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Monday, 08 February 2010 13:58 |
As many of you know I have had the opportunity to serve as the BOU Representative on the
Statewide Elk Committee. It was my privilege to be joined by Mike Christensen as the BOU alternate.
Thanks to Mike for the great advice and another point of view.
At the very first Committee meeting Director Karpowitz challenged the group to “come up with something better!!”
Unfortunately the Elk Committee decided to revert back to the old standard of raising age classifications
To grow bigger bulls. This new age structure will reduce opportunity in the long run by about 15%
For all weapon types. Many of the new age classes will, in the long run, reach a point that will be very difficult to
Hit or maintain. This will result in a loss of opportunity on units that will have an abundance of elk including plenty of large
Bulls.
So in a nutshell here is what was passed.
New 7.5 – 8 year old class units
Book Cliffs Roadless
San Juan
Fillmore Pahvant
Boulder
SW Desert
Beaver
New 6.5 – 7.0 year old class units
Book Cliffs ( remainder of unit )
South Slope Diamond Mountain
Monroe
Central Mtns Nebo
Fishlake Once total population has reached 6500
These units will account for roughly 44% of Utah’s total elk population
Under the old plan these higher end units made up 25%
New age class of 5.7 – 6.3 ( target 6 year old bull )
Manti
Wasatch Mountains ( 3 units )
Box Elder Pilot Mountain
North Slope 3 Corners
Nine Mile Anthro
La Sal
La Sal Delores Triangle
Oquirrh Stansbury
Mt Dutton
Panguitch Lake
These new units will drop from 55% ratio used in the old plan down to about 46%
These units provided most of the opportunity the state gave for a Limited Entry Elk Tag.
New 4.5 – 5 year old units
Box Elder Grouse Creek
Cache ( 3 units )
Nine Mile Range Creek
Paunsaugunt ( with the goal to remove all elk from this unit )
West Desert Deep Creek
Fillmore Oak Creek
These units make up a little more than 8% of the population.
Early rut Rifle permits will be reduced on a unit by unit basis,
These permits will be reallocated to the late hunts where possible
The reduction in these permits will be extremely low.
The Committee did pass a proposal that will affect the western portion of the Wasatch unit.
This proposal basically reverses the way LE permits are allocated. Bowhunters will now receive 65% of the permits in this unit.
There was some good that came out of the Committee, the goal and plan to increase our herds to 80,000
Was just one.
In the end the, Representatives from the other Sportsmen’s Groups SFW, RMEF and UBA pushed through
A plan that will grow bigger bulls that fewer and fewer of us will ever get the opportunity to hunt.
Bowhunters Of Utah and a couple Representatives from the RACs simply couldn’t swallow such a drastic loss
Of opportunity and personally I couldn’t vote in favor of something that most of the survey respondents
Had told the Committee they didn’t want.
BOU voted in opposition of this new plan
Thanks
Gordy Bell |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 February 2010 20:58 |
Thanks for your commitment to wildlife and bowhunting in Utah. Your input and level head area much appreciated. This weekend I went rabbit hunting and took my dogs on the way out I stopped to run my dogs and a County Sherrif pulled up. He and I discussed hunting in general, he was not happy about the seasons and directions of big game in Utah.
He mentioned what a CROCK of CRAP it was that we continue to hunt rutting bulls with a rifle (he is primarily a rifle / muzzel loader hunter. As conversation progressed, I discussed the possibilities of extending seasons and offering more tags to the public if we went to a more restrictive / primative format for hunting in certain regions (Cache deer specifically). He was all over it and believed that there are many who would be for it as well(HE thought that I was a genious to think of it, I only wished I could take credit for the thoughts of greater minds than I.
I believe that there is a silent majority in the state that would like the opportunity to chase bulls more often even if their chance of harvest were lower. This message needs to be pushed from the coffee shops, and breakrooms statewide, instead of from a select few and their agendas.
Again Thanks BOU / Gordy for fighting the fight!
Rich