Rule change expands hunting opportunities in Utah State Parks
SALT LAKE CITY — In an effort to increase consistency and to allow for multiple land use, the Utah State Parks Board recently passed a new rule that allows for expanded hunting opportunities within state parks.
The new rule was approved on Nov. 1, 2019, during the quarterly board meeting, and goes into effect Monday, Feb. 24. The rule previously stated that all state parks were closed to hunting unless it was specifically designated that hunting was allowed. The new rule expands hunting opportunities by denoting that all parks are open to hunting unless specifically designated as being closed.
“Our parks are legislated to provide multiple uses on these public lands, and one of those uses includes hunting,” Utah State Parks Deputy Director Dave Harris said. “Many of our parks have been open to hunting since the agency was created in 1957. But when Echo became a state park last year, we realized that, despite hunting previously being allowed in that area, because of the restrictive way the rule was written, we couldn’t allow hunting there until the rule was changed.”
Previously, hunting was prohibited in 30 state parks and was limited to specific types of hunting in 13 other parks, with only one park open to all hunting. Under the new rule, hunting is prohibited in only 15 parks, with six parks limited to specific types of hunting. Now, 23 state parks are open to all hunting.
“For example, under our previous rule, East Canyon State Park was only open to hunting upland game, but now it is open to all hunting,” Harris said. “However, it should be noted that in parks that are open to hunting, all state and federal laws, DWR rules and local county and city ordinances regulating hunting, weapons and shooting apply within the park boundaries.”
Some bodies of water such as Utah Lake and the Great Salt Lake are open to hunting; however, the actual state park area is closed to hunting. The state park property boundaries can be found on the Utah Hunt Planner on the DWR website.
The 15 parks that do not allow hunting are:
Anasazi State Park Museum
Camp Floyd State Park Museum
Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum
Flight Park State Recreation Area
Frontier Homestead State Park Museum
Goosenecks State Park
Great Salt Lake State Park
Green River State Park and Golf Course
Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail State Park
Jordan River Off-Highway Vehicle State Park
Snow Canyon State Park
Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum
This is the Place Heritage Park
Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum
Utah Lake State Park
“Hunting is a great way for people to get outdoors and to obtain locally sourced meat, so we are excited about this rule change that allows for those expanded opportunities on public lands,” Justin Shannon, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wildlife section chief, said.
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Why the DWR captures deer, other big game animals with helicopters each winter
SALT LAKE CITY — If you live in Cache County, you might see a helicopter buzzing about the foothills for a day or two in early March. And, that might lead to a few questions: Why is the DWR using a helicopter in the area? Isn’t that stressful for deer and other wildlife? And why is it OK for the DWR to use a helicopter when they close wildlife management areas to the public during the winter?
The DWR captures around 1,000 big game animals each year to perform health assessments and to place GPS collars on the animals to learn more about their migration patterns. These studies help biologists determine overall winter survival rates and where to implement habitat projects to improve winter and summer feeding ranges for big game.
The animals are typically caught by a helicopter crew that uses a net gun, and then the animals are later safely released after the health testing. The captures typically take place in November and December (with a few happening in February and March) when the animals have migrated to lower elevations and are easier to locate. Another reason the captures take place during the winter is because big game animals have a hard time regulating their body temperature, and the cool weather helps them recover more quickly. The animals that are captured for these assessments include deer, elk, bison, bighorn sheep and pronghorn from around the state.
With the help of a helicopter capture company, DWR biologists plan to capture a total of 45 deer in Cache and Rich counties in March. Between five to 10 deer will be captured at five different sites. Most of the deer caught are does, and many of them already have GPS collars that were placed on them during a previous year’s capture.
“It’s interesting to follow an animal through its lifecycle — it teaches us a lot about their behavior and movements,” Jim Christensen, DWR regional wildlife manager, said.
Placing GPS collars on deer and then following the animals over time, provides biologists with valuable information, including how long deer live in Utah, the type of habitat they’re using during different times of the year and their migration patterns.
During the thorough health assessment, biologists will measure how much fat the animals have lost since they were last captured in December, and they will also place a vaginal implant in the does. When the doe gives birth in the spring, the implant will hit the ground first, directing biologists to the fawn.
Closing WMAs to public access
Winter and early spring are the toughest times of year for Utah’s big game animals, especially deer. To try to reduce stress on the animals, WMAs in northern Utah are closed to the public from Jan. 1 until the second Saturday in April. Many people aren’t aware how a quiet hike can cause deer problems.
“The challenge comes when deer are exposed to hiking and other disturbances day after day for months in a row,” Christensen said. “Having to constantly flee from people can wear deer down during a time of year when they need to conserve their energy and not burn the fat reserves they need to make it through winter.”
Fortunately, because of the WMA closures, deer are in much better shape than they would be otherwise. The closed WMAs give them a place to rest and conserve their energy. When the helicopter captures take place, the deer are better able to handle the brief stress it puts them under (the captures only take one to two days, and the helicopter is only in an area for a few hours.)
“Putting the animals under stress — for a very short period of time — doesn’t affect them much,” Christensen said. “In fact, some of the deer we’ll capture this March have been caught several times before. The fact that a deer can handle being captured several winters in a row shows the animals can handle short windows of stress. The relatively small risk to the deer is far outweighed by the data we gain.”
