The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (I'm thinking of writing a book)

[MY T PIMP]

I've been thinking of doing this for some time. I would say I have been heavily involved in the wildlife management scene in Utah. I have been a volunteer for the DWR and an active participant in the Utah dedicated hunter program for 10 years now. I have come to have a real appreciation for Utah's wildlife both game and non game species. I am certainly grateful to live in one of the most wildlife diverse states in America. It has been nothing short of amazing what sportsman and the DWR have done to benefit the many animal species of this state. Many great examples include the American Bison, Rocky Mountain Elk, Rio Grande and Merriam Turkey, Rocky Mountain and Desert Bighorn sheep, and the Black Bear.

However during this time of heavy involvement I've noticed the dark side of Utah's Wildlife management. I watched one of the greatest concentrated herds of Pronghorn in the American west dwindle down to all but nothing down on Plateau Boulder Parker Mountain area, similar to that has been the Shiras Moose on Monty Cristo Mountain. In 20 years of hunting I have also as many you may also attest seen Utah's mule deer herd dwindle by hundreds of thousands of animals. Other things to mention are Utah's sham of a bonus point system, mismanagement of predatory species, and the effective but also ineffective cooperative wildlife management units.

Through the years I've gained friends in the wildlife community all of who are credible sources to support the claims above. There is a shroud of darkness that surrounds many elements of Utah's Wildlife Management and very few answers for it. Politics and money are behind a lot of the dark shroud. From grazing rights with ranchers who dictate just how much wildlife we are aloud on our federal and state lands (example domestic sheep vs. pronghorns on the plateau), to CWMU private land units who dictate their own seasons and number of tags with very minimal benefit to the public. These things are very real, and there is a lot of dirty money behind it all.

I just want my children to be able to enjoy Utah wildlife in all of it's forms the way I have. I'm interested to here any knowledge any of you might have on the matter.

[REDFOX]

Money and the greed for money have made this and many other goverment programs corrupt. Things will never be the same for us or our children. Change happens all around us constantly, good and bad. I think that you have called it as it is and that you have some firsthand experience and knowledge on the matter with the dwr.

[Sun Dance]

If you have the knowledge, you should write the book. Try to get both sides of every matter, but if there are no answers to be found on the government's side, explain what you did to try to find them. I'd love to see a dialogue actually get some public exposure on these topics. If a book is the best way to do it, there are plenty of ways to market it and get the word out.

[bobb169]

I used to hunt Utah every year faithfully. Now its been 5 years since I have been hunting, probably 15 years since fishing. No fish in the streams, no deer (unless small) no antelope there is elk but you'll be 60 before you draw anything decent. Unless you are under 14, then its handed to you (another Money maker) and you have special hunts...what about the guy putting in for 15 years? I have seen a major decline in all aspects of fish and game in Utah. Used to work for the USFS, out of Randolph /Ogden for 10 years, so I have be out in the field. Last major hunt was a ltd entry on a isolated Elk unit in the W desert. My buddy drew the tag this year (after 15 pts) harvested his elk on the last morning on the last day......this is a unit we'd hunted deer/elk for 20 years. Deer are gone because of the elk, elk have way declined do to too many tags given out for bull and cow. Sorry to say I never bought into the deicated hunter program, just another way to shift work getting it for free. Plus I was not real thrilled with some of the people who organized it from the beginning, why? I won't go into here. DWS is like any other govt dept, they are trying to survive to keep their jobs, wildlife is secondary. Hunting is headed for only the wealthy, you're going to need to have a outfitter to get anything decent, DWS caters to these as well. I have seen a few examples in the field. Other states are in not immune from the problems Utah has as well. Ah.....enough is enough I could go on for hours.........

[akavalun]

First of all, let me say that I have worked for Utah DWR for the better part of the last decade. I am a non-game biologist, specializing in sensitive species. I am also an avid hunter/fisherman/outdoorsman. I usually do not respond to posts like these on the hunting websites out there, but since I love hiking/canyoneering and the like, I figured I'd give it a shot, although I know most of you out there already have your own opinions and I'm sure this is a waste of my time.

The wildlife agencies across the U.S., not just Utah, are not money making agencies. We get very little money apportioned to us to try to get the work done that needs to be done. This is one of the main reasons the Dedicated Hunter program is in place. I am a participant in the DH program and see its benefits everyday. Innumerable projects that benefit both game and non-game species would never have been completed without hunters across the state willing to volunteer their time. This was my first year hunting mule deer in Utah. I saw almost 20 different bucks in the area I hunted, and never ventured out more than a mile from my core area. Does anybody get off their four wheelers and out of their truck to hunt? I hunted for 9 days on the muzzleloader and 4 days on the rifle, morning and evening on almost everyday. That whole time, I only encountered 3 people who weren't on their four wheelers and driving their trucks. In fact, on opening day, I saw alteast 20 four wheelers driving all the two tracks around me for the better part of 2 hours, and at 8:30, I missed the biggest buck I saw all season. Now I realize the deer herds aren't as strong in every other unit, but does anyone want to look at reasons other than mismanagement by the DWR? How about one of the single greatest factors in mule deer survival, winter range. Utah was, and still is one of the fast growing states in the U.S. All these people gotta live somewhere, and a lot of the new construction is in the foothills, and benches, right where mule deer winter range is. The deer have less to eat, the population goes down. Our habitat section is going full force to create more winter range. Stop by any regional office some time and ask to go see a winter range project.

So the DWR is all about making money right? Take a look at my paycheck someday and you'll see this isn't about making money. In fact, the state wildlife agency is one of the lowest paid agencies across the nation. We haven't gotten raises in over 3 years. Come spend some time with my co workers and you'll quickly see we don't do this for the money, we do it because we love wildlife and value it as citizens, hunters, fisherman, outdoorsmen. There are thousands of careers out there that make way more money than we do. Our budgets are cut every year, people lose their jobs, demotions...yet we still keep on trucking, trying to better the wildlife of Utah. But do we get any credit.........

[Sandstone Addiction]

First of all, let me say that I have worked for Utah DWR for the better part of the last decade. I am a non-game biologist, specializing in sensitive species. I am also an avid hunter/fisherman/outdoorsman. I usually do not respond to posts like these on the hunting websites out there, but since
I love hiking/canyoneering and the like, I figured I'd give it a shot, although I know most of you out there already have your own opinions and I'm sure this is a waste of my time.

The wildlife agencies across the U.S., not just Utah, are not money making agencies. We get very little money apportioned to us to try to get the work done that needs to be done. This is one of the main reasons the Dedicated Hunter program is in place. I am a participant in the DH program and see its benefits everyday. Innumerable projects that benefit both game and non-game species would never have been completed without hunters across the state willing to volunteer their time. This was my first year hunting mule deer in Utah. I saw almost 20 different bucks in the area I hunted, and never ventured out more than a mile from my core area. Does anybody get off their four wheelers and out of their truck to hunt? I hunted for 9 days on the muzzleloader and 4 days on the rifle, morning and evening on almost everyday. That whole time, I only encountered 3 people who weren't on their four wheelers and driving their trucks. In fact, on opening day, I saw alteast 20 four wheelers driving all the two tracks around me for the better part of 2 hours, and at 8:30, I missed the biggest buck I saw all season. Now I realize the deer herds aren't as strong in every other unit, but does anyone want to look at reasons other than mismanagement by the DWR? How about one of the single greatest factors in mule deer survival, winter range. Utah was, and still is one of the fast growing states in the U.S. All these people gotta live somewhere, and a lot of the new construction is in the foothills, and benches, right where mule deer winter range is. The deer have less to eat, the population goes down. Our habitat section is going full force to create more winter range. Stop by any regional office some time and ask to go see a winter range project.

So the DWR is all about making money right? Take a look at my paycheck someday and you'll see this isn't about making money. In fact, the state wildlife agency is one of the lowest paid agencies across the nation. We haven't gotten raises in over 3 years. Come spend some time with my co workers and you'll quickly see we don't do this for the money, we do it because we love wildlife and value it as citizens, hunters, fisherman, outdoorsmen. There are thousands of careers out there that make way more money than we do. Our budgets are cut every year, people lose their jobs, demotions...yet we still keep on trucking, trying to better the wildlife of Utah. But do we get any credit.........

I really don't buy the lack of winter range issue as the biggest reason for the decline--i'm sure that it does have some impact along the populated Wasatch Front, but the rest of the state sees very little impact--IMHO of course.

Let's start with shed hunting...it's out of control and getting worse, I know I won't win any popularity contests by saying this, but maybe it's time to follow the surrounding states and ban shed hunting until May???

What about predators? I took a hike the other day up Diamond Fork (Red Hollow) and the only tracks I saw were coyote. Didn't see one single deer or elk. I did see one canine track that was the biggest I'd ever seen...wider than the palm of my hand by at least a half inch. Naa, couldn't have been a wolf...

Another problem I see is the massive over selling of antlerless permits. I realize you have your objectives (which I will never understand why they are so low--have yet to see a starving animal (aside from record snowfall years)), but I believe that for every doe that's harvested, a fawn or two are not going to survive the winter--same for cows, except that they are most likely pregnant with next years calf and this years calf is not likely to survive the winter. Why do you have the objective so low? Who determines the magic number?

I would also love to tag along when y'all are counting the deer and elk, because y'all are seeing a lot more than anyone I know.