As you know, the Wasatch extended boundary has been extended this year to run along the Wasatch-Summit county line to US-40 including Deer Valley, Park City and Parley's Summit. I'm thinking this deal will last about as long as a bottle of 25 year old single malt scotch - about one year.
I'm not being pessimistic. But I've spent the past week surveying the new addition for BOU and the opportunity for abuse is everywhere, not to mention the opportunity for conflicts with the general public.
The stereotype is that the area is inhabited by rabid, granola-eating, yuppie environmentalists. I'm sure there are a few of those, but the reality is that there are all sorts of folks living there, including some bowhunters. And how I envy a few of those bowhunters! How would it be to literally walk out your back door into your own prime habitat exclusive hunting preserve? Sometimes I wish I'd been born rich instead of so damn handsome, eh?
Not everybody up there has such a sweet deal, by any means. But I also saw two new trailhead parking areas clearly posted for (HOA) residents only.
The problem, however, is that urban sprawl has taken over most of the area. So the situation is that in that prime winter habitat, there are homes scattered everywhere and some of them aren't exactly visible until you're almost in their yard. So to hunt the area really requires some prior homework and to hunt without causing problems requires not only an awareness of where you're at in that heavily regulated patchwork of USFS, state, county, city and private lands, but also some restraint and some heightened sensitivity to the general public.
I'm not suggesting that bowhunters aren't willing or able to take the responsibility to meet those requirements. But it only takes one ugly incident to make the news and then what happens?
My fingers are crossed and I'm hoping for the best because I really like the possibilities that the new extension offers me and my late season elk hunting. We'll see.
