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Get an inside view of hunting, fishing and our day-to-day work with wildlife. Read the Utah wildlife blog and learn from biologists, wildlife and habitat managers, and other specialists from across the state.
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Learn to fish: planning ahead for success
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There's no wrong way to plan for a fishing trip, but there are lots of good ways to get started. Some anglers collect the most basic information and then head out to explore. Others like to spend a significant amount of time researching their trip to determine the best location, prime species, popular lures, etc. Let's cover some basic tools to help you plan your fishing trip.
Ask a herpetologist
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With so many of Utah's reptiles and amphibians becoming active in the spring and summer, our native herpetology coordinator answers a few general questions about these animals, and shares some best practices for how to interact with them.
Why high water shouldn't mean low expectations
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Variations in our snowpack lead to fluctuations in water levels in our reservoirs, lakes, rivers and streams, which in turn impact the quality of fishing. Here's a summary of how we anticipate water levels — both high and low — impact fishing in Utah in the coming months and beyond.
The Amazing Trace: the epic adventures of Utah's elusive boreal toads
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Although boreal toads are widespread throughout the western United States and Canada, both the number and distribution have declined in recent decades. In an effort to combat this decline, the Utah Division of Wildlife releases captive-raised boreal toads to help bolster local populations.
Learn to fish: basic equipment
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For many anglers, selecting, organizing and using fishing gear is almost as fun and interesting as actually catching fish! But for beginners, it may feel hard to know where to start and what to buy.
Utah's big game bonus points and preference points system
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In this blog post we're diving deeper into understanding Utah's bonus point and preference point system, as well as changes you'll see in the points application process for 2023.
All about "the draw" and Utah's big game permit system
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We get a lot of questions about why Utah has the hunting permit system that it does. Our in-house expert on the intricacies of the permit system talked with us about some misconceptions — and fixable common mistakes — that we see in the application process.
Winter fun at Steinaker, Starvation and Flaming Gorge reservoirs
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Everyone is familiar with Utah's iconic shape and the "bite" taken out of the upper-right corner. But have you hooked a bite there while fishing yet? If not, we encourage you to visit Utah's great northeast this winter for ice fishing, outdoor recreation and more.
3 recent cases where DWR K-9 officers made the difference
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When people think of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources conservation officers, K-9 officers may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But in fact, five of DWR's 55 field officers located throughout Utah serve as K-9 officers.
The Amazing Trace: protecting wildlife by using technology
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With the nearly real-time information provided by geofencing technology, we're able to identify barriers to wildlife migration, monitor access to food resources, track and mitigate disease transmission, investigate causes of death and more.