During its April meeting, the Utah Wildlife Board made it possible for more hunters to go afield this fall.
Board members upped limited entry bull elk permits by 281 and increased pronghorn antelope permits by 268.
The only reduction in numbers was for bison permits on the Henry Mountains. The board reduced the number from 28 in 2005 to 17 for this year.
Results of the annual drawing for big game permits will be available by April 28.
The board also made it possible for more hunters to go after some of the biggest bull elk in the country by increasing the number of limited entry bull elk permits from 1,554 issued in 2005 to 1,835.
Utah was the top state for new entries into the record books for elk last year.
"The average age of the bull elk (that) 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," said Craig McLaughlin, big game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.
"Each elk unit in Utah is managed with an age objective. If the average age of the bulls taken on a unit is above the objective, then the Wildlife Board can offer more permits for that unit."
At the request of the Utah Elk Management Plan Advisory Committee, the board lowered the age objective on many of Utah's elk hunting units in 2004. Units that had been managed so hunters would take a bull that averaged between 7 to 8 years of age are now managed so hunters can take a bull that averages between 5 and 6 years of age.
Units that had been managed for 5- to 6-year-old bulls were also changed and are now managed for 4- to 5-year-old bulls.
"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," McLaughlin said.
Lowering the objectives allowed 283 more limited entry bull elk permits to be offered in 2005 than were offered in 2004.
"Even though more permits were offered last fall, the average age of the bulls hunters took is still way above the age objective on almost every unit in the state," he said. "That's good news for hunters because it means more permits can be offered this year."
The number of permits for pronghorn antelope was also increased. The board approved 855 permits for this fall's hunts, which is up from 587 offered in 2005.
Most of the permits are for the Plateau unit in southwestern Utah.
"The buck-to-doe ratio on the Plateau unit is more than 80 bucks per 100 does, so there's plenty of bucks for hunters to take," McLaughlin said. "The goal for the unit is 1,500 pronghorn. About 3,100 pronghorn are on the unit
now, so the herd is doing great."
The board decided not to increase the number of general season buck deer permits. The total number of general season buck deer permits in Utah will stay at 95,000 in 2006.
In 2005, general season buck deer permits in the Central and Northeastern regions were cut by 1,000 permits each. The permits were cut because the three-year buck to doe ratio in each region had fallen below the minimum of 15 bucks per 100 does called for in Utah's Deer Management Plan. As a result, the total number of Utah general season buck deer permits was reduced from 97,000 (the level where permits had been since 1994) to 95,000 permits.
After hunts this past fall, DWR biologists found that the three-year buck-to-doe average in the Northeastern Region had increased to 15 bucks per 100 does. In the Central Region, the three-year average increased to 14 bucks per 100 does.
Based on the findings, the DWR recommended returning 1,000 permits to the Northeastern Region.
Citizens representing the Northeastern Regional Advisory Council voted against the DWR recommendation, however. They expressed concerns that allowing 1,000 additional hunters in the region this fall could cause the buck to doe ratio to fall back under 15 bucks per 100 does.
Board members agreed with the regional advisory council and voted not to return the 1,000 permits to the region.
Board members also approved revisions to Utah's 30 deer unit management plans after learning that the long-term goal of having more than 426,000 deer in Utah may take more time to reach than originally thought.
"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," McLaughlin said.
The new plans propose a short-term goal of about 412,000 deer in Utah by 2011.
A list showing the total permits for each unit in the state and a revised deer management plan will be available at the DWR's Web site — wildlife.utah.gov/hunting/2006permits — by April 10.