Hunting season — Size of deer herds has ranged from plentiful to scarce

It was just before the start of the 20th Century that the condition of Utah's wildlife started to get notice.

In 1894, two years before Utah became a state, the need for wildlife management was undertaken. Deer were the first to get attention, followed by elk and antelope in 1898.

The action started a trend to increase wildlife populations. It would take some time before the benefits were apparent.

The best of times for Utah's deer came in the 1950s and 1960s, a century after pioneers entered the valley, bringing with them herds of cattle and sheep that, based on practices at the time, overgrazed the available grass.

The predominant big-game animals when pioneers entered the valley were elk and bighorn sheep. There weren't many deer. The hillsides were covered with grasses, which are good foods for elk and sheep but not for deer.

Mule deer were common but not abundant back when pioneers entered the valley. Unrestricted hunting, in fact, nearly wiped out what deer Utah held. Lawmakers responded by closing hunting between the years 1908 and 1913, then after 1913 only bucks were fair game.

Overgrazing turned what were lush fields of grasses into a barren wasteland, which allowed browse and forbs, main foods for deer, to grow.

The deer responded. Numbers increased rapidly. In contrast, elk and sheep numbers fell just as quickly.

To control the rapidly expanding deer herds, Utah went to hunting both does and bucks in 1951. Hunters, in fact, were allowed multiple permits to hunt multiple seasons. Deer were numerous and big bucks common.

These were the "good old days" often relived by grandpas when they talk about past hunts.

The highest number of deer ever harvested in a single year in Utah was in 1961 when 132,000 were taken. By comparison, around 25,000 deer were harvested last year.

It was at this point (1961) the deer populations started to drop. To slow the falling deer numbers, Utah went back to buck-only hunting in 1975.

Under the buck-only program, hunting went through a series of boom and bust cycles.

One of the best hunts at the time was in 1985 when 82,552 bucks were harvested. The highest number of hunters afield was in 1983 when 228,907 bought licenses.

In 1983, roads were packed, campgrounds overcrowded and there was nowhere hunters could go without bumping into other hunters, and they complained — loudly.