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SALT LAKE CITY — Division of Wildlife Resources officials announced that the buck-to-doe ratios are the highest they have been in 10 years and the 2015 deer hunt could be one of the best for Utah hunters.
After the 2014 fall hunt, DWR biologists visited areas in Utah where deer congregate in the winter. On general-season units that are comprised mostly of public land, biologists saw an average of 21 bucks for every 100 does, according to a DWR news release. Twenty years ago, the average buck-to-doe ratio was eight bucks per 100 does, the news release said.
“If hunting deer is something you enjoy, you have plenty of reasons to be excited about this fall’s hunt,” DWR big game coordinator Justin Shannon said in the news release.
In addition to bucks comprising a higher percentage of the total population, the total number of deer in Utah is also increasing, the news release said. Over the past five years, biologists have placed radio collars on hundreds of deer across Utah to track them and get a count of the population.
Based on data gathered through the survey, biologists estimate 84 percent of the doe deer in Utah and 82 percent of the fawns survived in 2014, the news release said.
“Those are great survival rates,” Shannon said. “There’s no question that mule deer populations are growing in Utah.”
DWR officials encourage hunters interested in hunting deer this fall to apply early for a permit. Applications are due March 5 at 11 p.m. For more information about applying for a permit, hunters can get a free guidebook online or from any DWR office.
