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Show Panels discuss fate of deer hunting in Utah Some far-reaching proposals to change deer hunting in Utah will be up for discussion at the Utah Board of Big Game Control meetings this week. Big game biologists, hunters and nonhunters agree that changes in : nature and human behavior require changes in wildlife management Recognizing this, the Utah Board of Big Game Control last year directed the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to form two special committees to develop specific recommendations for deer hunting in Utah. That work is still in progress. The recommendations of these committees will be thoroughly examined ex-amined and evaluated by the Interagency committee and the DWR. Any changes adopted will be based on biological facts, public input and the experiences of other Western states. Final decisions will be made only by the Board of Big Game Control. The deer hunt proposals fall into these general categories: No change to the current hunt structure. A "choose your season" option. A cap on the number of hunters. A split deer season. A limit of one deer (buck or antlerless) per hunter. A hunter access management program. Although the proposals will be examined and discussed by the Board during upcoming public meetings statewide, there will probably prob-ably not be any major changes in the 1991 big game hunting seasons. No decisions have yet been made, and some may require legislative action. It is unlikely that major changes would be made before the 1992 or 1993 season. To find out more about the proposed changes in Utah big game hunting rules, attend and participate in the Board of Big Game Control Con-trol public meetings. A public meeting will be held at 7 p.m., March 29, at the State Office Of-fice Building Auditorium in Salt Lake City. An executive session will be held at 8 a.m., in the DWR Auditorium, 1596 W. North Temple, Tem-ple, Salt Lake City. |