DWR completes 115 habitat projects to benefit deer in Utah, releases new online deer resource August 20, 2025 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources - Utah.gov
... In fiscal year 2024, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources completed 115 habitat projects to help mule deer populations in Utah. The DWR also released a new online dashboard to provide additional resources and information about deer. Over the past few decades, Utah has seen periods of growth and decline in deer numbers. The 2024 post-hunting season population estimate was approximately 295,200 deer — 73% of the long-term ...
What to know for the 2025 Hunting season August 15, 2025 Utah, ABC4 Utah
... The DWR noted that for those hunting deer, they may see fewer deer than long-term averages in Cache, Weber, Summit and Morgan counties due to 2022-2023 winter conditions. In Southern Utah, though, deer populations will likely remain unimpacted..,
Utah DWR Seeks Community Feedback on Updates to Wildlife Management August 8, 2025 Hoodline
...Adjustments to the deer unit plans are also on the docket, spearheaded by the desire to enhance the mule deer population in several southeastern Utah hunting units...
Want to Help Increase Utah's Deer Population? Bring Your Ideas to Upcoming DWR Meetings July 18, 2025 Outdoor Wire
... The 2024 post-hunting season population estimate was approximately 295,200 deer — 73% of the long-term management objective of 404,900 deer. [Factors reducing populations]: Extreme weather and precipitation (ongoing drought or really heavy snowfall during the winter — both of which have occurred in the Utah in the last five years). Predator balance. The quality and quantity of available habitat (which can be affected by weather as well). Vehicle collisions. Fences and deer migration disruptions ..,
Pregnant moose struck and killed on Summit County highway, nonprofit says June 9, 2025 Utah, ABC4 Utah
... “She was dragged out of sight of the road and discarded like trash,” a post from the nonprofit said. “Let’s work together to change our optics and improve safety for all road users by implementing evidence-based solutions to the wildlife vehicle collision problem on this roadway.” ...
How a hot dry summer could alter Utah's wildlife behaviors June 2, 2025 KSL NewsRadio
... “Once those does give birth to their fawns, they really do need more moisture because if they’re gonna lactate. They’ve gotta have more water. Whereas a buck male deer is likely to stay in higher and potentially drier elevations because they don’t have that demand on them to nurse,” explained Mangus ...
Utah's New Cougar Law: Balancing Wildlife and Livelihoods May 25, 2025 MSN
... House Bill 469 ... eliminates the need for a separate cougar hunting permit, allowing anyone with a standard hunting license to pursue cougars year-round... Faith Heaton Jolley, a DWR spokesperson, explained that recent studies show cougars can put serious pressure on deer populations. “In some areas, cougars have caused deer numbers to drop below our management goals,” ...
Park City Council wants to collaborate with wildlife safety group May 19, 2025 Utah, KPCW
... According to data from Save People Save Wildlife, nearly 50 animals were killed on state Route 224 last year, including deer, elk and moose. The nonprofit has installed reflective deer and elk silhouettes on the road to raise motorist awareness...
Utah Wildlife Board Approves 2025 Big Game Hunting Permits, Other Rule Updates May 9, 2025 ETV News
... Managing more general-season units for a post-season buck-to-doe ratio of 15-17 bucks per 100 does and fewer units for 18-20 bucks per 100 does... [some articles indicating low buck to doe ratios are a problem] “During our big game captures this last winter, we found that a majority of the deer throughout the state were healthy and in good condition, with high body fat,”...
This Utah canyon stretch was slated for rooftops and yards. Now it will remain open forever. May 7, 2025 Utah, The Salt Lake Tribune on MSN
... a sanctuary for migrating elk, deer and moose. The Thompsons’ decision is part of a broader effort with Cache County to preserve nearly 800 acres, and it has resonated with locals who once feared the green hills and wildlife corridors of Sardine Canyon might disappear beneath rooftops and fences...
Where the wild things cross: Deer silhouettes promote road safety April 28, 2025 Utah Park City News
... Two reflective deer silhouettes were installed over the weekend along SR 248 (Kearns Boulevard) to raise driver awareness of wildlife crossings. These follow the installation of moose along SR 224 in 2023...
CWD, Utah officials express concern amid uptick in Wyoming zombie deer disease April 15, 2025 ABC4 Utah on MSN
... Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) ... While the numbers started low, a report from the 2021-22 fiscal year showed only eight positive cases. Stout said the division has had 82 positive cases since July 2024..,
Utah's 2025 legislative session brings wildlife-related changes April 2, 2025 Daily Herald
... General-season nonresident buck deer permits will increase from $418 to $599, while limited-entry permits will rise from $670 to $1,070. General-season nonresident bull elk permits will go up from $613 to $849, and limited-entry permits will jump from $1,050 to $1,950...
DWR releases recommendations for 2025 big game hunting permits March 31, 2025 Utah DWR News
... We have experienced favorable weather conditions and are seeing benefits from habitat improvement, predator management and other work done to directly benefit mule deer. We are excited to recommend an increase to deer permits for the 2025 season... There are 11 units with a post-season objective of 18-20 bucks per 100 does and 20 units with an objective of 15-17 bucks per 100 does ..,
Poaching remains a major problem in Utah. An auction of seized trophy bucks offers a ‘silver lining.’ March 30, 2025 Utah, The Salt Lake Tribune
... The biggest-ticket item was a shoulder-mounted mule deer buck with the velvet still on its antlers, said Maj. Chad Bettridge, a law enforcement officer with the division. It went for $5,500... the state auctions them off to raise money for wildlife conservation projects ...
BLM Utah crews complete Herriman project to reduce wildfire fuels March 29, 2025 Gephardt Daily
... Located on the lower slopes of the Oquirrh Mountains, this area is crucial mule deer winter habitat. Decades of fire suppression have allowed juniper to outcompete sagebrush, reducing habitat quality and increasing wildfire risk...
Record 1,901 big game animals assessed, GPS collared during 2024-25 winter captures March 18, 2025 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources News
... During this year's captures, adult deer across the state were in average to above-average nutritional condition, overall. Although adult condition wasn't ideal, 6-month old fawn weights were very good, with several fawns born in December weighing over 100 pounds. These numbers, combined with the relatively mild winter, have resulted in high adult and fawn survival to date...,
Utah has a high success rate in preventing road kill March 11, 2025 Deseret News
... The way we measure the success is called our success ratio,” he said. “And for each animal that approaches the crossing, we look on video to see if they successfully cross or if they turn around, and if they turn around, we call that a rejection and on average throughout the state, we are at over a 90% acceptance ratio. And we have also been able to observe pretty drastic reductions in collisions where we put in crossings.”...
Utah's Efforts to Improve Wildlife Migration and Roadway Safety January 18, 2025 Cat Country Utah
... Utah has been a pioneer in wildlife crossings, completing the first U.S. wildlife overpass on I-15 near Beaver in 1975. “Since then, dozens of projects have been completed around the state that allow the passage of wildlife and fish,” said DWR Wildlife Impact Analysis Coordinator Daniel Olson...
Trying to use data to see if coyote hunts help deer numbers January 11, 2025 Utah, The Herald Journal
... A recent BYU study in Central Utah found a concerted effort to remove coyotes over several years under favorable weather conditions, increased fawn survival. Based on this study, Utah is recommending higher bounties ($75) in areas that produce lots of fawns..,
Utah Wildlife Board approves updated deer management plan, new hunt strategies research and other items December 13, 2024 Utah DWR
... "We are taking all of the recent research and incorporating that into management efforts to increase deer populations in Utah... "Utah has the largest active mule deer research and monitoring program in the Western U.S. and is constantly seeking to learn and improve mule deer management," DWR Big Game Projects Coordinator Kent Hersey said ... watch the full meeting on Youtube
DWR biologists fly deer by helicopter for annual checkups December 5, 2024 Utah, KSL.com
...mule deer were flown in by helicopter to the Hardware Wildlife Management Area visitors center ...groups of people put them on stretchers to be weighed and then on tables for examinations ... The effort in Cache Valley is one of many that will take place over the next couple of months, as biologists work to determine the health of herds statewide...
After drop in recent years, Utah seeks new ways to improve mule deer population October 26, 2024 Utah, KSL
... since the state implemented its latest mule deer management plan in 2019.
Extreme drought conditions developed a year later and lingered into 2023, playing a major role in the state's population tumble. The 2022-23 winter and its record snowpack didn't help the situation, either. All of it exacerbated ongoing issues impacting deer, including predation ..,
Deer and elk migrations are about to start, DWR warns October 24, 2024 Utah, KSL NewsRadio
... “With elk, they’ll stay up in the mountains, feeding, as long as they can, and then once it snows, that … will push them to lower elevation areas. But with deer sometimes, it is really just the timing thing regardless of what the weather is doing.” ...
How science-based hunting is protecting Utah wildlife October 24, 2024 Utah, The Digital Universe
... “When populations decline due to factors like a severe winter or prolonged drought — we adjust permit numbers to account for those impacts,” Dax Mangus, Big Game Coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife, said... Since 2019, Utah’s struggling deer populations prompted state limitations on the number of issued hunting permits. This year, however, the state released an increase in permits for the first time in six years..,
DWR recommends updates to deer management plan, hunt strategies research and other items October 23, 2024 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources - Utah.gov
... The DWR is seeking the public's feedback on the proposals... The plan features a few updated items, including: Information about the biology and management history of mule deer in UtahUpdated population management goals, objectives and strategies. Updated sustainable harvest goals ...
DWR warns hunters of chronic wasting disease October 2, 2024 Utah, KPCW
... The first case in Utah was discovered in 2002 and since then, more than 260 mule deer and six elk have tested positive for the disease in the state..,
UDOT installs fencing at I-80/I-84 junction to prevent car-wildlife crashes September 22, 2024 Utah, KSL TV
... nearly done with the installation of 3 miles of wildlife fencing ... seeking grant funding to install 27 more miles of fencing in the area to keep elk and deer off the two interstates where they meet in northwestern Summit County near Echo Reservoir. The estimated price tag is around $30 million...
Eagle Mountain is building a 'luge' for migrating mule deer September 1, 2024 Utah, The Salt Lake Tribune
... a vast chute, composed of more than 20 miles of 8-foot-high fencing, that will someday guide deer through Eagle Mountain. Around dense subdivisions, the funnel will narrow to around 330 feet to hustle deer through ... highway roadkill has already plummeted ...
Planning to commercially buy and sell shed antlers? Certificate of registration required under new rules August 28, 2024 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
... the Utah Wildlife Board approved a new law designating that legally obtained shed antlers and horns may be purchased or sold at any time in a whole or altered state. However, a certificate of registration — a document that authorizes a particular activity — is required for commercial antler buyers... This new rule does not apply to shed hunters who pick up shed antlers off the ground and then sell them to an antler buyer...
What hunters should know for the 2024 Utah deer and elk hunts August 5, 2024 Utah DWR News
... The deer populations in Cache, Weber, Summit and Morgan counties are still recovering from the severe winter conditions and lower survival rates from the record-breaking winter in 2022-23 ... There are currently an estimated 80,600 elk in the state ...
How do you protect wildlife from sprawl? August 1, 2024 Utah, High Country News
... As Eagle Mountain has grown, its deer have suffered. Subdivisions are encroaching on their habitat, and swelling traffic kills around a hundred every year... the city has written deer-friendly ordinances into its zoning codes, negotiated conservation deals with would-be builders, and, most ambitious of all, sought to permanently protect the herd’s narrow migration corridor...
Wildlife-friendly fences July 19, 2024 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
... Much of Utah's public and private lands have been used historically as wildlife migration corridors; routes that wildlife follow between summer and winter habitat that are based on learned patterns... Fences not designed with wildlife in mind can have negative effects on wildlife populations...
