You Must First Complete an Online Course to Gather Shed Antlers in Utah
February 2, 2012
Late winter and early spring is the worst time of the year for elk, moose and especially deer in Utah.
Deep snow makes it hard for deer to move and find food. And cold temperatures sap the deers’ strength. By the time winter ends, deer are usually the weakest they’ll be all year.
Winter is also the time of year when male deer, elk and moose shed their antlers. The animals will be without antlers until spring, when they’ll start to grow a new set.
Gathering shed antlers
Gathering antlers that drop off the heads of deer, elk and moose is an activity that’s grown in popularity across the country, including here in Utah. The challenge with shed-antler gathering is that it happens during the worst time of the year for the animals and the habitat the animals rely on in the winter.
“By the time winter ends, the animals are stressed,” says Mike Fowlks, Law Enforcement Section chief for the Division of Wildlife Resources.
“Also, the habitat the animals rely on in the winter is wet,” he says. “It’s easily damaged. Once the habitat is damaged, it can take years for it to recover.”
Fortunately, Fowlks says you can have fun gathering shed antlers without stressing the animals and damaging their habitat.
“A free course that’s available on our website will show you how,” he says.
Fowlks says you must complete the DWR’s Antler Gathering Ethics course if you want to gather shed antlers in Utah between Feb. 1 and April 15.
Free course
The free course is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/shedantler.
After you finish the course, make sure you print your certificate of completion before you take off to gather antlers. “And make sure you carry your certificate with you,” Fowlks says. “By law, you must have your certificate with you while you’re gathering shed antlers.”
If you have young children, and you’ve completed the course, your children don’t need to complete it — your certificate will cover your kids too.
Fowlks says if you complete the course, you can gather antlers across Utah. “Please remember, though, that many of the state’s wildlife management areas are closed in the winter and the spring to protect wildlife,” he says.
You must complete the course if you want to gather shed antlers between Feb. 1 and April 15. If you wait until April 15 or later to gather antlers, you don’t need to complete the course.
For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.
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Venison Tacos the Fare to Feed 2,000 of Salt Lake City’s Homeless and Hungry on Feb. 8
February 2, 2012
A heart- and belly- warming tale of continued support from Sportsman Channel and many other outdoors organizations is the Hunt.Fish.Feed event. It’s an organized dinner hosted by Sportsman Channel and various partners supplied by the harvest of hunters and fishers.
Since 2007 Sportsman Channel has been hosting the event together with various partners over the years, according to Ryan Nolan, publicist for Sportsman Channel. This year’s partner is the Mule Deer Foundation. Past partners have been Safari Club International and Time Warner Cable. This year, Salt Lake City, Utah is the lucky host of the dinner to take place February 8th, 2012. The event has been feeding people all over the country, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan and Colorado.
At Hunt.Fish.Feed you can grab a healthy dinner, volunteer your time or harvest if you wish, and even spot a Sportsman Channel celebrity if you’re lucky. At past events, Ted Turner’s son, Beau Turner of Beau Knows Outdoors was on site in Atlanta. Brothers Chris and Casey Keefer, stars of Backcountry Quest TV and more recently Dropped: Project Alaska also made an appearance at another event.
The food is fresh and healthy and not canned at these dinner events since the main meal comes from recently harvested venison. In the following video from 2010′s event, see scenes of the action and hear Dr. Jimmy Sites of Spiritual Outdoor Adventures speak to the rewards of feeding those in need.
Original press release issued by Sportsman Channel on February 2nd, 2012:
Sportsman Channel and Mule Deer Foundation are teaming up to host a Hunt.Fish.Feed event in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, February 8, serving a special venison dinner to 2,000 of those in need at Catholic Community Services.
Special guest Scott Leysath of HuntFishCook will help prepare and serve venison tacos. Hunt.Fish.Feed, created by Sportsman Channel, is a unique outreach program that taps an underutilized food source—game meat and fish donated by sportsmen—to feed those struggling with hunger across America. Salt Lake City’s event will utilize 600 lbs of venison donated by local sportsman through the Mule Deer Foundation.
“We look forward to working with our partners at Mule Deer Foundation and Catholic Community Services to make this a successful and impactful event,” said Todd Hansen, COO of Sportsman Channel. “Programs like Hunt.Fish.Feed provide unique avenues to help the needy, especially during an economic time that finds more and more people in need every day. We are proud to continue to help our citizens in our hometown.”
“On the eve of our annual meetings and Western Hunting & Conservation Expo this week at the Salt Palace, as members and other hunters join us from across North America, we are proud to share the bounty of the hunt,” said Miles Moretti, CEO of Mule Deer Foundation.
Wednesday, February 8
- Catholic Community Services
- St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall
- 437 West 200 South
- Salt Lake City, UT 84104
- Prep: 3-5 pm
- Serve: 5-6 pm
“We are grateful to Sportsman Channel and the Mule Deer Foundation for bringing their fine cuisine to the hungry patrons at Catholic Community Services,” said Dennis Kelsch, CCS Basic Needs Services Director. “This is a rare treat for many of our clients, and we are excited they will get this opportunity to have a dinner cooked by renowned chefs.”
Join the conversation about Hunt.Fish.Feed. online at http://facebook.com/huntfishfeed
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Changes for Utah’s Black Bear Hunters
January 12, 2012
Salt Lake City, UT– Starting this spring, bear hunters will have opportunities they’ve never had before inUtah.
The new opportunities have been made possible through a new bear management plan the Utah Wildlife Board approved in 2011.
John Shivik, mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says the plan is giving more people a chance to hunt bears inUtah. “At the same time,” Shivik says, “the plan provides some important safeguards to keep the state’s bear populations healthy and safe.”
Board approves hunting rules
At their Jan. 12 meeting, members of the Wildlife Board approved black bear hunting and pursuit rules forUtah’s 2012 seasons.
All of the rules the board approved will be available in the 2012 Utah Black Bear Guidebook.
The guidebook should be available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks by Jan. 31. The following are some highlights:
- In the past, most of the bears that were hunted inUtahwere tracked with hounds and ran up trees. A few hunters have also used bait to lure bears in so the hunters could make a clean and effective shot with a bow and arrow.
But starting this spring, more spot-and-stalk-only hunts will be offered inUtah.
Hunters may not use hounds or bait during spot-and-stalk hunts. Instead, they must spot the bear and stalk it.
- In the past, all ofUtah’s bear hunting areas were limited-entry areas. Only those who draw a permit for a limited-entry area can hunt on it.
Starting this spring, though, the state will offer some harvest-objective hunts.
The number of hunters who can hunt on a harvest-objective area isn’t limited, so switching a limited-entry area to a harvest-objective area gives more people a chance to hunt the area.
To protect bears on harvest-objective areas, the number of bears that can be taken on each area is limited. Once that limit—also known as the area’s quota—is reached, the hunt on the area ends for the season.
Harvest-objective hunts will be offered on three areas: The Wasatch Mountains, Currant Creek, Avintaquin unit in north centralUtah, the Beaver unit in southwesternUtahand the Nine Mile unit in southeasternUtah.
- The spring hunts on some ofUtah’s bear hunting units will run a little longer this year. The longer spring seasons will allow biologists to put more pressure on bears in areas where livestock are often killed and campgrounds raided by bears.
Protecting the bears
In addition to providing some new hunting opportunities, the new plan provides bears with some important safeguards:
- In the past, Shivik says three hunting-related factors have been used to determine the health of Utah’s bear population—the percentage of bears taken that are female, the average age of the bears taken and the number of adult bears that survive each hunting season.
You won’t find those three factors in the new plan. Instead, biologists are focusing on two key factors: the number of female bears and the number of adult male bears that hunters take.
(An adult male bear is a bear that’s five years of age or older.)
Shivik says the number of females and the number of adult males hunters take gives important information about how a bear population is doing:
- The number of females hunters take is important because females give birth to cubs and then care for the cubs after they’re born.
“But the best early indicator we have about the health of a bear population is the number of adult males hunters take in relation to the number of females,” Shivik says.
Shivik says adult males wander more than other bears. The wandering the adult males do helps bear populations expand.
Because they wander more, adult males are also the bears hunters usually encounter first.
If biologists see that the number of adult males hunters are taking is going down—and the number of females is going up—they know the bear population in the area is declining.
“Once hunters start finding more females,” Shivik says, “we know the population is declining in number.”
In addition to the number of female bears and adult male bears hunters take, biologists are also using two important bear studies to monitor the health ofUtah’s bear population:
- One study involves snagging hair from bears at sites acrossUtah. After the hair is snagged, DNA tests are used to determine how often the bears that left the snagged hair visited the sites. This study is helping biologists measure how fast or slow the state’s bear populations are growing.
- In the second study, biologists visit bear dens in the winter to see how many cubs are in the dens. The biologists also assess the health of the cubs and their mothers. This study is giving biologists important information about the number of new bears that are being brought intoUtah’s population each year.
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Western Hunting and Conservation Expo Expands in Salt Lake City Feb. 9-12, 2012
January 8, 2012
Salt Lake City, UTAH – Families are making plans now to attend the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo (WHCE) here Feb. 9-12 at the Salt Palace Convention Center. On pace to set records with 235,000-square-feet, new hands-on activities, world class entertainment, special big game tag drawings, outdoor celebrities and more than 400 exhibitors, WHCE has become “the outdoor show to attend,” according to organizers Miles Moretti, President and CEO of the Mule Deer Foundation, and Byron Bateman, President of Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife.
Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with hundreds of exhibitors, including guides, outfitters, manufacturers, conservation leaders, wildlife agency staff, lodge owners, artists, hunting VIPs, clothiers, jewelers and others. Adults and children will enjoy acres of world class taxidermy displays.
A highly anticipated new attraction for 2012 is the “Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience.” Throughout the Expo, youngsters will participate in interactive outdoor and conservation-related activities like laser, air gun and archery shooting ranges, plus wildlife identification and CSI habitat scavenger hunt. There will also be free gifts and a youth gun drawing.
Adults and youngsters can enter the indoor archery competition sponsored by Rick V Hunt Adventures and Stickflipper Archery. And they can attend free seminars, like Official B & C Scoring by Rusty Hall and Bow Hunting Tricks and Techniques with Shawn Monson and Anthony Dixon of Full Moon Productions. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy will be Talkin’ Huntin’ on Sat., Feb. 11, at 3 p.m.
Ladies won’t want to miss the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party on Fri., Feb. 10, at 11:30 a.m., featuring Dueling Pianos and a “Most Unusual Hat Contest.” This fun-filled afternoon of female camaraderie is sponsored by Sisel and Barrick North America.
Hunters can apply for 200 ofUtah’s Premiere Big Game tags through a unique partnership with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Non-residents ofUtahcan apply for all the tags, and as a special incentive, five of the 200 tags will be available for non-residents only. There will also be at least 15 sheep hunts given away. Additionally, the WHCE boasts the largest collection of State Auctions (Governor’s Tags) gathered together in one place!
In the evenings, the WHCE features gala dinners with celebrity speakers, awards, entertainment and thrilling auctions. This year’s entertainment will include Jeff Foxworthy and country music stars Craig Morgan and Daniel Lee Martin.
The WHCE combines the very best in hunting expositions with a joint national convention between two major North American wildlife conservation organizations – the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) and Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife. MidwayUSA is the official sponsor for the Expo.
The WHCE is the main fundraiser behind MDF’s mission to conserve mule deer, black-tailed deer and their habitat. Other goals supported through the WHCE include recruitment and retention of youth into the shooting sports and conservation, and MDF’s support of regulated hunting as a viable component of wildlife conservation.
Daily admission is $20 per person, and multi-day discount packages are available. Save $50 on the WHCE Full Registration Package by registering by Feb. 1, 2012.
Don’t miss this exciting and important event for conservation. Get more information or register for the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo at www.huntexpo.com.
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MDF Volunteer Receives Acknowledgement from Utah Division of Wildlife
December 27, 2011
Darren West, Project Coordinator for the Mule Deer Foundation’s (MDF) Utah County Chapter, was recently honored by the Utah Division of Wildlife (UDOW). West was recognized for his relentless work for the benefit of wildlife and habitat.
Covy Jones, the UDOW Biologist who nominated West, said he is impressed with the difficult projects Darren and the other MDF volunteers are willing to tackle. He also commended West and MDF for being enthusiastic and proactive working partners.
Over the last several years, West has worked on behalf of MDF to coordinate relevant habitat projects in partnership with UDOW. He and other MDF volunteers completed “Lop and Scatter” projects on Wildlife Management Areas near Mount Pleasant and Spanish Fork, Utah. Lop and Scatter is a labor-intensive method of removing branches from felled trees to increase the rate of decomposition and lower fire hazard. It also includes clearing areas of over-grown pinion and juniper to promote the re-growth of vegetation, and is a vital part of restoring mule deer winter range.
Jones said this habitat work has produced immediate results and is proving very beneficial for Utah’s deer herds. To date, the Utah County MDF Chapter has cleared 78 acres, with a combined total of 176 hours on the saws. At least 40 additional hours have been spent in planning and training sessions.
West, who was out of state when nominated, said he is driven by his passion and love for hunting. He declared, “The deer in Utah are in rapid decline, and it feels good to actually do something.”
Justin Whittier, who has worked alongside West on a number of MDF projects, attended the UDOW Awards Luncheon on Dec. 7, 2011, and accepted the award on West’s behalf. He said, “There were some 50 state employees in attendance, from conservation officers, dedicated hunter people, conservation directors … as a group, they had nominated ten honorees, and Darren West, as a volunteer for the Mule Deer Foundation, was one of them.”
Whittier continued, “Other recipients included Rod Hess with the Utah Dept. of Transportation, recognized for his work on the I-15 core project restoring wetlands and building deer fences, and Boyd McAffee, a Director with Clear Creek Outdoor Education Camp, was recognized for his 30+ years of service introducing youth to the outdoors. Darren was in good company!”
MDF’s Utah County Chapter Chair Jeremy Anderson concluded, “Our chapter is still growing, but we are gaining momentum with hard work and determination. We already have three new projects slated for 2012. When Darren West came on board we took a large step in the right direction.”
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Utah DWR Launches Massive Patrol Effort
December 26, 2011
If you’re a poacher, you should think twice before pulling the trigger on a mule deer in Utah.
DWR officer Josh Carver shows what wildlife officers and volunteers are trying to stop this winter: The illegal killing of mule deer in Utah. This 6×5 buck was shot in Iron County in November.
This winter, Division of Wildlife Resources conservation officers and members of sportsman’s groups are carrying out the largest winter range patrols ever conducted in the state.
“As Utahns celebrate the holidays and usher in a new year, our officers will be busy protecting the state’s mule deer herds from poachers—thieves who steal wildlife from present and future generations of ethical sportsmen,” says Mike Fowlks, chief of the DWR’s Law Enforcement Section.
“We won’t tolerate deer poaching in Utah,” Fowlks says. “We’re pulling out all the stops and using all the means we have to protect Utah’s deer herds.”
The following are among the things the DWR is doing:
- Patrolling winter ranges at night. Officers are conducting these patrols on land and from the air.
- Conducting saturation patrols that put several DWR officers on the same piece of winter range at the same time.
- Enlisting volunteers from sportsman groups to serve as additional ‘eyes and ears.’
The volunteers patrol the winter ranges. They have the means needed to report what they see and hear directly to the nearest DWR officer.
Patrols are underway across Utah. The patrols will continue through the winter.
Fowlks says most of the on-the-ground and aerial patrolling is focused on areas where deer are most at risk. “But those aren’t the only areas our officers and volunteers are watching,” Fowlks says. “Far from it. We’re watching winter ranges across the state.”
Fowlks says five areas in Utah are receiving special attention:
- The desert areas on the western side of Utah
- The southwestern corner of the state
- The Paunsaugunt deer unit in southern Utah
- The Henry Mountains unit in southeastern Utah
- The Book Cliffs unit in eastern Utah
Turn-In-a-Poacher hotline
As you travel through Utah’s backcountry this winter, Fowlks encourages you to keep your eyes and ears open. “You don’t have to be part of this patrol effort to make a difference,” Fowlks says. “If you see something suspicious, let us know as soon as possible.”
Utah’s Turn-in-a-Poacher hotline is the most efficient way to contact a DWR officer. The UTiP number is 1-800-662-3337.
The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Winter a critical time
Much of the deer poaching that happens in Utah happens in the winter. And for good reason—winter is the time of year when mule deer are concentrated on their lower elevation winter ranges. The bucks are also less wary because the breeding season is underway or it just finished.
Fowlks says poachers usually target the biggest bucks they can find. In addition to stealing opportunity from legal hunters, taking the bucks can also result in too many deer being taken during hunts that upcoming fall.
Fowlks says DWR biologists count the number of bucks per 100 does in December.
“In December, the deer are bunched together on lower elevation areas where it’s easier to get an accurate count,” he says. “But if poachers kill bucks after the biologists have counted them, the data that’s used to set permit numbers in the spring won’t be correct—it will show more bucks than there actually are. And that can lead to too many hunting permits being issued.”
Poachers take a big toll
So far in 2011, wildlife officers have investigated the illegal killing of 189 mule deer in Utah.
Most of the deer were bucks. The antlers on 22 of the bucks were big enough to place the deer in a trophy category. “Hunters would haven been thrilled to take any of these bucks,” Fowlks says.
The monetary value of the animals to Utah’s citizens is $242,800.
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Chronic Wasting Disease Found in New Area in Utah
December 20, 2011
A deer infected with chronic wasting disease has been found in a new area in Utah. That’s not a surprise, though—the new area is next to an area where the disease has been for years.
1,200 samples taken this fall
Technicians at the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Logan have finished testing tissue samples taken from more than 1,200 deer, elk and moose this fall.
Hunters across Utah took the animals, and biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources collected the samples.
One of the deer that was taken on the San Juan deer hunting unit in southeastern Utah tested positive for the disease. This is the first time a deer from the unit has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
Leslie McFarlane, wildlife disease coordinator for the DWR, says she’s not surprised that a deer from the San Juan unit tested positive for CWD. “We’ve found deer with CWD on the La Sal Mountains,” she says. “The La Sal Mountains are just north of the San Juan unit.”
Most deer are disease free
Fortunately for Utah’s deer herds, CWD is not widespread in Utah.
Since 2002, almost 19,000 deer have been tested in the state. Of the nearly 19,000 deer, only 54 tested positive for CWD.
The 54 deer came from three major areas in Utah:
| Area | Number of deer |
| Southeastern Utah | 38 |
| Central Utah | 10 |
| Northeastern Utah | 6 |
One elk, no moose
To date, only one elk—a cow taken on the La Sal Mountains in November 2009—has tested positive for the disease.
CWD has never been found in a moose in Utah.
Learn more
CWD is fatal to deer, elk and moose. But there’s no evidence that it can be transmitted to humans. More information about CWD is available at http://go.usa.gov/5d8.
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Utah DWR Launches Massive Patrol Effort
December 20, 2011
If you’re a poacher, you should think twice before pulling the trigger on a mule deer in Utah.
This winter, Division of Wildlife Resources conservation officers and members of sportsman’s groups are carrying out the largest winter range patrols ever conducted in the state.
“As Utahns celebrate the holidays and usher in a new year, our officers will be busy protecting the state’s mule deer herds from poachers—thieves who steal wildlife from present and future generations of ethical sportsmen,” says Mike Fowlks, chief of the DWR’s Law Enforcement Section.
“We won’t tolerate deer poaching in Utah,” Fowlks says. “We’re pulling out all the stops and using all the means we have to protect Utah’s deer herds.”
The following are among the things the DWR is doing:
- Patrolling winter ranges at night. Officers are conducting these patrols on land and from the air.
- Conducting saturation patrols that put several DWR officers on the same piece of winter range at the same time.
- Enlisting volunteers from sportsman groups to serve as additional ‘eyes and ears.’
The volunteers patrol the winter ranges. They have the means needed to report what they see and hear directly to the nearest DWR officer.
Patrols are underway across Utah. The patrols will continue through the winter. Fowlks says most of the on-the-ground and aerial patrolling is focused on areas where deer are most at risk. “But those aren’t the only areas our officers and volunteers are watching,” Fowlks says. “Far from it. We’re watching winter ranges across the state.”
Fowlks says five areas in Utah are receiving special attention:
- The desert areas on the western side of Utah
- The southwestern corner of the state
- The Paunsaugunt deer unit in southern Utah
- The Henry Mountains unit in southeastern Utah
- The Book Cliffs unit in eastern Utah
Turn-In-a-Poacher hotline
As you travel through Utah’s backcountry this winter, Fowlks encourages you to keep your eyes and ears open. “You don’t have to be part of this patrol effort to make a difference,” Fowlks says. “If you see something suspicious, let us know as soon as possible.”
Utah’s Turn-in-a-Poacher hotline is the most efficient way to contact a DWR officer. The UTiP number is 1-800-662-3337.
The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Winter a critical time
Much of the deer poaching that happens in Utah happens in the winter. And for good reason—winter is the time of year when mule deer are concentrated on their lower elevation winter ranges. The bucks are also less wary because the breeding season is underway or it just finished.
Fowlks says poachers usually target the biggest bucks they can find. In addition to stealing opportunity from legal hunters, taking the bucks can also result in too many deer being taken during hunts that upcoming fall.
Fowlks says DWR biologists count the number of bucks per 100 does in December.
“In December, the deer are bunched together on lower elevation areas where it’s easier to get an accurate count,” he says. “But if poachers kill bucks after the biologists have counted them, the data that’s used to set permit numbers in the spring won’t be correct—it will show more bucks than there actually are. And that can lead to too many hunting permits being issued.”
Poachers take a big toll
So far in 2011, wildlife officers have investigated the illegal killing of 189 mule deer in Utah. Most of the deer were bucks. The antlers on 22 of the bucks were big enough to place the deer in a trophy category. “Hunters would haven been thrilled to take any of these bucks,” Fowlks says. The monetary value of the animals to Utah’s citizens is $242,800.
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Apply for a Utah Turkey Hunting Permit Starting Dec. 7
December 1, 2011
Even though snow is just starting to fall in Utah, one group of Utahns—the state’s turkey hunters—are already preparing for next spring!
Applications to hunt wild turkeys during Utah’s limited-entry hunt will be accepted starting Dec. 7. You can apply at www.wildlife.utah.gov.
Your application must be received no later than 11 p.m. on Dec. 28 to be entered in the draw for permits.
The limited-entry hunt will be held in April. The following permits are available for each of the Division of Wildlife Resources’ five regions:
| Region | Number of permits |
| Northern | 400 |
| Central | 500 |
| Northeastern | 250 |
| Southeastern | 250 |
| Southern | 1,100 |
General statewide hunt
If you don’t draw a limited-entry permit, don’t pack your gun away—you can still hunt turkeys this spring.
Permits for Utah’s general statewide hunt go on sale Feb. 23.
The general statewide hunt will be held in May.
Turkey guidebook
More information about Utah’s 2012 turkey hunting season is available in the 2011 – 2012 Utah Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook. The free guidebook is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks and from DWR offices and hunting and fishing license agents across Utah
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Possible Bear Hunting Changes in Utah
November 28, 2011
If you like to hunt bears, you might have opportunities in 2012 that you’ve never had before in Utah.
A new bear management plan is making the new opportunities possible. The Utah Wildlife Board approved the plan earlier this year.
John Shivik, game mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says the plan has opened the door to some new hunting options. “At the same time,” Shivik says, “the plan provides some important safeguards to keep the state’s bear populations healthy and safe.”
All of the changes the DWR is recommending for Utah’s 2012 bear hunts are available online. The following are some highlights:
- Currently, most of the bears that are hunted in Utah are tracked by hounds and ran up trees. A few hunters hunt over bait using a bow and arrow. But starting in 2012, biologists are recommending that spot-and-stalk-only hunts be held in some areas in Utah.
Hunters may not use hounds or bait during spot-and-stalk hunts.
- Currently, all of Utah’s bear hunting areas are limited-entry areas. Only those who draw a permit for a limited-entry area can hunt on it.
Starting in 2012, biologists would like to offer some harvest-objective hunts too.
The number of hunters who can hunt on a harvest-objective area isn’t limited, so switching an area to harvest objective gives more people a chance to hunt the area. Letting more hunters hunt an area increases the chance that more bears will be taken.
As soon as a predetermined number of bears are taken (called the area’s quota), the hunt on the area will end for the season.
- The spring hunts on some of Utah’s bear hunting units might run a little longer in 2012. Having longer spring seasons allows biologists to put more pressure on bears in areas where bears often kill livestock and raid campgrounds.
Protecting the bears
In addition to opening the door to some new hunting opportunities, the new plan provides bears with some important safeguards:
- In the past, Shivik says biologists have used three factors to determine the health of Utah’s bear population—the percentage of bears taken by hunters that are female, the average age of the bears taken and the number of adult bears that survive in Utah from year to year.
- You won’t find those three factors in the new plan. Instead, biologists will focus on two key factors: the amount of female bears and the amount of adult males taken by hunters.
(An adult male bear is a bear that’s five years of age or older.)
Shivik says the number of females and the number of adult males that hunters take gives important information about how a bear population is doing:
- The number of females hunters take is important because females give birth to cubs and then care for the cubs after they’re born.
- “But the number of adult males hunters take is the best early indicator we have about the health of a bear population,” Shivik says.
Shivik says adult males wander more than the other age groups. Because they wander more, adult males are the bears hunters usually encounter and take.
If biologists see that the number of adult males hunters are taking is going down—and the number of females is going up—they know the bear population in the area is in decline.
“Once hunters start finding females, instead of the males they normally encounter first,” Shivik says, “we know the population is declining in number.”
In addition to the number of female bears and adult male bears hunters take, biologists are also using two important bear studies to determine the health of Utah’s bear population:
- One study involves snagging hair from bears at sites across Utah. After the hair is snagged, DNA tests are used to determine how often the bears that left the snagged hair are visiting the sites. This study is helping biologists measure how fast or slow the state’s bear populations are growing.
- In the second study, biologists visit bear dens in the winter to see how many cubs are in the dens and to assess the health of the cubs and their mothers.
This study is giving biologists important information about the number of bears that are being brought into Utah’s population each year.
Learn more, share your ideas
After you’ve reviewed the DWR’s ideas, you can let your Regional Advisory Council members know your thoughts by attending your upcoming RAC meeting or by sending an email to them.
RAC chairmen will share the input they receive with members of the Utah Wildlife Board. The board will meet in Salt Lake City on Jan. 12 to approve rules for Utah’s 2012 bear hunting and pursuit seasons.
Dates, times and locations for the RAC meetings are as follows:
- Southern Region
Dec. 6, 7 p.m.
Beaver High School
195 E Center Street, Beaver
- Southeastern Region
Dec. 7, 6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E Main Street, Green River
- Northeastern Region
Dec. 8, 6:30 p.m.
Bingham Entrepreneurship and Energy Research Center
320 N Aggie Blvd (2000 W), Vernal
- Central Region
Dec. 13, 6:30 p.m.
Central Region Conference Center
1115 N Main Street, Springville
- Northern Region
Dec. 14, 6 p.m.
Weber State University, Shepherd Union Building, Rooms 404A and 404B
3848 Harrison Blvd, Ogden
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