This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
While the number of buck deer permits have mostly increased in recent years, there will be a slight decrease this year if the Utah Wildlife Board adopts recommendations from the Division of Wildlife Resources.
Drought conditions, followed by a tough winter in some parts of Utah, could lead to those reductions. Permits for other species, such as desert bighorn sheep, bison and pronghorn, could increase.
The proposals will be heard starting next week at Regional Advisory Councils. The wildlife board will make the final decision when it meets April 27 in Salt Lake City to approve permit numbers for Utah's 2017 big-game hunts.
For information on public RAC hearings that begin March 28 in Springville, visit http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings.
In 2016, general buck deer permits were 90,675. This proposal would drop that number to 89,050 this year. Last season, 31,800 buck deer were killed, the highest success rate since 1996.
DWR big-game coordinator Justin Shannon said that a difficult winter two years ago followed by drought conditions in 2016 and a severe winter this past winter reduced the number of young bucks in some areas.
"Before this winter started, we found a statewide average of 59 fawns per 100 does," said Shannon. "In some parts of Utah, the winter of 2016–2017 was pretty severe, and we know some fawns died. The hunting units that were hardest hit by the winter are the units on which we're recommending a permit decrease. There will probably be fewer 1½-year-old bucks on those units this fall."