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Show Big G&me Bord setfs hurling seeasotris The Utah Board of Big Game Control met Saturday and set regulations for : the 1980 big game hunting seasons. The - seasons will be about the same as last year according to Norm Hancock, chief - of Game Management for the Utah " Division of Wildlife Resources. The general deer season will be for bucks only beginning October 18 through October 28. Eleven units in . southern and southeastern Utah will be ': open October 18 and close October 24, and three units will be closed com-: com-: pletely. The closed units are 31B (Elk "Ridge), 60A (Paunsaugunt) and 61A (Dixie-East Pine Valley). According to Mr. Hancock, deer populations in these units are down and are not increasing as expected. Two units were established for taking bucks with antlers-four points or better. Unit 28B (South Book Cliffs) will open and close with the regular season, but Unit 52 will open October 18 and close October 24. Because deer have increased in northern and central Utah, the Board authorized 15,600 special deer control permits in 20 units to help control the increasing herds. In some of these units, a significant number of deer died during the winter from starvation. This is an indication these herds must be controlled to protect the forage plants on the winter range, Mr. Hancock explained. The Board established the regular open bull elk season to begin October 1 and close October 14, and also authorize 2,130 restricted permits for special units. Archers may obtain an open area bull permit and hunt at the same time as the archery deer season, with 150 lllltlAlillAAAJiAAi hunter's choice permits issued from a drawing. Antelope season in 10 units will open September 6 and close September 14 where the Board authorized 315 antelope an-telope permits. The Box Elder Unit will open one week later and will run from September 13-21. The Board closed the season in San Raphael, Hatch Point and Cisco where antelope populations are low. Ninety-three resident and 6 nonresident bull moose permits and 25 resident and 2 nonresident cow permits : were authorized in six units in northern Utah. Twenty-seven permits will be issued from a drawing to hunt buffalo November 1-18. Eighteen desert bighorn sheep permits were authorized and one permit will be issued to the highest bidder in an auction. Proceeds will be earmarked for trapping and transplanting bighorn sheep back into their historical sites. Archery deer season was set for the next five years to begin the third Saturday in August and close on Labor Day. Regulations for hunting with bow and arrow and muzzleloader will be the same as last year except for the 14 units in southern and southeastern Utah which will be closed. The muzzleloader deer season will be November 1-9, except the same 14 units above will also be closed. The Board also increased fees for all deer control, archery and muzzleloader permits to $10; open area bull elk permits to $30; restricted elk permits to $35; antelope to $25; and buffalo to $200. All other permit fees will remain the same as last year. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA |
