# My Proposal



## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

I have forwarded the following proposal to the RAC Committees and to the Wildlife Board and I sincerely hope some of you will support this effort. It's not a heavy proposal, just one I think needs to be in place to offer muzzleloader hunters another opportunity to hunt big game in Utah. I can't make it to all the RAC meetings and so I ask you that do make it to your local RAC meetings to stand up and support my proposal. Thanks to you all!

I have left off my name and address from this copy, but it is contained on the one sent to the committee members.
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Subject: Muzzleloader Antelope Hunts

Currently Utah only allows the hunting of antelope using a muzzleloader rifle in the “Plateau” area of the state. The current allotment of tags (2012 numbers) is Archery 18 tags/ Muzzleloader 18 tags/ and Any Weapon 52 tags.

My proposal is to create statewide opportunities for muzzleloader enthusiasts to pursue Antelope Bucks. 

Utah has a large constituency of outdoor enthusiasts interested in muzzleloader hunting.

By the rules of the application guidebook, a person can apply for (one) either a LE Deer, LE Elk OR LE Antelope and then they can also apply for the General Deer, Elk and once in a lifetime tags.

From the Utah Divisions 2012 resident applications for big game report, 3,694 persons applied for Limited Entry Muzzleloader Deer tags and 6,636 applied for Limited Entry muzzleloader Elk Tags in the state. A grand total of 10,330 resident muzzleloader persons made those applications. Additionally, 14,791 muzzleloader enthusiasts applied for General Muzzleloader Deer tags in the state.

In 2011, our neighboring state of Wyoming had 28 of their units with muzzleloader opportunities and a total number of muzzleloader tags at 436. Of this number of tag holders 147 were from outside the state of Wyoming, 34% of the total! Were they from Utah? I do not know, but I’m certain some of them were. This shows there is a pretty good interest in pursuing antelope with a muzzleloader rifle.

Looking at the 2011 Utah big game odds report, there were 46 resident applicants who applied to get one of the 11 muzzleloader tags that were available in the Plateau unit. That is 4.18 times as many applicants as there were tags available. (With only this information available for my proposal I have to use this number).

In 2011 there were a total of 117 Resident LE Archery Antelope tags. Take that equivalent number of tags out of the Any Weapon pool and convert them to Muzzleloader tags and using the number above you will realize there will be 489 applicants (117 X 4.18) vying for those tags. At $10 p/application that will net the state an additional $4,890 in application fees alone. AND it is my opinion that the total number of Any Weapons applications will not be significantly reduced if reduced at all.

In 2011 the LE Pronghorn success percentages for Archery averaged 66%, Muzzleloaders (only one unit available) 44% and Any Weapon averaged 94.3 %. By taking 117 tags out of the Any Weapon pool and allowing muzzleloaders to pursue them one can expect 51 animals will be harvested by those muzzleloaders (117 X 44% = 51), where as leaving them in the Any Weapons pool would have netted a harvest of 110 animals (117 X 94.3% = 110) or a difference of 59 animals. 

If it is the desire of the Division to harvest more animals than the combined average of all weapon types of 68.1% under my proposal, the Division would have to increase the number of tags allotted. By increasing the total number of Antelope tags, you will increase the number of applicants and the net result will be more money coming to the Division via those increased applications. AND the harvest rate will be at or nearly the same as it is today.

The last item in this proposal would be to have the Muzzleloader Antelope hunt dates coincide with the existing Muzzleloader Deer hunt dates.

Thank you for reading and entertaining this proposal.
Sincerely,


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

FANTASTIC! Mind if I copy it and send it as well?


-DallanC


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Be my guest Dallan C.


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

Well done! I'll send it as well.


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Mr. Wapiti Dung and I attended the Northern RAC meeting last night. I was given 5 minutes to briefly explain my stand on this proposal. For me 5 minutes is not very long and I'm not a very strong public speaker. When done, the kind and gracious committee voted unanimously to ask the Wildlife Board to task the DWR to study the possibility of implementing this proposal.

Wapiti and I will be in attendance of the Central RAC tonight to do the same. I have been granted 5 minutes of their time as well!

I thank all of you who are supporting me in this. It is a "bucket list" thing for me to attempt to take a pronghorn with my muzz and I don't want to do it wearing blaze orange.


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

This post is looking like a Bears Butt only posting. But thanks to the Central RAC it looks like the proposal will be going forward and if the Wildlife Board agrees, the DWR will be tasked to look into whether or not it is feasible to do. Step one in a long process.
Thanks for your support everyone!


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## muzzlehunter (Nov 29, 2009)

Havent been on here for a few days. Great job Bears Butt, great idea! Look forward to hearing what happens with this.


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## muzzlehunter (Nov 29, 2009)

I also think if your proposal goes through that you should be the first to draw this tag.


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Well folks, it looks like the proposal has made it through the Wildlife Board and on to the DWR for evaluation. The Wildlife Board passed it on as an action item this morning. YAAAHOOOOO. Just maybe we will see it on the 2014 list of additional hunting opportunities for Utah.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the idea via writing, emailing, talking to and in general agreeing with it.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Great news! Well done!


-DallanC


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

Sweet! lets hope so, that would be great fun.


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## svmoose (Feb 28, 2008)

Great work BearsButt! Good to see something coming of the process. It sounds like a great proposal to me. Muzzleloader hunting is a blast!


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