Utah's 5 day season

NVdrhntr · May 4, 2010

I'm sure this topic has been talked to death, but I'm gonna bring it up again. Because it bugs the hell out me.
Have a buddy who drew Southeastern General Deer last year. Went to his usual hunting grounds and could not believe the number of hunters . way more than usual. Why? because one unit bordering his had been closed until a Wednesday start. So, all the hunters piled in to his usual hunting area. Then, Wednesday rolls around and what happens? Yup, everyone heads for the area that has the WEdnesday start. So, everyone gets 2 "opening days" but with twice the hunters. Dumb.
Same thing happened on Monroe Mt. and Nebo from what I heard.
So, my question is, are there Wednesday openings again this year?
And if so, What the hell for?

NVdrhntr · May 4, 2010

Also, talked to a few people who have their plan of filling their tag early, (first 5 days) and holding back their kids tags for the end cause the kids get 9 days.
Another bright idea gone awry I think.

dillon · May 4, 2010

I think it is really good for some people (youth, bad for other(weekenders), and makes no difference to other folks(those who can't draw out). I am a bow hunter, but if I were to rifle hunt I would like the 9 day. I was at the Northern RAC meeting where SFW proposed the idea and I could tell it was a mixed crowd. Nobody in my family drew southern rifle tags so we don't need to worry about it this year (7 people and not one tag).

Dillon

justr_86 · May 4, 2010

Its Stupid!

You find out who your friends are when you see who shows up to help pack your bull out!

Deuce · May 4, 2010

When will it ever stop? It is stupid! Maybe next year it will only be opening day, would'nt that be fun?

Striker · May 4, 2010

There are lots of things that could be tweaked with our system in Utah. It would be better to have all units open the same day then have the ones that need to close earlier than the rest. This way it shifts pressure to the other units later in the hunt. Don't feel bad folks, I have drawn 2 rifle tags in the southern Unit since 2003. Thats one every three and a half years.

kawboy · May 4, 2010

As long as it works to bring the deer herd back I am for it, I just don't see it happening now, they should shut the deer hunt down for a year, and instead of hunting deer we could hunt cougars that year. I think utah has a ton of potential, maybe we could all go out and hunt poachers, that would save a few deer also

Rub some dirt on it, ya sissy!

fishon · May 5, 2010

5 day won't help a bit. You wanna help deer then kill more elk. It's that simple.

Tony

SMELLYBUCK · May 5, 2010

LAST EDITED ON May-05-10 AT 04:23PM (MST)[p]No wed. starts this year. I always winced whenever the dwr fought for right to control opening day of the rifle hunt because I thought they would take years to fiddle with the dates, make a ton of uncertaintly in our planning, and in the end they will not be able to find a date that is any better.

Now the division has the power and it is anyone guess when and where we'll be hunting next year.

SMELLYBUCK · May 5, 2010

Tony,

What about killing more lions?

stillhunterman · May 9, 2010

Don't think the 5 day is good for anything. There are NO sound biological reasons for it helping the deer herds. The Wed openings are a joke. Killing more predators (including yotes!)will certainly help... uggg!

Prism · May 9, 2010

LAST EDITED ON May-09-10 AT 12:31PM (MST)[p]I generally try to base my opinions off of personal experience or the experiences of people I know and trust.

Every hunter I know that has hunted the southern region for years has told me that the 5 day rifle hunt made a big difference in the numbers of bucks seen and there was also an increase in more mature bucks.

Now this might be in combination with the fairly favorable precipitation southern Utah has received the last few years, but my money is on the shorter rifle season.

Something must be goin on down south. A general season southern tag just brought $2200 at an auction. Like I said, I'll base my opinion off of experience. Besides it's Utah. They'll change their minds on management next year.

I'm guessing well have 2 hunts in the near future and will continue to reinvent the wheel that Colorado has proved successful.

7remmag · May 9, 2010

I am not really opposed to the 5 day hunt, I think prism kind of mentioned it about numbers. No matter if you're 75 years old or 12 years old,YOU HUNT 5 DAYS! If you can only hunt the first two days and don't get a deer tough luck hopefully you bought an elk tag and got your hunting in...or go hunt rabbits or coyotes to get your killing fix.

Muley_73 · May 9, 2010

I really like the 3 day hunt on the Monroe. I hope that it piles snow the entire 3 days and shuts the whole unit down. I hope it shuts the rest down for 5 days. You will never convince me that less days in the field will not benefit the deer herds. I have watched the southern unit improve with the 5 day hunts and drop off again when they opened it back to 9. I know lots of people will throw out numbers that the DWR use to show no gain in a shorter season. If you believe any numbers that the DWR puts out you have not been playing this game long enough! I have watched them spin numbers and flat out lie at times if they do not agree with some thing. Lets all hope for really bad weather for 5 days the next 3 years and to good hunting in the years that follow.

NVdrhntr · May 10, 2010

The real gripe of my post was the wednesday start and how that piled hunters into smaller areas.
Now that there are no wednesday starts, that's good I think.
If they would just cut tags and micro manage in smaller areas they could have a 30 day hunt like nevada. Can you tell I'm prejudice to Nevada.
they try all kinds of different ways to cut harvest numbers except the one that would really work. Cutting tags.
But that would reduce revenue and we can't have that.

why · May 11, 2010

talk to local fish game in northeastern office other day said they did not vote for shorter seasons said have no affect .said voted for less tags but got overruled.said no one listen to what they had say.in short to hungry for money to much politics!!!!

Founder · May 11, 2010

IMO, the 5 day hunt will be a good thing. More bucks will survive hunting season and that is good, not only for the deer herd as there will be more breeding bucks, but also for sportsmen in the future because the quality will be better.

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com

kawboy · May 11, 2010

I am to the point where I am willing to try anything to help the deer herds, maybe it was not my idea, but we have to do something, no matter what happens someone will be pissed. Colorado hunters were mad when they started micro managing their areas, but look at it now. I spoke to an officer in the central region and she told me that they are seriously looking at micro managing utah now. There are a lot of good things that can happen, along with a lot of negatives. We have to do something though.

Rub some dirt on it, ya sissy!

Striker · May 11, 2010

The division has supplied studies at the last big game rack meetings that I attended that show an interesting trend. The studies show that more hours are spent afield and more deer are harvested on a five day hunt verses a nine day hunt. I know for myself that this is true. On a nine day hunt, I will hunt Saturday, Monday, Half a Day the following Friday and A full Day Saturday. This accounting for 3 to 3 1/2 days in the field. On a five day hunt I will take Monday thru Wednesday off and spend a total of four full days in the field.

I have a feeling that the recent mild winters here in the southern unit with the exception of this year, have helped the deer herds as much or more than anything. More cougars need to be taken off of these mountains down here! On the West boulder above Antimony last year I cut four separate cougar tracks in one day. I put a total of 40 miles on my four wheeler that day and only covered a small amount of range. Coyotes are also devastating to our Fawn crops.

Muley_73 · May 12, 2010

Like I stated above, be very cautious of any numbers the DWR puts out. They are master spinners and they do not like the shorter hunt. If they had it their way we could all by over the counter tags and hunt 9 days.

LOWCOUNTRY · May 13, 2010

I dont mind the 5 day hunt I have seen areas benefit from it where I hunt. I for sure would like a 9 day hunt better. I would like to see a 3 point or better rule in the state and start managing units for units not mass area aka regions like they do now. Seems like its the same failed process over and over year after year exspecting different results. Defintion: MORON.

rbon80 · May 15, 2010

Plus one on the 3 point or better rule LowCountry. IMO just as devastating as the predators to the buck to doe ratio and population are all these corn dog and two point bucks taken by the thousands every year. Last year I saw a buck with MAYBE 20-25 scoreable inches taken at 8:00am on opening morning... this needs to stop happening if we want to see and harvest more "mature" bucks. I like the 5 day hunt with the 3 point or better rule and micromanaging units at least until things get better.

Having spent a ton of time on the henries last year for my buffalo hunt I saw at least 75 bucks in a few days that were bigger than almost any buck I have seen in my entire lifetime on the Central unit (and I wasn't looking for them either, well at least not at first). Not that we can expect all the units to have the same class of bucks as on the heavenly henries, but to see anything bigger than a 3 or 4 point on these units would be nice. I say sacrifice a few years of harder hunting conditions whatever they may be for the better cause of the future! This is and has been getting more and more ridiculous every year!

buglinbilly · May 15, 2010

Sadly I don't think the 5 day season will help enough to make a real difference, although it might help a bit.

I think rifle tag numbers need to be cut in half, bring back the 9 day season, and up the number of tags a bit for muzzleloader numbers and the balance of the cut tags put into the archery hunt. That way the Division can maintain the revenue, but the harvest will be cut way back and that's what needs to happen first and foremost.

I would also like to see the undedicated hunter program discontinued. Why should one group of hunters be able to hunt all three seasons while many hunters have to sit on the sidelines and watch?

I know about the work hours etc. etc. etc.

Why can't they draw 80 percent of the tags in each group of hunters (rifle, muzzleloaders and bow hunters) Once that draw is done, if you weren't successful and you marked on your application that you wanted to enter the bonus draw, for the remaining 20 percent of the tags, you are placed in that draw. But in order to get a tag from that draw, you need to do 20 or 30 work hours for the Division. That way the Division still gets the work hours or even more, than the dedicated hunter program provided and the those that didn't draw on the regular draw and really want to hunt, can do work hours for that privilege.

I just can't see the logic of guys hunting three seasons while others don't get to hunt, or many that do only get a 5 days season.

Have a good one. BB

richardjb · May 15, 2010

>Plus one on the 3 point
>or better rule LowCountry. IMO
>just as devastating as the
>predators to the buck to
>doe ratio and population are
>all these corn dog and
>two point bucks taken by
>the thousands every year. Last
>year I saw a buck
>with MAYBE 20-25 scoreable inches
>taken at 8:00am on opening
>morning... this needs to stop
>happening if we want to
>see and harvest more "mature"
>bucks. I like the 5
>day hunt with the 3
>point or better rule and
>micromanaging units at least until
>things get better.
>
>Having spent a ton of time
>on the henries last year
>for my buffalo hunt I
>saw at least 75 bucks
>in a few days that
>were bigger than almost any
>buck I have seen in
>my entire lifetime on the
>Central unit (and I wasn't
>looking for them either, well
>at least not at first).
>Not that we can expect
>all the units to have
>the same class of bucks
>as on the heavenly henries,
>but to see anything bigger
>than a 3 or 4
>point on these units would
>be nice. I say sacrifice
>a few years of harder
>hunting conditions whatever they may
>be for the better cause
>of the future! This is
>and has been getting more
>and more ridiculous every year!
>
This should start with you and your friends today, no need to have a law to start this. I know plenty of folks back in Wis. that practice this on their own. It's called QDM, Quality Deer Management. If this is truely what you want, pay it forward and do it. So simple it's stipid!

rbon80 · May 16, 2010

Yes Richard, we are already doing this... in fact that buck I mentioned in my story actually crossed us at about 20 yards on it's way up to the guy that ended up shooting him. The issue is there are so many hunters and so few bucks in the area that some people have the attitude of shooting anything with horns not realizing that they are contributing to a bigger issue.