Northeastern RAC approves 2025 deer-permit plan, halves proposed Beaver West increase

The Northeastern Regional Advisory Council voted to approve the Division of Wildlife Resources’ deer-permit recommendations for 2025, with one change: the council reduced the proposed increase for the Beaver West unit from 900 permits to 450.

The motion to approve the package with that exception passed 7-1 after extended discussion about buck-to-doe objectives, chronic wasting disease (CWD) risk and hunter opportunity. Richie Anderson moved to approve the plan as presented but halve the Beaver West increase; the motion was seconded and carried by a 7-1 vote.

The recommendations implement the first set of permit changes under the new statewide deer-management plan adopted last fall. Division staff told the RAC they will automatically implement permit adjustments that fall within 20% of last year’s permit numbers and bring changes larger than that through public process. The new plan aims to manage buck-to-doe ratios in some units to address productivity and CWD risk, and issues about 20% of premium limited-entry permits as “management buck” permits intended to increase harvest on younger males while preserving some older-buck opportunity.

RAC members and public commenters pressed several points: some speakers urged caution, saying the region is still below population objectives in several herds and large permit increases could be premature; others, including representatives of sportsmen’s groups, asked the DWR to proceed but monitor outcomes closely. Multiple public electronic comments and in-person speakers opposed increases on specific units, citing crowding and hunter success concerns.

Biologists explained technical drivers behind particular recommendations: drought and past winter mortality depressed cohorts on some limited-entry units (for example, the Diamond–Vernal complex), leading to permit reductions; conversely, improved conditions and modeled population responses supported increases on some southern units. The DWR also described changes in how it will calculate and implement “dedicated hunter” allocations and how rotating or rolling percentages might simplify administering those dedicated permits.

On the Beaver split in southern Utah, the RAC majority supported a more cautious approach than the division’s full recommendation. Several RAC members said a phased increase (450 additional permits) would let managers and the public assess effects before larger increases.

Clarifying details: the statewide plan sets management objectives (for example, premium limited-entry units aim for roughly 40–45 bucks per 100 does); the DWR will issue about 20% of premium-unit permits as management-buck permits; automatic implementation is triggered for permit changes within 20% of prior-year numbers (the deer committee had proposed 30% but the board set 20%).

The RAC asked the DWR for ongoing data reporting — harvest composition, number of days hunted, and unit-by-unit pregnancy and body-condition measures — and asked that the division revisit units if outcomes diverge from model projections. The council also asked the DWR to keep working with landowners and to provide more outreach on how permit and season changes interact with local access and private-land issues.

The council’s decision now goes to the wildlife board as part of the public record and will be considered with input from other regional councils.