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Show Elk Season Opens Decreased hunter pressure is expected on the opening of Utah's elk season Wednesday, Oct. 1, says Division of Wildlife Resources Assistant Game Management Chief Homer Stapley. The midweek opener set by the Board of Big Game Control has, however, apparently been accepted by hunters, said Stapley. Som: 17,544 open bull elk hunters will go afield, 100 of them nonresidents. Most either sex units also open Oct. 1, and more than 15,000 persons applied for the 2,055 available permits. Saturday openers encourage mass turnouts of hunters, said Stapley. The midweek opener, which has been tried in the past on mourning dove, pigeon and waterfowl hunts, should disperse pressure throughout . the season. This was one of the. reasons for setting such an opener. The other reason was to allow livestock owners to get their animals off of the range before the hunting season. Hunters this year should expect an average hunt, with little change from last year's success. Last year 15,698 open bull hunters took 1,571 elk. Of 1,638 cither sex or anterlcss permit holders, 796 were successful. |