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Show 'vm UINTAH BASIN STANDARD. Mav 5. 1$98 12 - More mature bucks will likely be seen by hunters after plans are approved main reasons the states deer are not reaching their population management objectives. The states elk herds are much closer to reaching population management objectives, with Utahs preliminaiy 1997 - 98 winter elk population estimated at 59,810 elk, only 5,639 animals short ofthe winter population objective of 65,449 elk called for in the plans approved by the board. Preliminary 1997 - 98 winter populations on each of the states 30 management units varied, with some units over objective, some under and the remainder reaching Huntcrs will likely see more of the mature buck deer they've asked for. after strategies are implemented to reach objectives called for in Deer and Elk Management Plans unproved April 23 by the Utah Wild-lifi Hoard. T reach management objectives cnlled for in the plans likely will jiiirc- some deer hunting changes, beginning with the 1999 season. Part oftheelk management plans approved by the board include sta- in li.nig wintering elk numbers on the Little Creek and Bitter Creek subunits of the Book Cliffs unit, while various studies are conducted m the area during the next two objective. The plans approved by the board also call for 8 bulls per 100 cows observed after the hunting season, tears. The deer management plans approved by the board have the same Inii k ! due ratios, and the percentaor better, as ge- f bucks plans approved in 1996. The jilans call for a minimum post hunting season buckdoe ratio of I r, bucks per 100 does with 30 percent of those bucks being or on most of the state's 30 wildlife management units. Mature deer have resulted from the plans, with the objective of at al - r percent of the buck deer or better being exceeded on almost every unit. But. while many units are close to reaching their 15 bucks per 100 loes objective, few are attaining it. "T o reach that goal, we'll have to lurtlier restrict the harvest of buck ilci'." said Mike Welch, big game cm rd i nut or for the Division ofWild-lil'- e llesnurces. Ways to attain this will be at public meetings beginning this September, but could include reducing the regional hunter i up. moving season dates, allowing pmuii ivc weapons-onl- y hunting on some units, or limited hunting, Welch said. Tin- deer plans also call for a st.rowidc wintering population of IS. 700 deer. Utah's preliminary 1997 - 98 statewide winter popula-Ho- i. is estimated at 285,650 deer, more than 130,000 short of objec- This winter, biologists from the Division of Wildlife Resources have been attempting to save two herds of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. The two herds, located in the northeastern comer of the state, are suffering from a parasite disease complex. We are putting out medicated feed in an attempt to save the herd, said Charlie Greenwood, biologist with the Divisions Northeastern Region. Over the last couple of years, almost our entire year's pro-- , duction of lambs has died. Specimens collected and sent to a lab clearly indicated the die-owas the result of the pneumonia JO ff lungworm complex. lung-worm- - tive. Weleh said weather and changI ing luluiat conditions brought about by natural plant succession (shrub habitats converting to grass habitats'. development and lire, are the CROSSING THE LINE-- A Con Amore student putting all hes got into a race crosses the finish line at the Special Olympics last week. "Then, since bighorn sheep are quite social, those with antibodies will pass on their immunities to the rest of the herd, Greenwood said. Reducing the numbers of lung-worin adult ewes is essential to lamb survival. "If we can reduce the load of lungworma the pregnant mothers The apple-mas- h is like candy to carry, maybe they won't pass it on, the bighorn sheep, so they come or at least pass on fewer lungworms, down from the cliffs to feed on it, to their lambs, Greenwood said. Greenwood said. We hope the bigLungworm is common in bighorns horns will eat enough of the mediand the adults can survive with cine to red uce or eliminate the lung-wor- them. So, the critical time is their first year. If the lambs dont have to present in the ewes. The second step is catching and fight such heavy loads oflungworms, vaccinating some of the bighorn then they won't be as susceptible to the pneumonia and may survive. sheep. We are working with Colorado The public can help by reporting to vaccinate bighorns from our herds the bighorn sheep they see. with an experimental drug, GreenThe Sheep Creek and Hoop Lake wood said. We hope that the drug herds are generally quite visible to will encourage the buildup of anti- the public, Greenwood said. "The bodies to the Pasteurella bacteria Sheep Creek Geological Loop is an in the sheep we iqject. Pasteurella excellent matchable wildlife locais the cause of the pneumonia. tion, because the Sheep Creek herd about 60 individuals, tlien leveled off and began to decrease. Our Sheep Creek population has dropped to 30 animals because we cannot recruit the new lambs into the population, Greenwood said. The same thing is happening to the Hoop Lake herd, so we believe they have the same problem. Now that biologists know what is killing the lambs, they are trying to do something about it. The first step is to feed the bighorns an antibiotic, by mixing a medicated block into apple-masis then set out at The apple-mas- h several feeding stations along the Sheep Creek corridor, and near Hoop Lake. h. remains in the Sheep Creek Can- yon area most of the year. Visitors driving the Geological Loop, just south of Manila, have a reasonable chance to see them. If you see a bighorn that looks sick, please give our office a call and let us know where it is. Greenwood said another way visitors can help is by recognizing that considerable bighorn sheep habitat enhancement work is being done. "Bighorn sheep like open, grassy areas among the rocky cliffs, to see their predators approach while they forage, Greenwood said. We (cooperative projects with the USDA Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management) have been improving the quality and amount of habitat along the Green River corridor by opening up some of the heavy stands of pinion and juniper and encouraging grasses and other quality forage to grow. We are actually restoring this area as most ofthese stands are relatively new. What happens is, the which can be acquired from the mother before the lamb is bora, build up and weaken the lambs, Greenwood said. "This allows a secondary disease, pneumonia, to set unit-by-un- it 1 The Little Creek and Bitter Creek subunits are located in the northern portion of the Book Cliffs unit. Studies to be conducted include, but are not limited to, telemetry, range productivity and issues con- cerning water distribution, Welch said. "The Division expects to conduct . these studies in coordination, and with the cooperation, of interested stakeholders, including ranchers and the Ute Indian tribe, Welch said. The feasibility of encouraging elk to winter on the South Slope of the Book Cliffs, and summer on the Little Creek and western portion of the Bitter Creek subunits, through hunting and or relocating elk, also will be investigated, Welch said. Hunting strategies to help buck deer and bull elk remain at, or attain management objectives, will be discussed at a series of public Regional Advisory Council meetings this fall. Wildlife biologists attempting to save two herds of bighorn sheep - least being east-centr- objectives relative to t m.uuigi-nien- with half of those bulls being 2 12 years old, or older. Winter bull cow ratios over the past two winters were excellent on every unit with a management plan. While no range problems relating to overutilization by elk in the Book Cliffs area of Utah have been documented, the board approved a Division proposal to stabilize elk herds on the little Creek and Bitter Creek subunits at their present winter levels, while studies to determine effects are conducted during the next two years. In seeking to balance relevant multiple uses as required by law, the Division believes it would be appropriate te temporarily stabilize elk numbers in the areas where concerns have been expressed," Welch said. s, in. "Its the pneumonia that actually kills the lambs, beginningin about August, Greenwood said. Hie two herds affected, the Sheep Creek and Hoop Lake herds, were reintroduced in 1989. Over the next fewyears, the herds expanded. The Sheep Creek herd grew to Six arrested on drug charges in two separate incidents Six Uintah Basin residents, including one juvenile were arrested ini charges by Uintah County Sheriffs deputies stopped to assist one vehicle and received a suspicious report on another. Uintah County Cpl. Anthoney Byron say a car stopped on the side of the I .a point Highway on April 22 and stopped to see if the occupants needed help when he smelled the odor of alcohol. The occupants agreed io let Bvron search the vehidrug-relate- d cle. During the search, the deputy discovered two open containers of lui-and detected the odor of marijuana. The driver and passenger r denied having marijuana in the vehicle and again consented to a search. This time Byron found afull marijuana pipe under the driver's seat. A baggie of mari.iuana was also found in the cur's console. Charles B. Foster 38, Fort Dueiiosnc, and Kennion L. Powell, 31, Roosevelt were charged with possession of marijuana and pos- session of drug paraphernalia and booked into the Uintah County jail. In an unrelated incident the following day, Byron was dispatched to Fort Duchesne to assist BIA law enforcement officers at the Gotta Stop store with suspects who had been stopped for an alleged wildlife violation. One of the occupants of the car had also been observed smoking marijuana, according to Byrons report. Further investigation resulted in the arrest ofKelly T. Passmore, 31, Roosevelt; Christopher T. Beath, 20, Roosevelt; and Kayle D. Sixkiller, 21, Roosevelt. Beath and Passmore were charged with possession of marijuana. Sixkiller was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug parapher- -' nalia and evidence tampering. A old juvenile was taken to the Youth Detention Center in Vernal. 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