There is no question that it takes some conscientious and time consuming research to accurately gauge a given states Puma population.............Utah, like so many of our western states where the "Ghost Cat" still resides pretty much goes with a blindfold approach that in a phrase can best be described as "Pin the Tail on the Donkey"--- Blindfold yourself and then awkwardly attempt to come up with a number that sounds good................The latest information that we could find coming out of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources 2006-07 Mountain Lion Status Report(google it as their link is broken and I could not provide here) explains that the state "believes" that some 3000 Pumas(plus or minus 500) roams the 97,000 square kilometers that biologists t feel are Utah viable habitat(a scant 1 puma for every 3200 sq. km of viable habitat).................The Biologists in this state arbitrarily assigned a Puma density matrix of high, medium and low based on vegetative characteristics, terrain ruggedness and prey density...........Then, using California(only state where Pumas are not hunted) and New Mexico(hunted population) reported Pumas density figures per sq km, postulating their "estimated 3000 "Utah Cats"............They never were out in the field doing "hair rub" population analysis or some other more Utah specific count,,,,,,,,, Rather, the Utah Wildlife folks go on to say that management of Pumas is based around how many Mule Deer and other "big game"(e.g. what hunters want to shoot) exist.............This is the typical state management approach to carnivores that exists in the USA(and Canadian Provinces)..............Never do you read about what is best for the Puma, Wolf, Bear, Coyote, et al..................Never do you read about keeping habitat in prime condition which would cause the states to reverse their priorities and let carnivores numbers exist(unhunted) based on minimizing deer,elk and moose so that our woodlands and prairies would be biodiverse optimum.....................Further, note that in Utah, some 500 Pumas have been killed annually over the the past 10 years(some 17 to 25% of the estimated population-----do we really believe their pop. #???)------- with Mule Deer standing at some 333,000 strong...............At best 3000 Pumas and 333,000 Deer,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and no Wolves!!!!.................The high desert and riparian Utah habitat cannot be in good shape!...............Human hunters only kill some 25 to 28,000 Mule deer annually in Utah(a scant 8% of the herd)..................How do Utah biologists look in the mirror each morn and say I am a proud "LEOPOLDIAN" naturalist-----WAKE UP CALL TO ALL READERS,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,THEY DO NOT SEE A LEOPOLD REFLECTION STARING AT THEM IN THE MIRROR,,,,,,,,,,,THEY SEE DEER TAG $$ AND THAT IS ALL THEY CARE ABOUT---NEEDS TO CHANGE,,,,,,,PRONTO!

	Deer population increase likely to yield  more hunting permits Source: sltrib.com  CLICK ON ABOVE  SENTENCE TO GO TO FULL  ARTICLE
Deer population increase likely  to yield more hunting permits DWR biologists are proposing an extra 200 general-season  mule-deer permits. By Brett Prettyman | The Salt Lake Tribune First Published Apr 02 2014 12:21 pm • Updated 5 hours ago There are more deer in Utah than there have been since 2000 and state  biologists are proposing more hunting permits as a result. Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) officials say surveys after the  2013 hunts estimate  a population of 332,900 mule deer. The deer population hasn’t been this high since  322,000  deer were estimated at the turn of the century. DWR Big Game Coordinator Justin Shannon said mild winters have helped deer herds in recent years, but better habitat and other efforts like highway fencing, wildlife underpasses and predator control have also played a role in the rebound. Biologists set a population goal  of 350,000 in  the Utah Deer Management Plan and are now just 17,000 animals from achieving the tally. "We are really excited," Shannon said in a news  release. "But we still have  work to do to reach our goal. We’ll keep moving forward." Another important factor in the population increase is the success of does raising fawns.  Fawn-to-doe ratios after the 2012 and 2013 seasons were 65-per -100 and 62-per-100, respectively. Fawn survival studies are also showing an increase  in the number of fawns  surviving their first year. The first two years of a study showed just more than 50 percent of fawns  survived to become yearlings. The number has grown to almost  80 percent the last two years. More than 25,000 of the 84,600 general season deer hunters in 2013  returned home with meat for the freezer. Success hasn’t been  that high  since 2007 when 97,000 hunters managed to kill 28,000 bucks. Biologists will present their suggested permit numbers for the  2014 big game hunts at a series of Regional Advisory Council meetings  being held  around the state between April 8-16 before the Utah Wildlife  Board will review the proposals on May 1 in Salt Lake City. Among the proposals: • An increase of 200 on general-season mule-deer permits. • An increase in antlerless deer permits from 305 to 410. Antlerless deer permits are designed to address depredation on private lands. The only exception is on the Panguitch Lake Unit, where  biologists are  recommending 150 antlerless permits to deal with habita t damage on rangeland. • No public anterless moose permits, because moose populations across the state are either stable or slightly declining. • Reducing buck pronghorn permits by 67 for a total of 774 in 2014. • Increasing bison permits on the Book Cliffs from six  to 10, but decreasing  hunting opportunities for bison on the Henry Mountains  from 98 to 74. • No change in any bull or spike elk permits. • A decrease of mountain-goat permits from 162 to 108. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------