How Utah Is Restoring Habitats For Mule Deer Survival

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has been hard at work helping the state’s mule deer population rebound. In fiscal year 2024, the agency completed 115 habitat projects and launched a new online dashboard to give the public easier access to deer-related information.

Utah’s deer numbers have gone through ups and downs in recent decades. The 2024 post-hunting season population estimate came in at about 295,200 deer — roughly 73% of the long-term management objective of 404,900. To address this, the DWR has focused on restoring habitats and improving forage.

DWR Spends $38 Million On Habitat Restoration

From July 2023 to June 2024, more than $38 million was invested in deer-related habitat work, restoring over 133,000 acres across the state. “These important projects were administered through Utah’s Watershed Restoration Initiative and the DWR Habitat Council, which coordinates, facilitates and promotes these important habitat restoration projects that improve the quality and quantity of habitats for deer and other wildlife,” DWR Habitat Conservation Coordinator Daniel Eddington said in a press release.

DWR

Eddington noted that many ecosystems deer rely on have aging vegetation with poor nutritional value. “For mule deer populations to thrive in Utah, it is essential that extensive habitat treatments be completed to revert sagebrush habitat areas back to young, shrub-dominated plant communities and to restore aspen communities,” he said.

Alongside the habitat work, the DWR rolled out its new online mule deer dashboard this month. “This new resource is a one-stop shop for information about Utah’s mule deer,” DWR Big Game Coordinator Dax Mangus said in a press release. The dashboard includes migration data, population estimates, harvest success, habitat projects, and even videos and podcasts about deer management.

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For hunters, wildlife enthusiasts, or anyone curious about Utah’s deer, the dashboard is designed to make staying informed easier than ever.

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Gallery Credit: Scott Clow