Below is a news release from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
For the fourth consecutive year, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologists are recommending a decrease in the number of general-season deer hunting permits. The DWR is asking for the public’s feedback on the recommendations for the number of big game hunting permits for the 2022 seasons, as well as a variety of other big game proposals.
Why the recommendations are being made
The DWR manages deer, elk and other wildlife in accordance with approved management plans in order to help maintain healthy wildlife populations across the state. DWR biologists evaluate the health of deer populations throughout the year (through GPS collaring efforts and surveys), and also assess the previous year’s harvest data from the deer and elk hunts. That data is factored in with current habitat and environmental conditions across the state — which includes the extreme drought conditions — before the hunting permit recommendations are made for the upcoming hunting seasons.
The current management plan includes an objective to have just over 400,000 deer across Utah — there are currently an estimated 305,700 deer in the state.
“We’ve had several years of drought and are still facing ongoing extreme drought conditions in the state, which has a significant impact on the survival rates of deer,” DWR Big Game Coordinator Covy Jones said. “We currently have more demand for deer hunting in Utah than we have the supply for. While it is antlerless deer permits, not buck permits, that impact deer population numbers, we are recommending a decrease for both types of permits. We use the data and management plans to make proactive recommendations for the herd health of our wildlife.”
DWR biologists are recommending a total of 73,075 general-season deer hunting permits, which is a 950-permit decrease from the previous year. Of the 29 total deer hunting units across the state, 13 are being recommended for decreased permit numbers from the previous year.
“The number of permits we’re proposing for 2022 will help us achieve or maintain the objectives detailed in Utah’s mule deer management plan for harvest size, animal quality and hunting opportunity,” Jones said.
The current management plan includes an objective of an average age of bull harvest between 4.5 to 8 years of age. DWR biologists are recommending decreases on some units, but an overall increase in bull elk permits for the 2022 public drawing.
The big game permit recommendations
The table below shows all the permit recommendations for the 2022 big game and antlerless hunting seasons:
Hunt 2021 2022
General-season buck deer 74,025 73,075
Premium limited-entry deer 184 184
Management buck deer (including “cactus” bucks) 45 45
Handgun, archery, muzzleloader, and shotgun (HAMS) limited-entry buck deer hunts 15 15
Limited-entry deer 1,070 1,020
Antlerless deer 935 635
General any bull elk 17,500 17,500 for adults (unlimited for youth)
General spike bull elk 15,000 15,000
Antlerless elk 8,285 7,948
Youth any bull elk 500 500
Limited-entry bull elk 2,990 3,056
Buck pronghorn 1,173 1,249
Doe pronghorn 404 278
Bull moose 112 110
Cow moose 15 18
Bison 149 158
Desert bighorn sheep 81 71
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep 67 58
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep ewe hunt 10 5
Mountain goat 120 102
New antlerless hunts
DWR biologists are also recommending adding one new antlerless deer hunt to address damage to agricultural areas caused by deer. Five new antlerless elk hunts are also being proposed, as well as a new doe pronghorn hunt.
“Antlerless deer hunts are designed to reduce depredation on private lands, tackle urban deer issues, address chronic wasting disease hot spot areas, and to help slow the decline of range conditions,” Jones said.
Elk are impacted differently by drought because survival of adults typically remains high, while pregnancy rates have been shown to decline during extreme drought conditions. DWR biologists typically do a census on the state’s elk units on a three-year rotation. This year, the northern parts of the state were surveyed, and elk populations actually slightly increased in some of those areas since they didn’t experience the same extreme drought conditions as some of the central and southern portions of the state. Many of these hunting areas are largely made up of private lands, so DWR biologists are working with private landowners to address depredation issues where elk populations are above objective.
Much of the rest of the state, including central, southern and southeastern Utah, have elk populations that are at or slightly below their population objectives. As a result, DWR biologists are recommending a slight decrease in public draw antlerless elk permits in 2022.
Other proposals
The DWR oversees the Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit program, which allocates hunting permits to private landowners who then provide hunting opportunities to public and private hunters for a variety of wildlife species. The CWMU program in Utah has opened more than 2 million acres of private land to the public for hunting. The DWR is proposing a total of 1,307 antlerless permits for 69 CWMUs for the 2022 hunting season.
Go here to view times, places and dates of public meetings where public comment will be taken.
(Photo credit: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources)