Better deer hunt — Chance of tagging a deer great, but catch likely will be smaller

Early reports are that there are more deer this year in the mountains around Utah, but not necessarily any more larger deer.

Which simply means the chances of success are better than they've been in the past several years, but chances of tagging a trophy are not as good. Two years ago the average size of bucks harvested increased.

The hunt opens Oct. 21 at first light. About 60,000 deer hunters in hunter-orange coats, hats and vests are expected to hunt.

One indication that hunters expect better success this year rests with the fact that the last of the deer-hunt tags was sold nearly two weeks ago. With some of the past hunts, license sales ran to within a few days of the opening.

Craig McLaughlin, big game coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, said that before the latest series of storms, the deer were still scattered, "which means hunters are going to have to get out and look for deer. They could be at almost any elevation."

And, while it rained over most of the state last week, snow levels remained high — 10,000 feet and above. All of the moisture will, however, allow hunters to move more quietly through the trees.

McLaughlin said that archery and muzzleloader hunters reported seeing more deer, "not so many larger bucks, but mostly yearlings or spikes."

McLaughlin asked that hunters be reminded to obtain written permission from landowners before hunting on private land, to keep their off-highway vehicles on designated roads and trails and to let someone know where they're going and when they plan to return.

Following is a region-by-region report from the DWR:

Northern region

Success should be similar to last year, with the exception of northwestern Box Elder County, where hunting should be better.

Kirt Enright, wildlife biologist, said there has been an increase in deer numbers in that county.

"This is the best year we've had for 20 years," he added. "Last winter's post-hunt deer classification had the best buck-to-doe ratio we've seen since the early 1980s."

He expects hunting to be slightly better this year "with a decent component of 2-, 3- and 4-year-old bucks in the population."

Scott McFarlane, wildlife biologist, said Morgan and South Rich units continue to have some of the best buck-to-doe ratios in the state. Even with a slight decrease in the deer population, because of some winter losses, the buck/doe ratio is about 45 bucks to every 100 does.

The picture isn't as good on the Cache unit. "The Cache deer herd continues to struggle, with a buck-to-doe ratio of about 11 bucks per 100 does," said Darren DeBloois, wildlife biologist.

Central region

Biologists say deer herds are rebounding, and rifle hunters should see more younger bucks.