‑40 390‑40
391‑40 392‑40
• R4 441‑50 455‑70
• R5 510‑40 530‑50
• R6 652‑50
Deer Permits –
2006 Drawing Statistics
LPT – Apps – Suc – % Suc
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100-60 32 32 100
103-60 58 58 100
104-60 17 17 100
121-60 21 21 100
122-60 18 18 100
123-60 3 3 100
130-50 151 10 6.62
202-50 426 200 46.95
204-40 203 203 100
210-50 617 100 16.21
240-40 139 139 100
250-40 117 117 100
261-50 563 25 4.44
270-50 5820 100 1.72
281-40 397 397 100
291-50 727 100 13.76
291-51 71 25 35.21
292-40 707 707 100
300-50 857 40 4.67
312-50 927 125 13.48
318-40 196 196 100
319-40 251 251 100
324-50 551 50 9.07
335-40 378 378 100
339-40 373 373 100
343-40 456 456 100
380-40 1156 1156 100
390-40 96 96 100
391-40 418 418 100
392-40 758 758 100
441-50 904 50 5.53
455-70 740 50 6.76
510-40 308 308 100
530-50 536 536 100
652-50 878 100 11.39
The state of Utah is located in the heart of the best Mule Deer habitat on earth. Additionally, a high percentage of Utah land is public. Nevertheless, Utah may have the worst mule deer management of any state that has mule deer. Utah is one state that has capped the number of mule deer at a number substantially below carrying capacity. The DWR refers to this limitation as the “political carrying capacity”. Winter depredation claims against the DWR in the late 80’s and early 90’s were a major factor in the agency placing a ceiling on mule deer numbers.
Around 1990, the state of Utah was split into regions and the regions were split into units. At that time, Utah also implemented a lottery for obtaining deer tags. Mule deer tags, which had previously been unlimited and over-the-counter, were, and are now sold via this lottery. At the same time, the number of hunters was cut by half and a cap on the number of hunters was set at 97,000. No more than 10% of the tags for a region/unit can be awarded to non-residents. In spite of this fact, odds of a non-resident drawing a tag are, in some cases, better than for a resident.
The Utah drawing process begins in January each year, so pay attention. Utah is divided into 5 regions and 80, or so, units. The Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) allocates tags in such a way as to distribute the greatest number of hunters where there are the least number of mule deer. That’s handy.
Even though there are a few whitetail in the Northern part of Utah, there are no tags specifically for whitetail. I suppose you could kill a whitetail on a mule deer tag, if you chose to, and if you could find one.
In the last 25 years, Utah’s elk herd has mushroomed. This phenomenon has coincided with the decline of mule deer populations, hence, there are numerous persons and groups trying to determine if there is a relationship between increasing elk and decreasing mule deer. Thirty years ago, Utah’s few elk were primarily in the North. Today, Northern Utah possibly has the least elk in the state. Overall, the elk population has increased more than 10-fold.
It is widely believed that elk have provided an alternate prey base for mountain lions and 
black bears, allowing predator numbers to stay at maximum while mule deer numbers remain perpetually dismal. A Utah Forest Ranger told me that, in the three year period, preceding 2003, there had been 89 black bears released between the Idaho border and the Monte Cristo highway (Rich, Cache, and Weber counties), most of which were troublesome bears removed from Yellowstone.
According to my calculations, the Utah mountain lion herd reached it’s maximum carrying capacity around 1990 and has been sustained at that level since then. Annual lion harvest is not allowed to exceed annual recruitment. It is believed that elk have played a key role in allowing mountain lions to be sustained at artificially high numbers while deer numbers are suppressed.
In the last twenty years, there has been a serious decline in ranching and farming in Northern Utah. This has negatively impacted mule deer both in reduced predator control and in reduced grazing which means less quality deer browse. Forest management has never been worse in terms of sustaining or creating habitat for mule deer. Forest Service personnel seem to be interested in only one type of forest – climax forest, which is not good for wildlife and which maintains a tinder box for fire. In the last two decades, southern Utah has had more favorable conditions for mule deer than Northern Utah. Moreover, Southern Utah has fewer hunters. Most of Southern Utah has remained rural. Ranching is still fairly common in Southern Utah, and predator control is still important to ranchers. There is also virtually unlimited winter habitat for most Southern Utah deer.
In Utah, at this time, you don’t need to worry about units unless you apply for a premium limited-entry or limited-entry unit. Otherwise, you will be applying for a region instead of a unit. The number of hunters is limited in all cases, but in the limited-entry and premium limited-entry units, the amount of real estate you can access is much more restricted than it is for a region. Premium limited-entry means there will be fewer hunters, not more deer. Limited-entry may also have few hunters, but is rated as having fewer mature bucks.
Since the inception of the lottery, the Southern region has been the most popular region, with more hunters applying for that region than the number of permits available. The Southern region also has the fewest tags available of the five regions. Some of the other regions, most notably, the Northern region, have sometimes had fewer applicants than available tags. The left-over tags are sold first-come. If you really want a tag, and missed the drawing, this is one way to get one. There have been numerous years when the Northern region did not sell out. The DWR has resorted to peddling these unwanted tags by forecasting high numbers of pre-season bucks and high success rates which is typically a pure fabrication. Don’t rely on these forecasts unless you want to have your hopes dashed.
Experienced hunters are now applying only for the premium limited-entry units and if they do not draw, they do not hunt. The premium limited-entry units are a far cry from the quality they once had, but their quality is higher than the rest, mostly because of the small number of hunters. Unfortunately, some of the tag quantities are now so low that non-residents cannot even apply. Odds of drawing a premium limited-entry tag are low, and now you must by a license before even applying for a bonus point. One problem with the bonus point scenario is that you wait years to draw, and by the time you draw things have changed, so pay attention.
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