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Show WILDLIFE REPORr LH-AH STATE PIViSION OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES - By Jon Leatham I z) L jn Conservation Officer U M 71 :et RR -vault When the white man came to North America Ameri-ca the elk was the most widelv distributed member of the deer familv on the continent. Bv the turn of the cen-turv, cen-turv, onlv a limited number of elk remained in Utah, in the Uintah Mountains. The elk were given protection with a closed season in about 1898. and through the efforts of sportsmen sports-men and the State Fish and Game, elk were reestablished re-established on native ranges bv elk transplants. trans-plants. These transplants trans-plants occured between 1913 to 1925 with elk received from Yellowstone Yellow-stone National Park. The elk herds grew and subsequent transplants trans-plants were made from established herds within with-in the state. As a result re-sult of these efforts. Utah now has sixteen elk hunting units. In 1971. there were 1756 elk legally taken with a rifle for a hunter hunt-er success of 19 per cent. This includes the Special Permits and the Open Bull permits. In 1972.. the "special elk permit" harvest was 5S9 elk, for a 50.5 per cent hunter success. The "open bull" harvest has not been officially tabulated yet. but it appears ap-pears to be about 15 per cent hunter success. If we compare these results with ihesocall-' ihesocall-' ed "elk states", we find that they have a hunter success of about 15 to 30 per cent. Therefore. Utah's elk hunting compares com-pares very favorable. We cannot expect to harvest elk as abundantly abund-antly as deer because we do not have the nec essary elk range :ii ' r under sound man,- ,l ment practices e";: u enjoy the opp.,r;.. i to hunt this challt--: x game animal. -:!e, Utah sportsmen fj recently denied ihe s t3l portunity of otvni.-' large wildlife ment area, which retains re-tains one of the reproductive re-productive elk ra.-:. in northern Utah, the Natural Resrjj, Committee of the U I 1 House of Represe-t tives failed to acv the bill which n-, -authorized the l)lxi C of Wildlife Reso. to purchase the p--r erty at a once in ati time bargain. Evr citizen and sporis---who enjoys the oa-v. i doors, will be the k;i if the developers may now purchase :-property :-property and tun : L into a "refuge of;- f"-mer f"-mer cabins, motoric;. JfR and profits for a f;. individuals. It truly;, a sad day when o. ' limited natural j sources are so eaL betrayed. As hunters, we a- h not expect to be f: anteed a deer or elk just becausewe?.: chase a license, i':; four elk permits. 1-.: ( v et to raise my fL at an elk. but I " that taking an ari- is only a small ri: of the benefit I rece;-: from the privilege : "3 hunting. I know I p helping the cause oil: ! conservation and r.r agement of wildlife :: the benefit of ever-:": for generations ; come. This is onefc that all sportsmen ci" be proud of when ti purchase their lice": yk - ;) . :f I ' -. . I - ' - . .-: - - mtu;' Klk transplants into the state of Utah have no made it possible for the state to have ei elk hunting units. Success ratio is about -per cent on the open bull units, which compare favorably with other nearbv states. t' |