Dealing with drought (articles from 2021)

Updates from the DWR

This page contains articles and information about the Utah drought of 2021. For items about the 2025 season, see the current Dealing with drought page.

'The worst year on record'

In June 2021, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued a third executive order for Utah's drought, saying 2021 "could be the worst drought year on record." Over 90% of the state is currently experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions, which can cause more wildfires, reduce agricultural production and affect wildlife populations.

This page is a resource for describing the effects of Utah's current drought on wildlife in the state, as well as explaining how the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is working to try and mitigate these effects.

How does drought affect Utah's fish and wildlife?

Drought affects many fish and wildlife species. In a nutshell, it may lead some animals to seek food and water in urban areas, causing conflicts with humans. More animals may die due to competition for increasingly limited resources. Here are a few ways drought impacts fish and wildlife:

Pahvaunt Unit, Millard County, May 2021

Wildlife

Deer and other big game species can be severely affected by drought. The limited availability of food and water can lead to a reduced number of newborn fawns and fewer fawns that survive their first year. The harsh conditions can also reduce the number of huntable buck deer and result in lower overall deer population numbers.

Drought can also impact antler growth for buck deer because a sparse food supply provides fewer nutrients, which bucks need to grow antlers. Pregnant does also struggle with the decreased food supply during drought years, and if their body condition is poor during pregnancy, their male offspring may have relatively smaller antlers, even after reaching maturity.

Deer and other wildlife can end up in your yard or garden to find food, although there are ways to deter them. It is important that you not try to feed animals such as deer, moose or bear yourself, as you may cause more harm than good. The animals could become habituated and lose their natural fear of people, or they could attract predators.

The best way to help wildlife is to leave them alone and let them stay wild. If, however, you see an animal that looks sickly, is injured or is acting aggressively, you should report it to the nearest DWR office. (Here are other common wildlife scenarios where you should contact the DWR.)

Fish

Otter Creek, May 2021

Drought impacts fish by reducing the amount of water available in lakes, reservoirs and streams. Less water heats up more quickly and has less oxygen, stressing the fish and causing more to die. Trout in low-elevation waterbodies are most likely to be impacted by drought, although all fish species can be affected.

The DWR will continue to stock most fisheries at about the same levels as before, but if you like to fish, you should visit your favorite lakes and reservoirs as early and as often as you can. Water levels at some places could be so low in the summer that boat ramps won't be functional. Also, go fishing in the mornings and evenings when temperatures are cooler. And if you release your fish, do it in deeper, cooler water so they are more likely to survive.

DWR's ongoing efforts to mitigate the impacts of drought

Because of the dire conditions and the challenges facing fish and wildlife, the DWR has been proactively working to reduce the effects of drought in the following ways:

Working with the agriculture community

With current drought conditions statewide, DWR staff have an increased focus on wildlife depredation and are working hard to alleviate damage on agricultural properties.

The DWR will use all available management tools and programs to assist private landowners and agricultural producers to minimize wildlife damage to their properties.

Visit the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food website to find additional drought resources for livestock producers.

Decreasing the number of big game permits

Ongoing drought has resulted in reduced productivity of critical wildlife ranges, decreased animal survival and lower statewide population levels of many big game species. As a result, the Utah Wildlife Board approved a decrease in big game permits for the 2021 season. For example, there are 5,650 fewer general-season deer permits in 2021, compared to 2020 permit numbers.

The DWR will also continue to monitor the following:

• Range conditions
• Competition between elk and deer
• Impacts to agricultural lands

If necessary, the DWR will also ask the Utah Wildlife Board to approve additional elk permits later this summer.

Tibble Fork Reservoir, June 2021

Increasing fishing limits at certain waterbodies

The DWR announced several emergency orders during the summer of 2021 for waterbodies around Utah that were expected to experience low water levels and fish loss due to ongoing drought conditions. The orders increased daily fishing limits, giving anglers the opportunity to harvest additional fish before fish loss occurs.

The DWR will continue to monitor drought conditions statewide and will make additional fishing changes as needed.

Closing WMAs to recreational target shooting and campfires (Removed)

The DWR owns and manages many wildlife management areas (WMAs) throughout the state. These areas were acquired with funding from hunters and anglers for the following purposes:

• Conserve critical wildlife habitats
• Help minimize and mitigate wildlife depredation on private property
• Provide places where Utahns can go to hunt and fish

Extreme statewide drought has led to restrictions that will temporarily prohibit recreational target shooting and campfires on all WMAs. The DWR is monitoring conditions closely, and these activities will again be allowed as soon as drought conditions improve and it is safe to do so.

The temporary restrictions only apply to target shooting with a firearm and campfires — legal possession of a firearm and hunting are not affected.

Rehabilitating lands burned by wildfires

Because of the drought, Utah faces the high likelihood of an extraordinarily destructive wildfire season this summer. As of June 23, 2021, there have been 420 fires that have burned more than 57,000 acres, and nearly 81% of those fires were caused by humans.

Timpanogos WMA, October 2020

The DWR and its partners in Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative work throughout the year to rehabilitate and reseed high-priority watersheds and wildlife habitats damaged by fires.

Hauling water to guzzlers to help wildlife populations

Drought has resulted in several other negative impacts to wildlife, including the drying up of water sources. The DWR and its partners are working to identify critical locations where water is currently unavailable and are hauling water to many guzzlers to help wildlife populations until the drought subsides.

Additional resources

Guiding on waterfowl management areas

A permit is required to guide at a WMA

Since 2021, the Utah Wildlife Board has required guides and outfitters to have a special-use permit before guiding or transporting hunters across a waterfowl management area (WMA). This requirement applies to anyone who receives more than $100 in compensation for providing guiding services, as defined in Utah Code 58-79-102.

If you're a guide who plans to apply for a permit, you should review all of the following before applying:

• Applying for a special-use permit — requirements and process
• Permit holder responsibilities and commitments
• List of Utah WMAs where guiding is allowed

Applying for a special-use permit — requirements and process

To apply for the permit required to guide on Utah's WMAs, you must:

• Provide proof of insurance
• Obtain a Utah Carrying Passengers for Hire license if you plan to transport passengers in a boat (available from Utah State Parks)
• List all the WMAs you are applying to guide on (you will be charged a $600 permit fee plus a handling fee for each WMA requested on your application)
• List all of your organization's guides on the permit application (up to two guides per permit)
• Apply before the annual deadline of Aug. 30 (late applications will not be accepted)

Important: Your application may be denied if it is incomplete or you haven't met the required provisions. (See the requirements listed above.) You will not receive a permit if you are currently under any active hunting or fishing license suspension or revocation recognized by the Utah DWR.

Apply now for a special-use permit to guide on WMAs.

Permit holder responsibilities and commitments

If you obtain a special-use permit for WMA guiding, you are required to follow all of the laws, rules and regulations in the Utah Waterfowl Guidebook and to meet the following commitments:

• Only guide within the dates listed on your permit. Special-use WMA guiding permits go into effect on the date of the waterfowl season opener of the zone you're guiding in. Permits expire on the last day of the dark goose season applicable to the WMA listed on the permit.
• Attend a mandatory meeting before the hunt. DWR personnel will explain the rules and regulations of the WMA at this required meeting. They will provide WMA information about season dates, bag limits, parking lot rules, shooting restrictions and more. If you don't attend the meeting, you won't be allowed to guide on the WMA until you meet with DWR personnel.
• Comply with parking requirements. Only two vehicles (belonging to the guide and client) are allowed in the WMA parking area at any given time. This is necessary to reduce the number of vehicles taking up space in parking areas.
• Complete the annual reporting requirement. You must submit your annual WMA guiding summary report to the DWR by March 1 of the year after you guide. (Important: If your report is not turned in by the March deadline, future permit applications could be denied.) This report must include the following detailed information from each of the guides listed on your permit:
  • The specific WMA where the guiding occurred
  • Activity each day on the WMA (hunting, scouting, etc.)
  • Number of hunters each day
  • Units hunted each day
  • Number and species of birds harvested each day
  • State of residency for each hunter

Utah WMAs where guiding is allowed

You can apply for a special-use permit to guide on the WMAs listed below. Please keep in mind that the fee for each WMA costs $600 plus an additional handling fee. The WMAs are as follows:

• Bicknell Bottoms
• Browns Park
• Clear Lake
• Desert Lake
• Farmington Bay
• Harold Crane
• Howard Slough
• James Walter Fitzgerald
• Locomotive Springs
• Manti Meadows
• Mills Meadows
• Ogden Bay
• Powell Slough
• Public Shooting Grounds
• Redmond Marsh
• Salt Creek
• Stewart Lake
• Timpie Springs
• Topaz Slough
• Willard Spur

You can find maps and boundaries for all of the above WMAs on the Utah Hunt Planner.

Learn more

If you have additional questions about the process of applying for a special-use permit to guide on a WMA, please contact Chelsea Duke at 801-538-4866 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or contact your nearest DWR office.