He is covering his 37th deer opener this year. That means Utah's deer numbers are probably as high now as they ever will be again, unless people start to move off existing winter range. And the limit, after all, is still just one. With all this going for this season's opener, the weather is cooperating, too. If the forecaster's predictions of a snowy, protracted winter come true, there will be far fewer deer on next year's hunt, due to winter range development statewide.
Weather is the variable most drastically affecting deer openers.
Cold weather means good tracking snow and often more deer activity, as they feed heavily preparing for a bad winter. More leaves are off the trees, increasing visibility, and the ground is damp, giving hunters a huge edge over those satellite-dish ears mule deer possess. But oddly enough, hunter success varies little year to year, despite the weather. That is because hunters' work ethic is much higher in sunny, warm weather, Pederson said. In cold weather, hunters stay in campers and around the fire and only go out for a few hours.