What the DWR does to help Utah's deer

Find out more about mule deer and what the DWR is doing to help them.

Multi-year, multi-pronged efforts are top priorities for the Division of Wildlife Resources. — Read more.

• Restoring mule deer habitat: Watershed Restoration Initiative tackles top problem facing deer herds.
• Mule deer research is underway in Utah: The DWR has started, or is in the process of starting, several mule-deer related research projects across Utah.
• The effects of predators on mule deer herds: If there's one word that can get a deer hunter's blood boiling, it's this one — predators. But are hunters focusing their frustration on the right target?


Carbon County mule deer

• Supplemental winter feeding of deer: During severe winter weather, the public is understandably concerned about deer. Read more about why winter feeding isn't always the most appropriate solution.
• Learn about mule deer habitat: Good, sustainable habitat is key to the long-term health of Utah's deer herds. Find out what type of habitat and shelter mule deer need to survive.
• Restoring Utah mule deer habitat: Utah leads the West in habitat restoration. Spearheaded by the DWR, the Watershed Restoration Initiative is a unique partnership working toward healthy wildlife habitat.
• Threats to mule deer herds: Weather, urbanization, invasive plants, predators, wildfires and unmanaged grazing all affect the health of Utah's deer herds.
• Minimizing browsing damage from deer: As Utah's housing developments expand, deer find new human neighbors in their backyards who might not like them nibbling on their tulips and fruit trees. Find out what you can do to get along with the deer in your yard.
• Disease issues in Utah deer: The division closely monitors Utah's deer herds to check for chronic wasting disease. If you've stopped at a checking station, you've likely had first-hand experience with these efforts.

Mule deer management plans

• Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan — PDF
• Unit deer management plans

The Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA)

• WAFWA Mule Deer Working Group publications
  The DWR is active in the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies and in the Mule Deer Working Group.
  • Fact Sheet 1: Relationships Among Mule Deer and Their Predators
  • Fact Sheet 2: Understanding Mule Deer and Winter Feeding
  • Fact Sheet 3: Highway Effects On Mule Deer Movement and Survival
  • Fact Sheet 4: Competition Between Mule Deer and Elk
  • Fact Sheet 5: Carrying Capacity — How Many Deer Can We Have?
  • Fact Sheet 6: Understanding Mule Deer and Antler Point Restrictions
  • Fact Sheet 7: Antlerless Mule Deer Harvest
  • Fact Sheet 8: Illegal Harvest and Mule Deer Populations
  • Fact Sheet 9: Urban Mule Deer Issues
  • Fact Sheet 10: Translocation of Mule Deer
  • Fact Sheet 11: Disease and Parasite of Mule Deer
  • Fact Sheet 12: Understanding Mule Deer Migration
  • Fact Sheet 14: Fertility Control and Mule Deer Population Management
  • Fact Sheet 16: Mule Deer Shed Antler Hunting
  • Fact Sheet 17: Winter Range Disturbance
  • Fact Sheet 18: Mule Deer and the Effects Of Fire
  • Fact Sheet 19: Mule Deer Nutrition
  • Fact Sheet 20: Mule Deer Management and the Public Process
  • Fact Sheet 21: Pinyon-Juniper Management for Mule Deer
  • Fact Sheet 22: Habitat Conversion by Wildfire and Invasive Species
  • Fact Sheet 24: Managing Hunting for Opportunity or Mature Bucks
  • Fact Sheet 26: Encountering Newborn Deer Fawns
  • Fact Sheet 29: Mule Deer and Wild/Feral Horses and Burros
  • Fact Sheet 31: Assessing Mule Deer Harvest
  • Fact Sheet 32: Historical and Current Mule Deer Abundance
• Mule deer: Changing Landscapes, Changing Perspectives
• Mule Deer and Movement Barriers

Utah's Watershed Restoration Initiative

• The initiative is committed to finding and implementing solutions to problems facing Utah's landscapes.

Deer-related Wildlife Board meetings

You can watch Utah Wildlife Board meetings about deer hunting (typically April or May and December).

A program to control coyotes and other predators

• Utah's predator-control program

Antler gathering ethics course

• From Feb. 1 to April 15, shed antler and horn gathers must possess an antler-gathering certificate. To obtain this certificate, take this online ethics course. You may print the certificate at the end of the course.