ìHeavy snowfall last winter took some fawns in parts of northern and northeastern Utah,î said Anis Aoude, big game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.
Even though herds in parts of northern and northeastern Utah lost some deer, most of Utahís deer herds are doing well.
ìWe manage the stateís general-season units so there are between 15 to 20 bucks per 100 does in the herds,î Aoude said. ìAlmost all of the stateís units are meeting that goal.
ìAfter last fallís hunts, two of the stateís public land units were above 20 bucks per 100 does, and three of the units were below 15 bucks per 100 does. All of the re-maining public land units had 15 to 20 bucks per 100 does in their herds.î
As far as advice, Aoude said if youíve al-ready scouted your hunting area, youíve done the most important thing you can do to find success.
ìThe guys that are successful year in and year out do their homework,î he says. ìThey get out and find the places where the bucks are.
ìDuring the archery hunt, the deer are usually still in their summer patterns. Doing some preseason scouting is the best thing you can do to increase your chance at harvesting an animal.î
The following is a look at deer hunting prospects in Northern region.
Northern Region
Biologists say mule deer herds in the Northern Region probably have more adults in them than yearlings this year.
ìThe winter was hard on the fawns,î says Randy Wood, assistant wildlife manager in northern Utah.
Wood said most of the bucks hunters take each year are yearlings.Because of the number of yearling bucks that died this past winter, hunting in the region could be challenging.
ìMoving from north to south in the region, our surveys suggest a general downward trend in fawn survival,î said Phil Douglass, Northern Region conservation outreach manager. ìThat probably reflects how severe the winter was last year.î
Because of heavy precipitation in northern Utah this past winter and spring, summer range conditions are very good in high elevations.
ìFood and water is very abundant this year,î Douglass said.
ìBecause of that, the deer will probably be widely scattered. Hunters will have to do a lot of scouting and stalking.î
Douglass says good optics, including range finders, can be useful tools to help you locate the deer and determine their distance so you can make a clean and effective shot. ìBecause the deer will be scattered, hunters need to hone their skills so they can make the most of the opportunities they get,î he said.
sshulte@davisclipper.com
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