Show Community wildlife forum held here hers The first of a series of 20 community wildlife forums t tobe to tobe be held throughout th the st state te was held in Vernal Monday by the Utah State Division of Wildlife Resources Newly appointed director Donald A A. Smith is conducting the meetings to express his views on wildlife management and to hear responses from the various various' communities in the state At the Vernal meeting attended at at- t tended ended by about 80 persons Director Smith gave his views on questions submitted in writing from those in attendance at at- at- at t IN ANSWERING a question j about predatory animals Smith said he didn't think predatory J animals were depressing the wildlife numbers even even though he admitted the coyotes are taking a few deer Smith said the Lake fake Trout in Flaming g Gorge would soon be limited to two instead of the present eight Wyoming has changed their limit and Utah will fall in line Smith forecast In speaking concerning the p pheasant problem Smith ex ex- planned The ph pheasant sant is about done for I dont don't know how it has made it this long The methods o of f harvesting and the kinds of grains left eft in the field during the winter have left the pheasant J with no means for for existence Only three percent of the j agriculture lands are r occupied by pheasants and they are bei being g push pushed d out of this h habitat Other J upland need t to tabe be found that can live on n ro rougher gher l lands ands to replace e the phe pheasant sant S Smith mith exclaimed f. w V FARMER from the Jensen ar area asa said that the geese were preying on his fields and the season season needed to be sooner to scare scare them off Smith stated staled that the division had stepped up its law enforcement enforcement enforcement en en- activities and as a result more citations have been issued The local group of sportsmen and landowners discussed the problems of the bear hunt with Director Smith Some thought the bear hunt was atthe the wrong time of the year and nd that it should be changed SMITH Sl said the buck only hunts have been very successful in building up the deer herds but the population cant can't b be d controlled by hun hunting bucks only sooner or later some of the does must be killed too The Wednesday elk hunt opening has helped make this hunt a amore amore amore more professional proCeSsional event and has halt cut ut down on on the low shoe hu hunter ter explained Smith About people are employed employed employed em em- full time by the Wildlife e Division and over of these have degrees in their various specialized fi fields of wildlife e management A FILM showing the responsibility and organization of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources s was was shown at the start of th the meeting The new director said saidi he wanted to get the wildlife man management problems in the area area so h he c could uld recommend r commend solutions for these problems to the various various' boards setting seasons and regulations of wildlife AJ Alton 0 Fr Frazier Jer chief p information in in- p. p formation and ac accompanied acv companied Smith to to the Vernal meeting |