The Utah Wildlife Board approved the big game hunting permit numbers for 2025, as well as a few other changes to big game hunting rules in Utah, during its public meeting Thursday.

What impacts deer populations in Utah

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,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Big Game Coordinator Dax 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 numbers are decided

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 when recommending hunting permit numbers for deer each year:

• 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, eight hunting units were approved for 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.”

During Thursday’s meeting, the Utah Wildlife Board approved a total of 80,200 general-season deer hunting permits, which is a 8,675-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. We experienced favorable weather conditions this past winter and are seeing benefits from habitat improvement, predator management and other work done to directly benefit mule deer. We are excited to offer an increase to deer permits for the 2025 hunting season.”

Approved elk permits

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. The board approved a slight increase in public draw limited-entry bull elk permits for the 2025 hunts. An increase in antlerless elk permits was also approved in order to manage the overall population numbers to meet management objectives.

Approved big game permits

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

Hunt:

2024 Permits:

2025: Permits:

Hunt: General-season buck deer

2024 Permits: 71,525

2025: Permits: 80,200

Hunt: Limited-entry buck deer

2024 Permits: 1,336

2025: Permits: 1,547

Hunt: Antlerless deer

2024 Permits: 450

2025: Permits: 340

Hunt: General-season any bull elk

2024 Permits: 15,000

2025: Permits: 15,000 for adults in the early general-season any bull elk hunt (for any legal weapon and muzzleloader hunters). Unlimited for youth. Unlimited for archery hunters. Unlimited for the general-season any bull late hunt (sold over the counter)

Hunt: General-season spike bull elk

2024 Permits: 15,000

2025: Permits: 15,000 (sold over the counter, with a cap of 4,500 multiseason permits)

Hunt: Uinta Basin private-lands-only any bull elk

2024 Permits: (This is a new hunt and wasn’t available in 2024)

2025: Permits: 500

Hunt: Antlerless elk

2024 Permits: 19,626

2025: Permits: 20,798

Hunt: Youth draw-only any bull /hunter’s choice elk

2024 Permits: 750

2025: Permits: 750

Hunt: Limited-entry bull elk

2024 Permits: 3,412

2025: Permits: 3,533

Hunt: Buck pronghorn

2024 Permits: 1,506

2025: Permits: 1,739

Hunt: Doe pronghorn

2024 Permits: 210

2025: Permits: 505

Hunt: Bull moose

2024 Permits: 104

2025: Permits: 106

Hunt: Antlerless moose

2024 Permits: 12

2025: Permits: 15

Hunt: Bison

2024 Permits: 96

2025: Permits: 133

Hunt: Desert bighorn sheep

2024 Permits: 76

2025: Permits: 88

Hunt: Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep

2024 Permits: 57

2025: Permits: 52

Hunt: Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep ewe hunt

2024 Permits: 5

2025: Permits: 5

Hunt: Mountain goat

2024 Permits: 95

2025: Permits: 103

Approved antlerless permits

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 overutilization)
• To reduce conflicts on private property, including depredation issues
• To reduce animals on busy roads or within city/town limits, to reduce public safety concerns

“Because reducing the number of female animals in a herd can reduce the overall population, all of Utah’s 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 changes

The wildlife board also approved a few changes to current big game rules, including:

• Clarifying updates to mandatory harvest reporting deadlines: This will 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 will only affect the latest hunts and will give biologists more time to compile the data before making big game permit recommendations each year.
• 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 will provide a similar opportunity for youth. However, youth will 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 change will address those concerns and doesn’t create a significant disease risk. (Most hunters who import skulls take them to a taxidermist or clean them themselves without discarding brain matter in wildlife habitats in Utah.)

The board also asked the DWR to monitor and assess the use of planes, helicopters and drones in the retrieval of big game animals that have been harvested by a hunter. There are currently regulations in place prohibiting the use of drones, airplanes and other aerial devices in locating and harvesting protected wildlife, including big game animals.

In addition, the wildlife board voted to have the DWR look into different procedures for contacting or notifying hunters when a bighorn sheep hunting opportunity becomes available, due to disease concerns for a lone sheep or a herd.

CWMU antlerless permit numbers and other changes

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 board approved a total of 688 public and 48 private antlerless big game CWMU permits for 2025. The board also approved applications for two new CWMUs, nine application changes for existing CWMUs, and renewed 15 other CWMU applications. The board also approved adjusted permit numbers for three CWMUs that had added additional acreage last fall, which were overlooked during the fall proposals.

Other approved changes

The board also approved 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. Part of the approved criteria was to evaluate the benefits to the general public. In addition, the wildlife board requested that the DWR prepare a proposal to determine which landowner vouchers should/shouldn’t lose points, and then take that proposal out for public feedback.

Updates to the expo permits rule were also approved 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.

You can watch the full meeting on the Utah Department of Natural Resources YouTube channel.