"We're up about 4,000 to 5,000 deer over last year so depending on the area they hunt, archery hunters could find a few more deer," says Steve Cranney, big game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

The state's total deer population numbers about 320,000 animals. Cranney says the largest populations are found in higher elevation areas, with the Manti and Wasatch Mountains units in central Utah, and the South Slope unit in northeastern Utah, among the state's best.

Many of the deer herds on lower, drier units haven't reached buck-to-doe ratio and total population objectives called for in Utah's deer management plans.

Cranney says the dry weather will be a factor in this year's hunt. "People who like to hunt from tree stands that are close to water will probably have the most success as the deer will really be focused on these water sources," he said. "Hunters who like to stalk animals will probably have a harder time. The dry vegetation will make it hard to walk without making noise.

"Hunters who like to stalk animals should try and hunt in high elevation areas," Cranney said. "Also, some rain before the hunt would really help as it would moisten the vegetation in lower elevation areas and make it easier to walk quietly."

As of July 31, permits for the archery hunt were still available from Division of Wildlife Resources offices and the Division's Internet Web site (www.nr.state.ut.us/dwr/dwr.htm).

General archery buck deer permits are statewide permits this year. They allow hunters to hunt any open hunting unit in the state except limited entry units, which may be hunted only by those who drew a limited entry permit earlier this year.

Cranney says the statewide opportunity makes this season a great time for first-time archery hunters to pick up the sport. "The statewide permit gives hunters a chance to try different areas of the state, which is great for learning different areas and finding a place you like," he said.

"If you've hunted archery for a few years, though, I would advise you to stay in an area you're familiar with," Cranney said. "The more you know about an area the better your success will be, no matter how the deer populations in it are doing.

"This is especially important for a guy with a bow," Cranney said. "In archery hunting, the best success comes to hunters who know the habits of animals in the area they're hunting, and where the water sources are."

Cranney reminds hunters to be careful with fire this season and to learn of possible fire restrictions by checking with the agency that manages the area they plan on hunting.

The following is a look at archery deer hunting prospects in each of the Division of Wildlife Resources' five regions:

NORTHERN REGION

Archery hunters hunting in the Northern Region can expect a hunt similar to last year's, with dry conditions and the overall number of deer about the same as last year.

To give themselves the best chance of finding deer, Northern Region wildlife manager Lou Cornicelli encourages archery hunters to look for water sources, trails and bedding areas.

Most of the Northern Region's units are on private property but the region does have two large public lands units, the Box Elder and the Cache. Cornicelli provides the following information about deer herds on those units:

Box Elder
Deer populations will be slightly lower this year. The unit has experienced an extended drought, which has led to low fawn recruitment and overwinter survival. The Box Elder unit typically sees relatively few archers, so the hunt may not be much different this season than last.

Cache
The Cache deer population has benefitted from successive high fawn crops and low overwinter mortality, and the population has been steadily increasing throughout the unit. As with all units in the Northern Region, the Cache is hunter's choice during the archery hunt, which means a hunter may harvest either a buck or a doe.

"Drought conditions do exist, so watch your fires and be cautious of where you drive your ATVs and other vehicles," Cornicelli said.

The Northern Region has a lot of private property and many Cooperative Wildlife Management Units. Cornicelli reminds hunters to respect these areas and to obtain written permission from landowners before going onto their property.

For more information, call the Northern Region office at (801) 476-2740.

CENTRAL REGION

Deer populations in the Central Region have increased after several mild winters and archery hunters should find good numbers of bucks awaiting them.

"Hunters should expect another good hunt throughout most of the region, and might see a few more older class deer, as well," says Scott Root, Central Region conservation outreach manager. "Most Central Region deer units now meet or exceed the buck-to-doe ratio objective of 15 bucks per 100 does."

Because of drought conditions throughout Utah, Root says archery hunters should locate water sources that are being used by deer. "Several periodic storms have come through the Central Region mountain ranges, providing moisture in many watering holes long enough to keep deer healthy," he said. "Deer will usually not be too far from a good water source, especially during the summer heat that's usually experienced during the archery hunt."

Cental Region law enforcement personnel remind hunters to know their hunting proclamation well. "Many citations are written each hunting season for violations concerning trespass laws, untagged deer, carrying a bow while under the influence of a controlled substance, hunting after legal hours, hunting in the wrong unit and many other violations that could be avoided," Root said.

Archery hunters are also reminded that they may not take all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) into unauthorized areas. "Please contact the appropriate public agency for more information regarding proper ATV use in your hunting area," Root said.

"The U.S. Forest Service also has fire restrictions that hunters need to be aware of," he said. "Please contact the nearest Forest Service office for more information."

For more information, call the Central Region office at (801) 491-5678.

NORTHEASTERN REGION

Hunters heading to the Northeastern Region should find good numbers of bucks again this year.

"I've seen quite a few bucks this year, including several nice, big bucks," says Boyd Blackwell, Northeastern Region wildlife manager.

Blackwell's observations fit well with the post hunting season data collected by Division biologists in the region over the last few years.

"The data shows herd numbers on all of our units are at or near the herd unit objectives. It also shows the number of larger bucks has been increasing in the post-season counts over the last three or four years," Blackwell said. "Since last year's post-season counts were high, I'd expect those larger bucks to show up in this year's harvest.

"We had a light winter, not much snow and no extremely low temperatures, so there was almost no winter kill in this region," Blackwell said. "It's a bit dry now but spring rains kept the mountain vegetation green during the main growing season, so we didn't get the severe drought conditions that some predicted.

"End result is, the deer herds wintered well and were able to put on some weight and antler growth."

Because of the drier conditions, Blackwell says archery hunters might want to look for deer in the higher elevations.

"The biologists are reporting that deer are scattered throughout all elevations, but they seem to be finding more deer in the higher regions," Blackwell said. "The deer are seeking out the areas with the best habitat — greener, bushy vegetation and good water sources."

For more information, call the Northeastern Region office at (435) 789-3103.

SOUTHEASTERN REGION

"Hunting in the Southeastern Region is expected to be slightly better than last year, although conditions are going to be tough," says Bill Bates, Southeastern Region wildlife manager. "Drought conditions continue to impact fawn recruitment and survival."

To find success, Bates says hunters need to do some preseason scouting and be prepared for some hard hunting.

"The drought may prove beneficial to archery and muzzleloader hunters, since deer are expected to be concentrated around water," Bates said. "However, dry conditions will make stalking and tracking difficult."

Bates provides the following unit-by-unit deer hunting forecast for the region:

Manti
The buck:doe ratio has been improving over the past three years. Fawn production has also improved slightly. The deer population is now 75 percent of the herd unit objective.

Range Creek
The herd is stable at 50 percent of the unit objective. The buck:doe ratio has improved, but the overall population remains low.

LaSal Mountains
Shortening the general rifle hunt to 5 days last season has helped the herd improve slightly, but the deer population is only at 43 percent of the unit objective and it has a lot of room to grow. Fawn production this year was poor and may not be enough to maintain the herd at its present size. The buck-to-doe ratio is 9 bucks per 100 does and needs to improve.

Abajo Mountains
The shortened 5-day rifle season has helped. This unit is now at its buck:doe objective of 15 bucks per 100 does. The deer population is improving slightly. The unit is at 54 percent of its population objective. Slightly better hunting is anticipated this year than last.

San Rafael
Deer hunting on this unit is done primarily on private, agricultural land. Hunters who obtain written permission from landowners can expect a good hunt. Public land hunters face difficult conditions. A small population exists on and around Cedar Mountain, but finding and harvesting a buck can present a challenge.

Bates also provides some information about the region's three limited entry deer units. General season archery hunters are reminded that they may not hunt these units. They are open only to hunters who drew a limited entry permit earlier this year:

South Book Cliffs
This limited entry unit has been adversely impacted by years of drought. Fawn production is down to 16 fawns per 100 adults, which portends a downward population trend. Limited entry permit holders will find bucks, but they will probably have to work hard for them.

Henry Mountains
This is a limited entry unit with only 30 permits available. The buck:doe ratio is excellent at 43 bucks per 100 does. The herd is growing slowly, however, and is only at 29 percent of its objective. Hunters will probably have to search hard for a nice buck.

SanJuan/Elk Ridge
Good hunting is expected for those who drew a limited entry permit. Numbers of permits have been cut in recent years to provide bigger bucks for permit holders.

For more information, call the Southeastern Region office at (435) 636-0260.

SOUTHERN REGION

Despite the loss of some deer fawns this past winter, archery hunters heading to the Southern Region should be in for a good hunt.

"This past winter was very difficult for mule deer fawns," said Jeff Grandison, Southern Region wildlife manager. "Dry conditions last fall lead to poor fat stores for all deer heading into the winter months."

Normal to above normal snowfall in many parts of the region made finding food a challenge for all wildlife. "None were affected more dramatically than mule deer fawns," Grandison said. "Many simply did not make it through. As a result, many of the smaller bucks (spikes and two points) will be missing from the herds this season."

Boulder Mountain was one of the few areas in Utah that had abundant snowfall last winter. "The fawn loss was particularly great there," Grandison said. "Last fall, there were 70 fawns per 100 does in the Boulder Mountain area. This spring, there were only 47 fawns per 100 does there.

"Other units were affected, as well. The Monroe, Mount Dutton, Fishlake, Panguitch Lake, Zion and Pine Valley units experienced winter fawn losses ranging from 25 to 35 percent."

Despite losing some fawns over the winter, there's still plenty of good news for those heading to the Southern Region to hunt.

"Last year, Southern Region buck deer archery hunters experienced a 33 percent success rate, which is very high," Grandison said. "We expect this year to be lower than that, but still higher than in years past.

"We also have a few units that have a high population of mature bucks," Grandison continued. "We are seeing larger bucks on the Beaver, Pine Valley, Fishlake and Boulder units than we have in years past.

"All-in-all, it should be a good hunt, with success in the moderately high range and more mature bucks showing up than past years."

For more information, call the Southern Region office at (435) 865-6100.