Utah decreases number of general deer tags for 2021

UDWR points to drought and other environmental factors that impacted herd health

Utah mule deer increased tags h1

There will be fewer general deer tags available this season following an approved decrease in permits by the Utah Wildlife Board last week. The decrease is a result of drought and other environmental factors impacting herd health in Utah. In fact, the current estimate of 314,850 deer is below the state objective of 400,000 deer per the current management plan, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR).

“We’ve had a few drought years in Utah recently, which has a significant impact on the survival rates of deer,” said UDWR Big Game Coordinator Covy Jones. “In Utah, we have the longest range-trend study in the Western U.S., and we’ve seen that having suitable habitat is crucial for maintaining or growing wildlife populations. And drought conditions can really negatively impact that habitat, which in turn affects our wildlife species.”

Because of this reduction in tags, there will only be 74,025 general season deer tags available for 2021, which is a decrease of 5,650 tags compared to 2020. Out of the 29 deer hunting units within Utah, 17 will be impacted by the decreased permit numbers.

Per UDWR, here are the number of permits available for the 2021 big game hunting seasons:

Big game permit recommendations

Hunt

General-season buck deer

2020

79,675

2021

74,025

Hunt

Premium limited-entry deer

2020

184

2021

184

Hunt

Management buck deer (including "cactus" bucks)

2020

64

2021

45

Hunt

Handgun, archery, muzzleloader, andshotgun (HAMS) limited-entry buck deer hunts

2020

15

2021

15

Hunt

Limited-entry deer

2020

1,182

2021

1,070

Hunt

Doe deer

2020

1,175

2021

935

Hunt

General any bull elk

2020

15,000

2021

17,500

Hunt

General spike bull elk

2020

15,000

2021

15,000

Hunt

Cow elk

2020

8,060

2021

8,285

Hunt

Youth any bull elk

2020

500

2021

500

Hunt

Limited-entry bull elk

2020

2,948

2021

2,990

Hunt

Buck antelope

2020

1,147

2021

1,173

Hunt

Doe antelope

2020

525

2021

404

Hunt

Bull moose

2020

107

2021

112

Hunt

Cow moose

2020

31

2021

15

Hunt

Bison

2020

97

2021

146

Hunt

Desert bighorn sheep

2020

78

2021

81

Hunt

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep

2020

65

2021

67

Hunt

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep ewe hunt

2020

10

2021

10

Hunt

Mountain goat

2020

122

2021

120

Hunt

2020

2021

General-season buck deer

79,675

74,025

Premium limited-entry deer

184

184

Management buck deer (including "cactus" bucks)

64

45

Handgun, archery, muzzleloader, andshotgun (HAMS) limited-entry buck deer hunts

15

15

Limited-entry deer

1,182

1,070

Doe deer

1,175

935

General any bull elk

15,000

17,500

General spike bull elk

15,000

15,000

Cow elk

8,060

8,285

Youth any bull elk

500

500

Limited-entry bull elk

2,948

2,990

Buck antelope

1,147

1,173

Doe antelope

525

404

Bull moose

107

112

Cow moose

31

15

Bison

97

146

Desert bighorn sheep

78

81

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep

65

67

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep ewe hunt

10

10

Mountain goat

122

120

While there will be fewer general season deer tags, the state is adding some antlerless hunts for areas where deer damage agricultural land, specifically within Price and Oak City.

“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,” said Jones.

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