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Show 20 Vernal Express Wednesday, August 18, 1999 Moire buch deeir Increased numbers of buck deer will await archers through most of Utah when the state's general season sea-son buck deer archery hunt begins August 21. Based on surveys it conducted last winter, the Division of Wildlife Resources estimated Utah's mule deer population last winter at 321,500 up almost 36,000 over the estimated 285,650 deer in Utah during the winter of 1997-1998. The estimated 321,500 deer are more than 97,000 deer short of a state-wide objective of 418,700 but are a vast improvement over the number of deer left in Utah after the winter of 1992-93. "There will be more deer awaiting await-ing hunters through most of the state," Division . Big Game Coordinator Mike Welch said of this year's archery hunt. Welch said there was good production pro-duction and good over winter survival sur-vival of deer this past year. Two areas where deer continue to face challenges are the Cache unit in northern Utah and many of the deer units in southeast Utah. The Cache unit suffered a significant signifi-cant loss of fawns two winters ago and there won't be many two-year-old bucks in this year's population, Welch said. In the Southeastern Region many units continue to suffer from poor habitat conditions brought about by long term drought in the region. And exception in the region is the Manti unit, which is holding good numbers of deer, Welch said. Southeast Utah has received good snow and rainfall since last fall, which should help speed the recovery recov-ery of herds in the area and provide more deer in future years, he said. "All of the other areas in the state are doing really well," Welch said. Welch reminds archers that all the snow and rain received this year has left a lot of vegetation and fire danger is high through most of the state. He also reminds hunters that they must obtain written permission before be-fore hunting on private property. "As you come further north, there's more and more private land," Welch said. Welch also reminds hunter that permits are still available for the Northern, Central and Northeastern regions, but permits for the Southern and Southeastern regions have sold out. The following is a region-by-region look at deer hunting prospects for the upcoming archery hunt: Northern Region While deer herds on the Box Elder and Cache units are not keeping keep-ing pace with herds in the region found on private land, archers should still find more deer awaiting them while hunting these public land areas. "All of our populations will be up. Some substantially," said Lou Cornicelli, Northern Region wildlife manager. Archers will see mostly young bucks on the Box Elder and Cache units, as hunting pressure on the units typically keeps buck deer from reaching a mature age, Cornicelli said. The outlook is improving for future fu-ture hunts on the two units, as the units lost about 25 percent of their fawns this year, compared to losses of 35 to 70 percent over the past few years, Cornicelli said. On some of the region's units located lo-cated on private land, deer herds are doing even better. On the Ogden unit, for example, Division surveys this year found almost 100 fawns per 100 does, Cornicelli said. "Many of the region's units are near total population management objectives," Cornicelli said. August 25, 1999 10:00 - 11:45 am Free Swimming for Kids I Roosevelt City Before going afield August 21, Cornicelli advices archers to do some advanced scouting, looking for travel lanes, feeding areas, bedding bed-ding areas and actively used watering water-ing holes. Advanced scouting also is important impor-tant in helping assure that an area hunted in past years hasn't been effected ef-fected this year by the movement of livestock into the area, or the development devel-opment of homes or campgrounds. Archers also are reminded that the northern Region is an either sex unit during the archery hunt, with archers allowed to take either a buck or a doe. Central region Good numbers of deer await archers in a region its wildlife manager man-ager feels has been overlooked by a lot of hunters. "A lot of the die hard hunters are still heading to the Southeastern and Southern regions, and I think the Central Region has Kejn overlooked over-looked by them," said Dale Liechty, Central Region wildlife manger. "I think we have a real good young buck population, and some really nice, mature bucks, too," Liechty said. Liechty said good numbers of deer await archers hunting areas in the region east of 1-15. "Everything east of 1-15 is about he same as last year," Liechty said. "Archers should see a lot of little bucks there." He said archers willing to hike in to higher elevation areas east of I-15 I-15 can up their chances of finding some of the region's bigger bucks. "It should be a really good hunt," Liechty said of the hunt east of I-15. I-15. He said some of the units east of 1-15 are close to reaching total deer population objectives and the objective of at least 15 bucks per 100 does. Hunting will probably be poorer in the lower elevation areas west of 1-15. Deer habitat in these areas are still recovering from long term drought and the number of deer in them remains below management objectives, Liechty said. He said the area has received some good rainfall this spring. If it continues to receive good snow and rain over the next three to five years, hunting west of 1-15 could really improve. To find success this year, archers will probably need to be on the move. "Do a lot of stocking," Liechty said. Because of all the water received this year, waiting for bucks to come to watering holes will probably not pay off as it has in years past "If you're not finding them, keep on moving." Liechty said. Liechty has two reminders for archers hunting the Central Region: The Vernon unit remains closed to hunting. Portion of the Manti unit east of Highway 89 is in the Southeastern Region and only archers who have obtained a Southeastern Region per-, mit may hunt there. Northeastern Region Buck numbers in northeast Utah are similar to last year, though archers may have a slightly better chance of finding a few more bucks that are 3 point or better, said Steve Cranney, Northeastern Region Wildlife Manager. "Our post season counts of mature bucks were up a little from the year before," Cranney said. "We're a little lit-tle improved in that category." All of the region's general season units are either nearing, or have reached the objective, of at least 15 bucks per 100 does. The total number num-ber of deer on the South Slope unit, and the Currant Creek portion of the Wasatch Mountain unit, also is fiotA Swimming Pool awaiH airclhieirs nearing the total number called for in management plans. Cranney said the archers who'll find . the most success bagging bucks in the Northeastern Region are those who have stuck with an area over a period of time. "Go back to where you go every year," Cranney advices. "The more you go back, the better hunter you'll be because you'll learn where the animals are and where they move. "Everytime you go into a new area, you sacrifice a lot of knowledge," knowl-edge," he said. Cranney advises hunters new to the region to pick an area and to start the learning process. Two areas general season hunters can't hunt this year are the Diamond Mountain and Book Cliffs units, both of which are open only to those who drew a limited entry permit for therm earlier this year. Archers also are reminded that a substantial amount of land in' the Uintah Basin is Ute tribal land and is not open to public hunting. Archers are encouraged to obtain maps, available from Division offices, of-fices, to learn Ute tribal boundaries. Those hunting in the region during dur-ing the general archery season should find good vegetative conditions, condi-tions, with a lot of good growth, Cranney said. The Uintah Basin has maintained good moisture over the past month, so fire danger shouldn't be too high. Cranney cautions archers to still be careful with fire, though. Archery hunting tips: Utah's archery hunt may be one of its safest, with only one recorded death of a hunter during the hunt's history. But while only one death has occurred oc-curred during Utah's archery hunts, there have been numerous instances of hunters hurting themselves. "Most of the injuries during the archery hunt are self-inflicted," said Lenny Rees, hunter education coordinator coor-dinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. Rees said most accidents involve two practices hunters being unsafe un-safe in tree stands and hunter having hav-ing arrows out of their quiver when they shouldn't. Rees provides tips on how hunters heading afield for the August. 21 opening of Utah's archery hunt can avoid these accidents: 1) Tree stands - hunters should make sure the tree is large enough to hold their weight. After climbing into the tree stand, the first thing a hunter should do is attach his or her safety line. Rees recommends using a portable tree stand, rather than constructing con-structing a "permanent" one. "Permanent tree stands have a tendency to deteriorate and, over time, become unsafe," he said. "They are unsightly, too, and a person per-son damages the tree by putting nails in it." 2) "Keep your arrows in a hooded quiver that covers the broadheads, until you're ready to shoot," Rees said. One of the most common accidents acci-dents during the archery hunts involves in-volves archers jabbing themselves or hunters walking close to them, while carrying arrows in their hand that should be in their quiver. State law requires that arrows be cased while in or on a vehicle. While outside the vehicle, it's left up to hunters to protect themselves. Rees also provides tips on preparations prepa-rations to make before the season, safety items to remember while in the field and tips on tracking animals ani-mals and preserving meat. 1) Preparation : a. Equipment checks- make sure laminations are not flaking or separating sepa-rating that strings are not fraying and that the pulleys and cables on compound bows are in good working work-ing order. Also, be sure your equipment equip-ment is matched, that your arrow's spline (the stiffness of the arrow's shaft) matches your bow's draw weight. If your bow's draw weight produces more force than your arrow ar-row is designed to handle, your arrow ar-row will likely fly off target b. Broadhead sharpening be careful not to cut yourself while sharpening broadheads. Your broad-heads broad-heads should be razor sharp but don't hurt yourself in the process. c. Practice your shooting as much as possible. d. Obtain permission from private landowners, before hunting on their property. e. Obtain your Wildlife Habitat Authorization and the proj;er permit for the area you wish to hunt. Know the boundaries of the region you'll hunt in and where that region's limited lim-ited entry hunt areas are. 2) Before releasing your arrow, be sure of your target and what's beyond it 3) After the shot: a. Watch the animal and determine deter-mine the direction it took. Then go to the spot where you last saw the animal and find your arrow, to see if there's blood on it. If there is, and if you have a compass, take a reading of the direction the animal went. Then wait 30 minute's before tracking track-ing it. Hunters who track an animal too soon can spook it into running. Most deer show will be found dead by the hunter at a reasonable distance, dis-tance, if the hunter waits 30 minutes before beginning to track it. b. When tracking an animal, look for blood not only on the ground but the brush, too. If you begin to lose the trail tie a piece of biodegradable paper on the last spot you see and then search for the trail,' walking a circular pattern out from the paper. The paper will serve as a marker, letting you know where you started from. Also, tying paper at the locations of the last three or four spots you see, and then standing a distance away and looking at the paper trail, is a technique that will help you visualize vi-sualize the direction the animal last took. c. Once you've located your animal, ani-mal, make sure its dead. You can do this by determining if its eyes are open. If they're not, the animal probably isn't dead. If they are, touch one of the eyes with a long stick that will keep you out of harm's way. Once the animal is dead, field dress and cool the meat immediately. The warm weather that normally accompanies the archery hunt can cause meat to spoil quickly. Keep flies off, as well. Showauer J I Iftii fill Uf 1 1111 I mi 11mm F-150 F-250 Stock r TTmm Stock 99092 '?S35- " d,J&222 V f luiiiiinwifftftftirii "" XLT,V-8, Automatic, Silver List $26,970 NW$24,500 F450 Supercab XLT, 5.4L V-8, Automatic, Wedgewood Blue List $30,160 NW$22,745 333 W. Main Ask a Specialist What to looEi for in a bicycle helmet by Karen Biers Utah State University Extension Bicycle helmets have been shown to reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk of brain injury by 84 percent Although helmets reduce the risk of head injury, the majority of riders are still not wearing helmets or are not wearing them properly. Here are some things to look for: When purchasing a helmet, get a good fit. The helmet should be level lev-el on your head, not tilted back at an angle. It should touch all around your head but not obstruct your vision. vi-sion. It should be comfortably snug but not tight and should sit as low on the head as possible to maximize maxi-mize side coverage. Look for a rounded, smooth plastic outer shell. Vents provide cooling but excessive vents mean less foam is in contact with your head. In a crash this could concentrate concen-trate force on one point of your skull. Visors on helmets can snag or shatter in a fall. If you select a helmet hel-met with a visor, choose one on which the visor will break away in the event of a crash. The Vernal ft the latest Subscribe to the Express 789-3511 Stock Stock 99238 99080 mm ii m w a a m The length of the strap should be adjusted so that it is comfortably snug. If you can slide more than two fingers through the strap, it is too loose. If the strap cuts into your chin, it is too tight. When you have the straps adjusted, shake your head. Then put the palm of your hand under the front edge and try to move the helmet. Your helmet should not move more than about an inch in any direction and must not pull off. Helmets should always have at least one set of fitting foams pads for the inside to help keep the helmet hel-met correctly positioned. Adjust the side fit pads by using thinner or thicker pads where there is a space. The helmet should fit with pads touching all the way around, without with-out making it uncomfortably tight. For coolness, leave a few gaps in the fitting pads around the head. In summary, purchase a helmet that is snug, stable, sits level on your head and fits comfortably so you forget you are wearing it most of the time. For information on selected se-lected adult, youth and toddler helmet hel-met ratings check the June 1999 issue is-sue of Consumer Reports. Express serves up In tennis news! XLT, 5.4L V-8, Automatic, Toreador Red List $28,195 WW$25,600 Spruce Green, Loaded List $18,300 WTO16,400 After rebate with 4.9 APR 789-3818 I V1 poor |