DWR biologists are recommending a slight increase in the number of general season buck deer permits available for hunts in Utah this fall.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologists are recommending a reduction in the number of general-season deer hunting permits for the fourth year in a row.
The DWR wants the publics feedback on their plans to hold back big game permits for the 2022 season.
The Northern Utah RAC meeting will be held April 6 at 6 p.m. at the Weber County Commission Chambers at 2380 Washington Blvd. #240 in Ogden. Online comments must be submitted by March 31 at 11:59 p.m.
DWR manages all big game to help maintain healthy wildlife populations across the state. The biologists evaluate the health of deer populations throughout the year using GPS collars and surveys against the previous year’s harvest data from deer and elk hunts.
The extreme drought conditions were studied before the hunting permit recommendations were made for the upcoming hunting seasons.
DWR has determined that just over 400,000 deer across Utah is a healthy number. This year they estimated there are 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 recommend issuing a total of 73,075 general-season deer hunting permits this year, which is a 950-permit decrease from last year. Of the 29 total deer hunting units across the state under half are recommended for decreased permit numbers from last 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.
DWR is also recommending the average age of bull elk harvest is 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 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 | 1020 |
| 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 |
| Antlerless 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 |
The public meetings will be held so outdoorsmen who want to make recommendations can either view the presentation virtually or attended in person. The biologists’ presentations can be viewed before the meetings and there is a time to share feedback about them on the DWR website. The presentations are also available on the DWR YouTube channel, but comments can only be submitted through the forms on the DWR website