PAGE – The Utah Wildlife Board approved a decrease in general-season deer hunting permits for 2021. The decision, made at Thursday’s virtual public meeting, follows recommendations from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologists.

DWR biologists said the permit reductions are necessary to help maintain healthy wildlife populations across the state.

According to the Utah Department of Natural Resources, “DWR biologists evaluate the health of deer populations throughout the year (through GPS collaring efforts, surveys, and research projects), and assess the previous year’s harvest data from the deer and elk hunts.

“That information is factored in with current habitat and environmental conditions across the state before hunting permit recommendations are made for the upcoming hunting seasons.”

The current management plan calls for just over 400,000 deer for the state of Utah. The current number falls almost 25% short, with an estimated 314,850 deer across the state.

DWR Big Game Coordinator Covy Jones said, “We’ve had a few drought years in Utah recently, which has a significant impact on the survival rates of deer. In Utah, we have the longest range-trend study in the Western U.S., and we’ve seen that having suitable habitat is crucial for maintaining or growing wildlife populations.” Jones said, “And drought conditions can really negatively impact that habitat, which in turn affects our wildlife species.”

The board approved 74,025 general-season deer hunting permits for 2021, a 5,650-permit decrease from 2020. The Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit program in Utah has opened more than 2 million acres of private land to the public for hunting.