Wildlife Board approves deer permit recommendations for 2025 including Thousand Lakes adjustments

The DWR RAC Meeting for the Central Region held on April 10, 2025, focused on key discussions regarding deer permit recommendations and management strategies for restricted archery units. The meeting highlighted the need for consistency in weapon splits across limited entry units, particularly concerning the Thousand Lakes area, which has historically shown low archery success rates.

During the meeting, members debated whether to maintain the current percentages for limited entry units or to adjust them for the restricted archery unit. The discussion revealed that the Thousand Lakes unit had an archery success rate of less than 10% in recent years, significantly lower than the statewide average of 30-40% for other weapon types. This prompted questions about the effectiveness of the current management strategy.

A motion was proposed to accept the deer permit recommendations while reverting the weapon splits for the Thousand Lakes unit to align with other limited entry units. However, this motion failed with a vote of 4 to 6. Subsequently, a new motion was introduced to accept the deer permit recommendations for 2025 as presented by the Division of Wildlife, which passed unanimously.

The meeting also welcomed representatives from the Goshu tribe and the wildlife board, indicating a collaborative approach to wildlife management in the region. The discussions underscored the ongoing challenges in deer management and the importance of data-driven decisions to enhance hunting success rates in Utah.