Check out the approved changes in Utah
Last week, the Utah Wildlife Board approved updates to the mountain goat and bighorn sheep statewide management plans as well as deer population objectives in three hunting units in the southeastern part of the state, according to a news release.
The Utah Mountain Goat Statewide Management Plan and the Utah Bighorn Sheep Statewide Management Plan are 10-year plans that went into effect in 2018; however, periodic review is allowed. As such, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) recently met with an advisory committee to review both plans, proposing several updates as a result.
Per the agency, the following updates have been approved:
“These plans are really important in guiding our objectives to maintain healthy mountain goat and bighorn sheep populations in Utah,” said Rusty Robinson, UDWR once-in-a-lifetime species coordinator. “We really appreciate those who serve on the committees and provide input on these plans and the associated updates.”
Further, the board approved increasing population objectives for mule deer in three units: the La Sal, La Sal Mountains Unit, the Manti/San Rafael Unit and the San Juana, Abajos Unit. The increase is based upon a shift in current population estimates, and includes the following increases:
For a complete list of items, including expo permits, approved during the board meeting, click here.
Adding information about the process that occurs prior to a bighorn sheep transplant (regarding the public process and writing unit/mitigation plans)
Adding information about involving public hunters in disease prevention and response incidents (while also prioritizing herd health and fair chase standards)
Adding Fremont Island as a potential site for future Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep reintroduction
Adding the Boulder hunting unit as a potential location for future desert bighorn sheep reintroduction
Adding a few other clerical updates to documents and references
Updating state code references in both plans to reflect recent legislative changes
Increasing the population objective on the La Sal, La Sal Mountains unit from 8,000 to 11,500
Increasing the population objective on the Manti/San Rafael unit from 28,000 to 38,000
Increasing the population objective on the San Juan, Abajos unit from 13,500 to 17,000
