Senate Bill 187, sponsored by Sen. Bill Hickman, R-St. George, would require the Utah Wildlife Board to write rules for hunting two mule deer, two bighorn sheep and two bison annually on the largest island of the Great Salt Lake.

Bison are already hunted on Antelope Island, but the resident mule deer herd has not been hunted since at least 1981 when Utah State Parks took ownership of the island. The big bucks have drawn the attention of hunters, who first asked for permission in 2000 to pursue the trophy animals. Public sentiment and the state Parks Board ultimately prevented deer hunting on the island.

"This has been kicked around for a long time," said Steve Roberts, deputy director of Utah State Parks. "We even held a joint board meeting with the Utah Wildlife Board and agreed that there is no biological management reason to conduct a deer hunt."

Hickman said hunting groups, namely Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, brought the issue to him probably because he is a hunter himself. He admits, though, that he has not talked to state park officials or the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) about wildlife management on the island.

"We're finding we're getting an overpopulation on Antelope Island of some species," Hickman said.

Roberts agrees that there are too many bison, but wonders what other species Hickman is talking about.

"The deer population has remained pretty much in balance. There has been no reason to cull the herd," he said.

The bill, which is awaiting its first public hearing, does not say how the new hunting tags would be allocated, but it is likely the permits would become part of DWR's lucrative conservation tag program which allows hunting groups to sell one tag to the highest bidder. Other tags are sold in a draw open to all Utah residents. The money is used for habitat improvements.

The 2005 statewide mule deer tag recently sold for $82,000. An Antelope Island deer tag could also generate a significant amount of money.

Debbie Goodman, a legislative lobbyist for the Utah Audubon Council, says she supports the conservation tag program and concedes that two tags a year will probably not hurt the herds. But she worries about the message the bill would send if approved.

"My concern is that this issue was taken to the public and the overwhelming opinion in those meetings was to keep things as they were on Antelope Island," she said. "This bill harms all the good public input we received across the state and makes it seem like their feelings didn't matter in the end."

Goodman said the hunting proposal was presented at five DWR-sanctioned Regional Wildlife Advisory Council meetings in 2000.

"Three of five voted against the proposal and in the northern region, where Antelope Island is located, the voting members voted against it 11-1," she said.

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