As deer hunting season draws to a close, the Utah Division of Wildlife Services is optimistic about the future of hunting — and its impact on Utah’s environment.
Since 2019, Utah’s struggling deer populations prompted state limitations on the number of issued hunting permits. This year, however, the state released an increase in permits for the first time in six years.
“When populations decline due to factors like a severe winter or prolonged drought — we adjust permit numbers to account for those impacts,” Dax Mangus, Big Game Coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife, said. “When populations are growing and the number of excess males in the population increases, we will recommend increased hunting permit numbers.”
While deer populations are mostly regulated by natural predators, many of Utah’s wildlife species are dependent on hunting to keep them in check, Mangus said. Doing so provides efficient, targeted relief to overpopulated habitats and over-foraged plants.
“It's a win-win in many regards as hunters are happy to pay for the chance to pursue big game animals with family and friends to harvest organic meat, while at the same time helping keep populations at a healthy level on the landscape,” Mangus said.
When done properly, hunting is a positive practice with few environmental detriments, Mangus said. Science-based practices, such as GPS systems and data analysis, help game wardens create management and preservation plans.
The Division of Wildlife Services also educates hunters about proper treatment and disposal of animal remains to avoid perpetuating disease.
This September, the division launched the Hunters Helping Condors program to incentivize and educate hunters across the state.
“Over the years, many of these enormous rare birds have been inadvertently sickened and killed by lead poisoning. Lead poisoning is, in fact, their leading cause of death,” the program website said.
To encourage hunters to limit lead use, the Division of Wildlife Services partnered with the International Cartridge Corporation, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s to extend vouchers for lead-free bullets, according to the website.
While the Division of Wildlife Services encourages positive change, it also responds to harmful practices, Mangus said. Catching and prosecuting poachers, enforcing game laws, and educating the public are all part of this effort.
Additional measures, such as excise taxes on firearms through the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and hunting-based conservation fundraisers throughout the state, support wildlife research and environment preservation projects, Mangus said. Several programs are designed for individuals.
“Hunters pay for wildlife disease management efforts, wildlife capture and transplant projects and contribute more money directly to habitat improvement projects than other natural resource user groups,” Mangus said.
Mangus believes these projects are an effort to not only preserve the environment but the future of hunting itself.
“For many hunters, their top priority is the sustainable management of wildlife so that they can continue to enjoy it the rest of their life and pass that enjoyment along to their posterity,” Mangus said. “The recruitment and retention of younger hunters is something that hunters regularly focus on and work towards.”
Deer season closes in November and overlaps with several other hunting sessions, including elk and bobcat. Mangus — and the Division of Wildlife Services as a whole— hope hunters will be sensitive advocates to the public and participate in ongoing education efforts both within and outside of the hunting community.
“We want to pass along our wildlife heritage to future generations,” the Division of Wildlife Services website said, “and we want it to be in better shape than when it was passed to us."