Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildlife Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Beaver City Council hears Division of Wildlife options for urban deer; asks staff to request a 2026 public archery hunt
Summary
At the April 28 meeting the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources presented GPS tracking data and control options for resident and migratory deer in Beaver. Council asked staff to draft a letter requesting a public archery hunt for the city boundaries in 2026 and to consult the county commission about expanding boundaries.
Mike Doyle of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources told the Beaver City Council on April 28 that the agency is tracking both migratory deer that move up to nearby mountains and resident deer that remain in town year-round.
Doyle, identified himself as a local DWR biologist: “My name is Mike. I'm with the Division of Wildlife Resources.” He showed GPS collar data collected since 2019 and summarized how migratory animals use agricultural fields and mountain habitat, while resident animals in town have more stable access to food and are less exposed to the natural limiting factors that reduce mountain populations.
The distinction matters, Doyle said, because the management tools differ: deer that migrate are treated differently than local, non-migratory animals. He reviewed several control options the Division has used elsewhere, including DWR removal, targeted trapping and euthanasia for specific landowners, city-run removal programs, and a public archery hunt pilot the Division has used in Fillmore and Parowan: “An option that has worked well, it's fairly new, is a public archery [hunt]. We've done this now in Fillmore and Parowan for 3 years, and we actually have pretty good success,” Doyle said.
DWR staff described how a locally administered public-archery program would work: DWR would accept applications, issue a limited number of permits, and require written landowner permission for any hunt on private property. Doyle said the earliest feasible implementation would be 2026 to accommodate DWR public-input processes and permit cycles.
Council members discussed tradeoffs. Several raised safety, liability and trespass concerns for hunts inside or near residential neighborhoods and for adjacent subdivisions (The Grove). Others supported using permits to prioritize local youth and building mentorship into the program. Allison (council/staff) and other council members asked whether vouchers or city-distributed permits could keep the program local; Doyle said that concept has been discussed internally: the Division could issue vouchers to a city that then distributes them locally, but that approach would shift logistical burden to the city and could require additional approvals.
On next steps the council reached a consensus-level direction: staff will draft a letter stating that the council would like DWR to consider a public archery hunt limited to Beaver City boundaries for 2026. Council also agreed to consult the Beaver County Commission about whether and how to include nearby areas beyond city limits.
Doyle emphasized practical limits and legal requirements, including a legislative change several years ago requiring written permission from each property owner when DWR conducts removals on private land; that requirement has made nighttime removal operations more difficult for the Division in small cities.
The discussion combined DWR technical information, local concerns about safety and access, and a council direction to pursue a formal request to the Division and coordination with county officials.
