DWR: Number of buck deer in Utah increases for 2nd consecutive year

DWR: Number of buck deer in Utah increases for 2nd consecutive year

(Brent Stettler/Division of Wildlife Resources)


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SALT LAKE CITY — In March 2015, the Division of Wildlife Resources officials announced that the buck-to-doe ratios were the highest they had been in 10 years, and Friday, officials announced that the number of bucks in Utah increased again.

After the fall deer hunts, DWR biologists conduct surveys and count the number of bucks per 100 does and the number of fawns per 100 does. The surveys found a statewide average of 23 bucks per 100 does, the majority of which were located on general season units that consist almost entirely of public land, DWR said.

"Based on surveys our biologists conducted in 2015, most of Utah's big game populations are doing really well," according to DWR wildlife licensing coordinator Judi Tutorow. "Don't miss out (on the 2016 hunts.)"

After the 2014 surveys, biologists saw an average of 21 bucks for every 100 does, making it the highest ratios in 10 years, DWR said. Twenty years ago, the average buck-to-doe ratio was eight bucks per 100 does.

"Utah's deer herds have come a long way since 1993," DWR big game coordinator Justin Shannon said. "More bucks in the population this fall means more bucks of all ages, including mature bucks, should be available to hunters. Every general season hunting unit in Utah is at or above the buck-to-doe ratio called for in the unit's management plan."

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Biologists are still compiling data that will allow them to estimate the total number of deer in Utah, but Shannon said the final figure will likely be higher than the 355,600 deer estimated in Utah after the hunts were over in 2014.

In addition to number of buck deer increasing, the number of fawns and does is increasing too, DWR said. The 2015 surveys found a statewide average of 64 fawns per 100 does. In December 2014, biologists placed radio collars on 180 fawns across Utah and one year later, 77 percent of the fawns were still alive.

As the deer herds have grown, DWR said hunter satisfaction with the hunts has grown as well.

"This fall will be the fourth season in a row that more bucks will be available to hunters," Shannon said. "The state's herds have a lot of positive momentum right now. We're in a rare window where giving more hunters a chance to hunt, and keeping lots of bucks in the herds, can happen at the same time. That's because the number of deer in Utah is increasing."

Hunters interested in harvesting a buck during the fall hunt should submit an application by March 3 at 11 p.m. Apply for a hunting permit here.

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