Time for the hunt: Season expected to be a good one

So far things have gone as expected. Upland game hunting started off with mixed results, the archery deer hunt was good in that hunter saw deer, and it appears the waterfowl and elk hunts will be better this fall.

Early reports show that deer numbers are up slightly over last year due, in part, to mild winters. Those going out on the rifle hunt can expect to see more younger bucks, a result of good survival this past summer.

And even though Utah may not have had the moisture needed for waterfowl, the prairies in southern Alberta, Canada, did.

Good rainfall in southern Alberta increased the number of ponds available to nesting ducks by 26 percent over 2006. And the number of ponds available last spring was 68 percent higher than the 50-year average.

Which means there will be good flights of ducks and geese passing through Utah this winter.

The hunt will run for 107 days starting on Oct. 6.

Canada geese hunt will open on the same day, and reports are that the number of breeding pairs in Utah, and the number of young they produced, were up slightly from 2006. But both numbers in Utah were down slightly from their 50-year average.

Tundra swans are also showing increased populations. This past spring, biologists counted a record number of tundra swans on their breeding grounds in Alaska.

The general elk hunt will also open on Oct. 6.

Based on surveys this past winter, DWR biologists estimate Utah's elk population at more than 63,800 animals. That's only 4,800 elk shy of a statewide goal of 68,600 animals.

As for the general deer hunt, which opens Oct. 20, Anis Aoude, big game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, reported that "The buck-to-doe ratio has been right around the minimum objective of 15 bucks per 100 does since 1998. We've had a couple of years where it's peaked at 17 bucks per 100 does though 2000 and now again this year."

DWR biologists determine the ratio by conducting on-the-ground surveys after the hunting seasons in the fall. This past winter was mild in Utah, so most of the bucks biologists saw last fall, and many of the buck fawns, should be available to hunters this fall.

According to the DWR survey:

In the Northern Region, the ratio was 16 per 100 in 2005 and went up to 18 bucks per 100 does in 2006.

In the Central and Northeastern regions, numbers remain stable at 15 per 100 does and 16 per 100 does, respectively.

The Southeastern Region jumped from 17 to 20 bucks per 100 does from 2005 to 2006.

The only drop was in the Southern Region where it went from 17 to 16 per 100 does from 2005 to 2006.

Aoude said it is estimated there were roughly 320,000 adult mule deer in Utah this past spring, which is up from 296,000 counted in the spring of 2006.