Southeast RAC backs hunting-based fixes for Alton and accepts most deer permit changes after debate

The Southeast Regional Advisory Council approved changes aimed at allowing hunters to help manage deer populations inside and near the town of Alton and accepted most of the DWR's statewide deer-permit recommendations after extended public and RAC debate.

The council unanimously approved a motion to adopt the Alton-related rule amendment that would allow hunting as a population-management tool in and around the town, reversing a previous restriction that had prevented hunting inside a deteriorating deer-exclusion fence. Dax, a DWR presenter, told the RAC the fence has "gone into disrepair" and that partners "preferred hunters take those animals" rather than a division removal, adding the town and landowners are "committed to help" repair the fence.

Why it matters: Alton residents and landowners have complained of rising deer concentrations inside the fence and crop damage. The change gives wildlife managers another tool short of agency removal to reduce numbers while regional partners work on fence repairs.

On the broader permit-setting item under the new statewide deer plan, the council debated a DWR recommendation that included a large permit allocation for the newly defined Beaver West hunt unit. The DWR said it split the former Beaver unit using I-15 and then allocated permits by examining 10 years of classification data; biologists estimated permit numbers needed to reach the new buck-to-doe objectives. Dax said the recommendation was "one of those things that's adaptive management" and that biologists had "taken their best stab" at dividing permits for the new unit.

Opponents urged a more cautious approach. John Baer of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife asked for a softer increase for Beaver West, suggesting 500 permits rather than the division's 900. Members of the Southern RAC also recommended reducing the initial Beaver West allocation. One RAC member moved to set Beaver West at 600 permits; that motion failed 5-2. A subsequent motion to accept the division's recommendation as presented passed 6-1.

RAC discussion focused on three themes: (1) the need to follow the deer plan's adaptive process and the 20% automatic adjustment rule for many units; (2) data limitations because the unit had been split and long-term, finely scaled data were not yet available; and (3) social concerns about crowding and hunter experience in the first year of a new hunt type. Dax cautioned the biologists were "trying to manage to the objective" and acknowledged uncertainty about success rates for restricted-weapon hunts.

What happens next: The council's recommendation goes to the wildlife board; if adopted, DWR staff said they will monitor outcomes and refine permit numbers in subsequent years.

Selected quotes

"The division, the Alton CWMU, and the town was all interested in building this deer exclusion fence around the town. That got built. And over the years, the fence hasn't been perfect...we ended up with more and more deer inside that fence and in around the town," Dax said, explaining the reason for the Alton change.

"The biologist feels good about where the recommendation is...and, admittedly, it's an aggressive recommendation that he's trying to manage to the new objective," Dax said of Beaver West.

Ending: The RAC approved the Alton rule change unanimously and accepted the DWR's broader deer-permit recommendations after voting 6-1 on the contested Beaver West allocation; DWR and RAC members said they will watch harvest and classification data and adjust permits as part of the plan's adaptive process.