The average age of the bull elk hunters took on limited entry units last fall was way above the objective on most of the units, and that's why more hunters will be able to hunt bull elk this fall.
We know we don't count all animals but the counts are good indicators. We also use computer models based on information collected during the hunting season.
The committee was looking for a way to allow more hunters to hunt bull elk but to still allow those hunters to take a nice, mature bull.
Since the plans were written in 2001, Utah has lost some of its winter ranges, and we've learned that some of the winter ranges we have can't support the number of deer that we first thought they could.
He had the vision to do things and he wasn't afraid to step out and do something just because it was going to be difficult. He loved making deals and seeing them happen.
If you had too many elk, deer and mountain goats in a given unit, they eat the vegetation and they would actually destroy their own habitat if we allowed them to grow without check.
Based on the findings, we're recommending that 1,000 permits be added to the Northeastern region for this fall. That will increase the total number of general season buck deer permits in Utah to 96,000 for this fall.
