BRIGHAM CITY — In fiscal year 2024, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources installed 10-miles of wildlife exclusion fence along I-15 in Box Elder County to help keep wildlife from getting out on the highway.
Along with the fencing from Riverside to Plymouth they installed cattle guards by the exit ramps.
DWR officials said the stretch of highway was a documented “hot spot” for a high number of deer/vehicle collisions, so the additional fencing and other measures will help reduce collisions and improve highway safety.
The Box Elder County stretch was one of 115 completed habitat projects to help mule deer populations get to healthy populations in Utah.
The DWR also released a new online dashboard to provide additional resources and information about deer.
Utah has seen periods of growth and decline in deer numbers over the last 40 years. The 2024 post-hunting season population estimated to be approximately 295,200 deer — 73% of the long-term management objective of 404,900 deer.
DWR has prioritized habitat restoration projects and other projects that will benefit deer. From July 2023 to June 2024, $38 million in funding went toward the115 deer-related habitat projects, including more than 133,000 restored acres across Utah.
“These important projects were administered through Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative and the DWR Habitat Council, which coordinates, facilitates and promotes these important habitat restoration projects that improve the quality and quantity of habitats for deer and other wildlife,” DWR Habitat Conservation Coordinator Daniel Eddington said. “One of the problems we are currently facing is that many of the ecosystems that deer rely on for food have limited or older vegetation with limited nutritional value.
“For mule deer populations to thrive in Utah, it is essential that extensive habitat treatments be completed to revert sagebrush habitat areas back to young, shrub-dominated plant communities and to restore aspen communities.”
DWR also released a new online mule deer dashboard this month to provide information about deer populations and ongoing research in Utah.
“This new resource is a one-stop shop for information about Utah’s mule deer,” DWR Big Game Coordinator Dax Mangus said. “Hunters and others can find valuable deer-specific information including migration research, harvest success, population estimates by hunting unit, habitat projects, predator management, unit management plans, videos and podcasts about deer management and other relevant facts about deer. We hope this easy-to-use webpage is a helpful resource for those who are passionate about deer.”
Some of the other projects completed include: