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Show Increase Noted in 1954 Deer Killed The Utah deer kill during the i 1954 hunting seasons totaled 107,-896 107,-896 animals, according to recent-! recent-! ly compiled data from the De partment of Fish and Game offi- ces. This represents a substantial in-, crease over the 95,003 animals-harvested animals-harvested by hunters during the 1953 seasons and is an all-time high, according to department records. re-cords. The final figures represent information in-formation compiled from check stations, hunter kill card reports, jseasonal checking of hunters in the field and other sources. They show 133,943 sportsmen eligible to hunt deer through- the purchase of either a big game or comination fishing and hunting license. Of this number, 123,231 gunners were in the field hunting deer during 1954. Of the total kill some 93,434 animals were taken on the regular regu-lar hunting license. The balance, or 14,462 deerx were taken on special or extra tags to bring the final total to the above 107,896 animals. Hunter success for the regular license hunts averaged 75.8 per cent comapred to 71 per cent during dur-ing 1953. Neither figure includes the special type hunts wherein hunter success is usually higher. Buck and doe ratio of kill on the regular license showed 69.7 per cent of the animals had antlers, ant-lers, with 30.3 per cent being does and fawns. Ratio of kill for the additional tag and special permit hunts figured fig-ured 62.7 per cent bucks and 38.3 per cent does. The latter type shoots were scheduled mostly for the taking of doe only from crit- into deer concentration areas. The Board of Big Game Control scheduled earlier hunts, longer seasons, and special seasons of many kinds to attract hunters into the problem areas. A compilation of final figures for the 1954 elk hunts shows 1,350 permit holders harvesting 848 animals for a hunter success figure of 63.7 per cent. This compares com-pares favorably to the 1953 elk hunts when 1,497 permittees took 967 animals for a success of 65.2 per cent. Sportsmen drawing the 75 antelope ante-lope permits issued by the Board for 1954 bagged 64 animals for an 85 per cent kill. These were the first , such permits authorised for several years. One feature of the fall seasons was the exceptional success of the bow and arrow hunters during the season. The bowmen purchased pur-chased 777 special permits for this type of hunting for a new high in numbers. They harvested 177 animals during special early bow hunts on six units set aside by the board for such hunting. icai proDiem ranges. The greater total kill and the higher hunter success during the 1954 seasons occurred in spite of a heavy storm which blanketed a Jarge portion of the state during the first weekend of the general season in October. Game managers credit the successful suc-cessful season chiefly to two things one being the lack of any appreciable amount of foliage on trees and shrubs during 1954 for the first time in several years. Also, much credit is given to a greater disbursement of hunters |