As the saying goes, we take the good with the bad or the bad with the good, depending on how you look at things. Utah has had some mild winters of late and this winter was no exception. Because of this, fish and wildlife authorities are saying there are now too many deer, moose and elk, well beyond the carrying capacity of the available winter habitat.
One very effective way of controlling populations is to issue permits for female or “antlerless” game animals. If populations are too high, issue more of these permits. If numbers are too low, issue fewer. The Division of Wildlife Resources is suggesting increasing the number of permits for deer, elk and moose and decreasing for pronghorn.
The number of antlerless permits available in 2006, and the number the DWR is recommending for 2007, are as follows:
Doe deer — 1,080 in 2006; 1,705 in 2007
Cow elk — 4,999 in 2006; 8,031 in 2007
Cow moose — 63 in 2006; 89 in 2007
Doe pronghorn — 587 in 2006; 347 in 2007
Read more here.
Tom Remington
