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Show True to form, Garfield County received its first snows this past weekend with approximately three inches ac- Deer Hunt Looks Favorable in South Utah "Finally, most deer herds in southern Utah seem to be increasing in numbers," says Division of Wildlife Resources Conservation Officer Norman McKee. "The past two years of good moisture conditions have contributed to a turnaround in fawn production from the drought years of 1978 and 1979. In some units the deer numbers have almost doubled since 1978. Of course, in some other areas the increase has been somewhat less." "In general terms," said McKee, "hunters will find mostly young bucks. Yearlings and fawns are the predominant age classes in deer population. In addition, last year's large fawn crop will show up heavily in the buck harvest as spikes and two-points. The recent storms have also cumulation on Sunday. Monday morning travelers were treated to spectacular scenery such as shown above. started deer moving down from the higher elevations. Hunters should look for most deer in the intermediate ranges." McKee predicts the following hunt expectations in the mnost popular nearby area: On South Boulder Unit (51B), hunting will be somewhat slow with the number of hunters expected to still be low compared to past years. The hunter success is expected to be lower than on most other units this season. The fawn crop looks better and there is optimism for a larger deer herd on the unit in the next two or three years. The best hunting in the South Boulder unit will be on the east end of the Boulder Mountains. On the Antimony Unit (50), deer numbers have made a good increase since 1978. High fawn production in 1980 will be reflected in a lot of young bucks taken this year. The best hunting will be in the Jones Corral area west of Antimony where there will also be the heaviest concentration of hunters. The buck harvest this year should be the highest since 1976. On the Parowan Unit (57), the deer harvest is expected to be about the same as last year or slightly higher. Deer numbers are beginning to increase. However, it is expected that the number of hunters will likely increase proportionately. Continued development on both summer and winter ranges will restrict the area from any significant increase in numbers. Best hunting is usually on the west side of the unit in the Yankee Meadow and Paragonah Reservoir areas. Bear Valley and Little Valley are other popular hunting spots. The Payunsaugunt Unit (60A) remains closed to deer hunting this year. The deer population is showing signs of increasing due to good production in 1980. Good weather conditions will continue to help the deer herd on the unit to increase. McKee reminds hunters that most areas in Garfield County are seven-day buck-only units. Hunters wishing to hunt the remaining four days on 11-day units should check the Big Game Proclamation for exact unit boundaries. Also he cautions hunters that all buck deer must have evidence of sex attached to the carcass until transported to home or a commercial processor. |