This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Utah trophy, archery and muzzleloader hunters should be happy with some changes the Utah Wildlife Board made to Beehive State seasons at its meeting last week in Salt Lake City.

The seven-member board approved additional management hunts on the Henry Mountains hunting unit, a first-ever mountain goat hunt on Mount Dutton is south-central Utah, archery-only bison and mountain goat hunts and more chances for muzzleloaders to hunt deer after the general rifle hunt is over.

Trophy hunters love the rugged remote Henry Mountains in southeastern Utah. According to the Division of Wildlife Resources, some of the biggest mule deer in the United States live in this area.

"Last year, the buck-to-doe ratio on the unit was 65 bucks per 100 does," said DWR big game coordinator Justin Shannon. "The number of bucks needs to be closer to 40 to 55 bucks per 100 does, which is the objective for the unit. If we don't reduce the number of bucks, they'll start competing with each other, and with the does, for resources. Competition among deer can have negative effects on body condition, deer survival and antler growth."

Thus, there will be additional management unit permits for muzzleloaders and archers. Under the rule, bucks taken must have three or fewer antler points on at least one of their antlers.

The moves finalize rules for the 2017 Utah big game hunts. The Utah Big Game Application Guidebook will be available at http://www.wildlifeutah.gov/guidebooks by early January. Applications will be accepted beginning January 26.