Onboarding
waterfowl hunts
waterfowl hunts
Fishing information
Fish

Licensing, rules and
year-round hotspots.

Hunting information
Hunt

Learn about Utah's
great hunting opportunities.

Licenses & permits
Discover

Find out more about Utah's amazing wildlife.

Fishing information
Fish

Have
you been fishing yet?

Hunting information
Hunt

Learn about Utah's
great hunting opportunities.

Licenses & permits
Discover

Find out more about Utah's amazing wildlife.

Fishing information
Fish

It's time
to go fishing.

Hunting information
Hunt

Learn more about
Utah hunting.

Licenses & permits
Discover

Find out more about Utah's amazing wildlife.

Employee resource guide

DWR employee examining a captured bighorn sheep

Essential information for DWR employees

This guide is a tool for both current and new employees, offering easy access to important information about the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and its structure, history, procedures and more. Explore the links below to find the resources you need:

DWR employee examining a captured bighorn sheep

General information

Helpful links

  • DWR fiscal resources: information, instructions and forms related to things like the budget, purchasing, contracts, assigned assets and more (UtahID sign-in required)
  • DNR Innerweb: policies, information and resources for DNR/DWR employees (UtahID sign-in and VPN connection required)
  • Uniforms: general information, allowance amount, acceptable colors and more (UtahID sign-in required)
  • Motorpool: reserve a vehicle
  • Lexipol: review and acknowledge DWR and DNR policies
  • Utah wildlife calendar: view dates for hunts, draws, events, RAC meetings, etc.
  • onX: use of the popular mapping tool is available to current DWR employees
  • Payroll: enter your time, view your paycheck, check your leave balances, and more (UtahID sign-in required)
  • Travel: information about traveling in and out of state, including important definitions, authorized meal and overnight lodging rates, how to book a flight and more (UtahID sign-in required)
  • PEHP: review your health insurance options
  • URS/retirement: review your 401(k), pension and other retirement options
  • Utah Learning Portal: access training courses for state employees (UtahID sign-in required)
  • Physical fitness guidelines for non-law enforcement employees
  • Safety newsletter: read tips, best practices and relavant safety information for each season
  • Virtual backgrounds: download Utah wildlife-themed background images for your virtual meetings
  • DWR media and marketing folder: Need a photo for a report or PowerPoint presentation? Browse our entire publicly accessible photo and video library, containing images of wildlife, hunting, fishing, and much more.
  • DWR Style Guide: rules and best practices for preparing public-facing documents and presentations
  • DWR Brand Guidelines: instructions for using the Division's logo, branding, colors, etc.
    • Brand resources: download DWR logos, email signatures, event signage, fonts, letterhead, templates and zoom backgrounds (UtahID sign-in required)
  • DWR GeoHub: find GIS data, resources, maps, apps and support links for GIS and data projects (UtahID sign-in required)

DWR acronyms and terms

A cheat sheet for employees, new and old

As DWR employees, we come across and use a seemingly endless array of jargon on a daily basis. It can be kind of overwhelming when you first get started. Here's a list of some frequently used acronyms, terms and lingo that may come in handy.

DWR offices

  • CRO: Central Region Office
  • NERO: Northeastern Region Office
  • NRO: Northern Region Office
  • SERO: Southeastern Region Office
  • SLO: Salt Lake Office
  • SRO: Southern Region Office
  • WCFO: Washington County Field Office

DWR facilities

  • AAHRC: Aquatic Animal Health and Research Center (formerly FES)
  • CVPSR: Cache Valley Public Shooting Range
  • EWEC: Eccles Wildlife Education Center
  • FES: Fisheries Experiment Station (now AAHRC)
  • HWEC: Hardware Wildlife Education Center
  • LKPSR: Lee Kay Public Shooting Range

DWR/DNR programs and terms

  • CWMU: Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit
  • DH: Dedicated Hunter program
  • ESMF: Endangered Species Mitigation Fund (now Species Protection Account)
  • GSL: Great Salt Lake
  • GSLEP: Great Salt Lake Ecosystem Program
  • HE: Hunter Education
  • ICP: Internal Conservation Program
  • LOA: Landowner Association
  • NASP: National Archery in Schools Program
  • PRC: Proclamation Review Committee ("proclamation" is the old term for the hunting and fishing guidebooks)
  • RAC: Regional Advisory Council
  • WB: Utah Wildlife Board (or, "the board")
  • WIA: Walk-in access
  • WMA: Wildlife management area OR Waterfowl management area
  • WMI: Wildlife Migration Initiative
  • UHEC: Utah Hunter Education Challenge (Utah version of YHEC)
  • YHEC: Youth Hunter Education Challenge

DWR/DNR employment

  • IRA: "I Really Appreciate" You Award
  • P4P: Pay for Performance
  • PMC: Performance Management Contract
  • SIP: Salary Improvement Plan
  • UPM: Utah Performance Management system (synonymous with "PMC")

General terms, slang and lingo

  • AIS: Aquatic invasive species
  • ALW: Any legal weapon
  • BG: Big Game
  • BOM: Big ol' meeting (conference-style, in-person, DWR-wide meeting)
  • CO: Conservation Officer
  • COR: Certificate of registration
  • FY: Fiscal Year
  • GIS: Geographic Information System
  • GRAMA: Government Records Management Access Act
  • LE: Law enforcement OR Limited-entry permit
  • OIAL: Once-in-a-lifetime hunts
  • R3: Recruit, Retain and Reactivate (hunters and anglers)
  • SGCN: Species of Greatest Conservation Need
  • UTiP: Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher (refers to the hotline for reporting a poacher)

Wildlife diseases

  • AI: Avian influenza
  • CWD: Chronic wasting disease
  • HPAI: Highly pathogenic avian influenza
  • WD: Whirling disease

Partner organizations

  • ACI: Association for Conservation Information
  • AFS: American Fisheries Society
  • AFWA: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
  • BHA: Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
  • CAHSS: Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports
  • CLfT: Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow
  • Fallon: Shorthand for System Consultants Inc. of Fallon, NV
  • MDF: Mule Deer Foundation
  • NAS: National Audubon Society (more often referred to as "Audubon")
  • NWTF: National Wild Turkey Federation
  • RBFF: Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation
  • RMEF: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
  • SCI: Safari Club International OR System Consultants Inc. of Fallon, NV (our contractor who conducts the big game drawing)
  • SFW: Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife
  • TU: Trout Unlimited
  • TWS: The Wildlife Society
  • UCI: Utah Correctional Industries
  • WAU: Wild Aware Utah (DWR, Hogle Zoo & USU Extension)
  • WCS: Wildlife Conservation Society
  • WAFWA: Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

State of Utah agencies and programs

  • DEQ: Department of Environmental Quality
  • DNR: Department of Natural Resources
  • DWR: Division of Wildlife Resources (a DNR division)
  • FFSL: Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (a DNR division)
  • GIP: Grazing Improvement Fund
  • ICP: Internal Conservation Program
  • OED: Office of Energy Development (a DNR division)
  • OGM: Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (a DNR division)
  • PLPCO: Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office
  • SWG: State Wildlife Grant Program
  • UDAF: Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
  • WRI: Watershed Restoration Initiative

Federal agencies we work with frequently

  • BLM: Bureau of Land Management
  • BOR: Bureau of Reclamation
  • NPS: National Park Service
  • USFS: U.S. Forest Service
  • USFWS: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • USGS: U.S. Geological Survey

Federal laws, programs and funding

  • DJ: Dingell-Johnson Act (and funds)
  • ESA: Endangered Species Act
  • PR: Pittman-Robertson Act (and funds), aka Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration
  • QZAP: Quagga and Zebra Mussel Action Plan
  • RAWA: Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (and funds)

Hunting, fishing and outdoors lingo

  • Bag limit is the number of fish, waterfowl or upland game animals you can legally harvest in a day, usually determined at the species level.
  • Bonus point is a point given to a hunter who is unsuccessful in drawing a limited-entry tag, with the intent that the more bonus points you accrue, the better chance you have of drawing a tag the next cycle. Hunters can also purchase a bonus point only in years that they do not apply for a permit.
  • Drawing, or "the draw," is when hunters apply online for a limited number of permits for various species, hunting seasons and particular hunting units.
  • Glass/glassing is using binoculars or a spotting scope to watch for game or evidence of game.
  • Hunter's Choice is a permit where the hunter can harvest either a male or female of the same species.
  • Limited-entry (permit, unit, hunt or species) refers to a hunt for which a limited number of permits are offered and there is usually high demand.
  • Over-the-counter tags are permits available for hunters to buy at a DWR office, license agency or online.
  • Preference point is a point that is given to a hunter who is unsuccessful in the general-season drawing. Hunters can also purchase a preference point only in years that they do not apply for a permit.
  • Pursuit permit is a permit for bear or cougar hunting that allows a hunter to pursue a bear or cougar, but not harvest. This is basically a dog training exercise where they will tree, corner or hold the bear or cougar at bay, and then call the dogs off.
  • Smokepole is another name for a muzzleloader rifle.
  • Shed hunting is searching the landscape looking for shed antlers from big game animals.
  • Tag is used interchangeably with hunting permit.
Inside
Wildlife Blog: Views from DWR employees
» Wildlife Blog
Report poachers — 1-800-662-3337
» Report poachers
Wildlife dates
» Important dates
Hunter, angler mobile app
The Natural Resources Map & Bookstore: discover hands-on resources
» DNR Map & Bookstore