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FARMINGTON — Utah wildlife officials have approved a plan to add 6,800 new general season buck deer hunting permits this year, after years of cuts tied to deer population declines and other challenges.
Utah Wildlife Board members approved an allocation of 71,525 permits for this year's general hunting season during a meeting last week. The plan includes increases in all but one of the state's deer hunting regions when the season begins this fall.
Most of the growth is in the southern Utah area, which will gain 5,375 permits this year, while northeast Utah will see 950 more, southeast Utah, 400, and northern Utah, 150 more permits this year. Central Utah is the only hunting region with a decline of 75 fewer permits.
While the state's deer population has dipped below 300,000 statewide — more than 100,000 below the target objective — the measure was proposed because the buck-to-doe ratio, of 21 bucks per 100 does, remains just above the state's preferred ratio. That opened the door to increasing general season permits.
Other factors like doe deer survival, fawn production and fawn survival rates are more important in permit allocation and deer population growth, according to Dax Mangus, big game coordinator at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Climate conditions, such as drought or harsh winters, factor into survival rates, but a mild and wet winter has helped improve survival conditions this year.
"The way we hunt buck deer in Utah doesn't drive deer populations, but what happens with deer populations drives how we hunt buck deer," Mangus said in a statement after the vote.
The proposal gained the support of organizations like the Utah Farm Bureau and Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife. Kevin Norman, fundraising director for Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, told the board that he believes it will increase "opportunity" for family and friends to bond while out in nature.
Brandon Zundel, a Utah hunter, also backed the measure because he's seen how climate conditions have "hammered" deer populations in recent years. He said the state should pounce on any opportunity to hunt because there's no guarantee that the current conditions will last.
"There is no deer savings account and if you don't use the hunting opportunity you have right now, you're going to find it dry up with the next drought cycle," he said.
The board also set aside 1,336 limited-entry deer permits — 37 more than 2023 — and 450 antlerless deer permits — 80 fewer than 2023 — for 2024. Some minor tweaks were made to other big game species permits, but most are similar to 2023 allocations.
Some changes to big game hunting were also approved last week. For instance, it's now unlawful to possess night-vision devices while taking or locating big game between July 31 and Dec. 31. The rule previously stated devices were unlawful to use.
The state also removed a requirement for hunters to check in "management bucks" and cactus bucks since the data needed from either can be submitted electronically. That's on top of a few new rules approved by the Utah Legislature this year.
New shed antler rules
One of those new bills allowed the Utah Wildlife Board to update the state's shed hunting regulations. Shed hunting, an activity that attracts about 20,000 participants every year, is where people go out looking for the antlers that big game naturally drop every year.
The board approved some changes as the new law went into effect:
- There is no established shed hunting season for Utah residents — for now. A season could be established at a later time. The board also voted against a recommendation to set aside a separate season for nonresidents.
- The state can issue emergency shed hunting closures on public land. This happened last year as many deer and big game struggled with the state's record snowpack. Private land would be exempt from the measure "if the shed antlers were interfering with normal agricultural practices," according to the state wildlife officials.
- Commercial antler buyers are required to obtain a certification for any purpose to resell the antlers for financial gain. The changes also clarify that antler markets are legal, as long as a permit is obtained.
People planning to shed hunt must still take an online ethics course while gathering antlers anytime between Jan. 1 and May 31. It's a requirement that dates back to 2009.
