DWR releases recommendations for 2025 big game hunting permits

Salt Lake City — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is releasing its proposed big game hunting permit numbers for 2025 and is also proposing some changes to big game hunting rules in Utah. The DWR is asking for the public's feedback on these recommendations, as well as on a variety of other proposals.

What impacts deer populations in Utah

DWR Big Game Coordinator Dax Mangus explains, "We have experienced favorable weather conditions and are seeing benefits from habitat improvement, predator management and other work done to directly benefit mule deer. We are excited to recommend an increase to deer permits for the 2025 season. Our deer populations have responded positively to conditions over the last year, and changes to our statewide deer management plan enable us to offer more hunting opportunities."

There are a few factors that impact deer populations in Utah and can cause them to increase or decrease. Some of those factors include:

• Weather and precipitation (either extreme, ongoing drought or really heavy snowfall during the winter)
• Predator balance
• The quality and quantity of available habitat (which can be impacted by weather as well)
• Adult doe survival
• Fawn survival
• Fawn production

"It should be noted that harvesting buck deer does not drive deer populations," Mangus said. "That is a common misconception we hear when we make permit number recommendations each year. The most important factors that drive deer population numbers are the survival rates of doe deer (since bucks don't have babies), fawn production and fawn survival over the winter. The way we hunt buck deer in Utah doesn't drive deer populations, but what happens with deer populations drives how we hunt buck deer."

How deer permit recommendations are made

The DWR manages deer, elk and other wildlife in accordance with approved management plans to help maintain healthy wildlife populations across the state. The current Utah Mule Deer Statewide Management Plan was approved by the Utah Wildlife Board in December 2024 and featured a few important updates, including:

• Managing more general-season units for a post-season buck-to-doe ratio of 15-17 bucks per 100 does and fewer units for 18-20 bucks per 100 does.
• Updating the post-season buck-to-doe ratios for both the premium limited-entry and limited-entry hunts/units to 40-45 and 25-30, respectively.
• Implementing more data-driven, automatic adjustments to buck deer permits when changes are within 20% of the previous year's permit numbers. Permit changes within 20% of last year's numbers will be implemented automatically, and recommended changes exceeding 20% will go through the public process of the Regional Advisory Council and Utah Wildlife Board meetings.

Along with using the management plans, DWR biologists also weigh additional factors and data in recommending hunting permit numbers for deer:

• Buck-to-doe ratio objectives established in the management plans for each area of the state (including the current estimates, three-year averages and overall trends). The buck-to-doe ratios are a good way to manage social preferences for hunting deer and to allow for consistent management across differently sized units.
• Current population estimates and demographics. (This data is collected through yearly surveys and classifications of deer herds.)
• Survival data from GPS collar studies — as well as the condition of deer (measured during annual capture efforts) — help biologists estimate deer survival for the current winter.
• Hunter harvest rates from the prior hunting season (which can help with estimates for successful harvest in the upcoming year).
• Habitat and environmental conditions across the state.

"Utah has 31 general-season buck deer hunting units," Mangus said. "There are 11 units with a post-season objective of 18-20 bucks per 100 does and 20 units with an objective of 15-17 bucks per 100 does. According to the new statewide plan, we are presenting recommendations for eight hunting units with proposed changes that exceed 20% of last year's permit numbers. Those eight hunting units include Beaver, East; Beaver, West; Cedar/Stansbury; La Sal, La Sal Mtns; Monroe; North Slope; Ogden and Oquirrh/Tintic as well as the new extended-archery-only hunt."

DWR biologists are recommending a total of 80,600 general-season deer hunting permits, which is a 9,075-permit increase from the previous year.

"During our big game captures this last winter, we found that a majority of the deer throughout the state were healthy and in good condition, with high body fat," Mangus said. "Biologists look closely at each hunting unit and individual situation when they make permit recommendations. We use the best available data and our management plans to make proactive recommendations for the herd health of our wildlife."

Elk permit recommendations

The current statewide elk management plan includes an objective to have almost 80,000 elk across Utah — there are currently an estimated 82,140 elk in the state. DWR biologists are recommending a slight increase in public draw limited-entry bull elk permits for the 2025 hunts. An increase in antlerless elk permits is also being recommended in order to manage the overall population numbers to meet management objectives.

Big game permit recommendations

The table below shows the permit recommendations for 2025, including those for the big game hunts, the once-in-a-lifetime hunts and the antlerless hunts:

Antlerless permit recommendations

The DWR issues antlerless permits for big game species in Utah for several reasons:

• To manage population size to the approved population objectives
• For herd health, including reducing disease concerns in certain parts of the state
• To improve the health of the habitat (and to avoid overgrazing)
• To reduce conflicts on private property, including depredation issues

"Because reducing the number of female animals in a herd can reduce the overall population, all of Utah's recommended doe deer hunts are designed to be very targeted to address localized areas of specific concern, conflicts, disease issues or public safety considerations," Mangus said. "Currently, there are no doe deer hunts in Utah that are aimed at reducing the overall deer population on a hunting unit."

Big game rule change proposals

The DWR is also proposing a few changes to current big game rules, including:

• Clarifying updates to mandatory harvest reporting deadlines: This proposal would require big game hunters to submit their harvest reports within 30 days of their hunting season ending or by Feb. 15 at the latest. This change would only affect the latest hunts and would give biologists more time to compile the data before making big game permit recommendations.
• Allowing antlerless hunts in and around the town of Alton to help manage the growing number of deer that are within town limits (after they get through the damaged wildlife-exclusion fence).
• Allowing youth with a restricted rifle permit to hunt all the applicable general-season hunts on their unit. Currently, youth who obtain an any-legal-weapon permit on a general-season deer unit may hunt all the general seasons on that unit, so this would provide a similar opportunity for youth. However, youth would still be required to follow any additional weapons restrictions on that unit. (For example, restricted muzzleloader regulations would apply during the muzzleloader season.)
• Allowing the regulated importation of antlered big game skulls from states with chronic wasting disease. Currently, it is illegal to import deer, elk and moose skulls with brain material from a state where big game animals have tested positive for chronic wasting disease. However, the current regulations were considered burdensome for hunters and had low compliance. This proposed change addresses those concerns and doesn't create a significant disease risk. (Most hunters who import skulls take them to a taxidermist or clear them themselves without discarding brain matter in wildlife habitats in Utah.)

CWMU antlerless permit number recommendations

The DWR oversees the Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit program, which allocates hunting permits to private landowners who then provide hunting opportunities to public and private hunters for a variety of wildlife species. The CWMU program in Utah has opened more than 2 million acres of private land to the public for hunting.

The DWR is recommending a total of 688 public and 48 private antlerless big game CWMU permits for 2025. The DWR is also proposing to approve applications for two new CWMUs, nine application changes for existing CWMUs, and renewing 15 other CWMU applications.

Other proposed changes

The DWR is also proposing a few other changes, including making a few updates to the landowner permits rule to clarify the criteria for landowners — who have between 4,000 and 8,999 contiguous acres — to receive bull elk vouchers.

The DWR is also making some recommended updates to the expo permits rule to eliminate all nonresident-only expo permits and to make the current rule more consistent with the conservation permit rule. Expo permits are offered once each year through a drawing held at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City. Utahns and nonresidents who attend the expo can apply for these permits. There is currently a $5 application fee for expo permits. The DWR is proposing to allow the application fee to be between $5 and $10. Part of the fee goes to the conservation groups hosting the expo to help pay for costs associated with hosting and running the permit drawing. The remaining portion of the application fee is used for conservation efforts to benefit Utah wildlife.

Give feedback

The public meetings for the recommendations can either be viewed virtually or attended in person. You can view the biologists' presentations before the meetings and share your feedback about them on the DWR website. The presentations are also available on the DWR YouTube channel, but comments can only be submitted through the forms on the DWR website.

The public comment period opened on March 28 for each of the five Regional Advisory Council meetings and for the Utah Wildlife Board meeting. Public comments submitted within the online-comment timeframes listed below will be shared with the RAC and wildlife board members at each respective meeting. Members of the public can choose to either watch the meetings online or attend them in person. If you wish to comment during the meeting, you must attend in person. Online comments will only be accepted until the deadlines listed below.

The meetings will be held on the following dates and times:

• Northern Utah RAC meeting: April 9 at 5 p.m. at the Weber County Commission Chambers at 2380 Washington Blvd. #240 in Ogden. (Online comments must be submitted by April 6 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Central Utah RAC meeting: April 10 at 5 p.m. at the DWR Springville Office at 1115 N. Main St. in Springville. (Online comments must be submitted by April 6 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Southern Utah RAC meeting: April 15 at 5 p.m. in the Charles R. Hunter room of the Hunter Conference Center at Southern Utah University at 351 W. University Blvd. in Cedar City. (Online comments must be submitted by April 10 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Southeastern Utah RAC meeting: April 16 at 5 p.m. at the John Wesley Powell Museum at 1765 E. Main St. in Green River. (Online comments must be submitted by April 10 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Northeastern Utah RAC meeting: April 17 at 5 p.m. at the DWR Vernal Office at 318 N. Vernal Ave. (Online comments must be submitted by April 10 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Utah Wildlife Board meeting: May 1 at 9 a.m. at the Eccles Wildlife Education Center at 1157 South Waterfowl Way in Farmington. (Online comments must be submitted by April 24 at 11:59 p.m.)