This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources reported Tuesday that good weather and good hunting ruled the opening weekend of the general deer season.
"I've been with the agency for 21 years," says Randall Thacker, assistant wildlife manager in the Division of Wildlife Resources Northeastern Region, "and I've never seen anything like this. The number of big, mature deer hunters are taking is phenomenal."
Thacker was among those who worked the Strawberry checking station on opening day, where 33 deer were checked. Only three were yearlings. The deer included many 4-point bucks with 20- to 22-inch antler spreads. One had an impressive 33-inch antler spread.
By the time that checking station closed Sunday, 130 deer had been checked. Most were mature bucks.
Biologists at the Spanish Fork Canyon checking station were up slightly. The big difference in the 346 deer checked was the number of 21/2-year-old deer taken.
In northern Utah, biologist Randy Wood reported that the number of bucks and the age of the bucks taken were up significantly thus year.
"More than 100 additional deer came through the check stations on opening weekend this year," Wood said. "And the age of the bucks taken was really impressive."
In southern Utah, biologist Teresa Griffin said the most impressive bucks were seen at the check station in the Pine Valley unit near St. George with 20 of 58 bucks had antler spreads that were more than 20 inches wide.
Southeastern Utah early information was still being compiled, with numbers looking similar to 2015, though more mature bucks were being seen.
The general season ends Sunday.