Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has a few things that they want to share with those who are hunting deer in Utah this fall. The mule deer populations have been impacted in big ways by the several years of drought conditions and then the record-breaking snowfall last winter. “There are a few things that can negatively impact deer populations in Utah,” shares DWR Once in a Lifetime Coordinator Rusty Robinson. “Those include poor or limited habitat and extreme weather — either ongoing drought or really heavy snowfall, like we had last winter. 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 after the winter.” The current deer management plan includes an objective to have 404,000 deer across Utah, and the 2022 postseason population estimate is 335,000 deer in the state. In response, the DWR has decreased hunting permits. The general-season buck deer archery hunt will be one the first big game hunts of Utah’s fall season ,which begins Saturday, August 19th. The general-season buck deer hunt (with any legal weapon) runs from October 21st through the 29th. Get more details on the 2023 deer hunts at wildlife.utah.gov.
