Mule Deer Now!

We need your help to fix Utah’s Mule Deer. One of the West’s most iconic species, Mule Deer are the backbone of hunting and wildlife conservation.  Sign the petition to demand Mule Deer restoration in Utah now.

We sportsmen call on the Utah Department of Natural Resources and Utah Division of Wildlife to:

1. Make Mule Deer recovery in Utah a primary objective.
2. Manage Mule Deer to produce and sustain a minimum 400,000 mule deer population statewide.
3. Dramatically increase predator control funding and efforts in each county within Utah.
4. Set Mule Deer hunting permit numbers annually, and decrease the number of tags when necessary, according to mule deer populations and buck-to-doe ratios within each of Utah’s 30 individual mule deer regions.

Yes, I want to get involved in Restoring Utah’s Mule Deer!

We can’t wait 20 years in hopes that Mule Deer populations might rebound.  Now is the time to pull out the stops and manage for immediate success.  Tens of millions of dollars invested in wild Mule Deer habitat have failed to stop the decline of Utah’s Mule Deer population.  More is needed to restore Mule Deer in Utah.

The Buck starts here.
Increasingly, conservation minded sportsmen in Utah and across the West are raising the alarm. In years past, huge numbers of mule deer roamed the mountains, sage flats, green valleys and deserts of the Western United States. But now, too few deer, too few bucks, too few young deer are recruited into the population annually.  All indicators show the problem is getting much worse.

The good news is that some herds are making amazing comebacks.  These herds not only have substantial increases in populations, they show improvements in healthy population dynamics, overall herd health and increased hunter opportunity.  In each of these areas, proven winning combinations of habitat investment, careful predator control, water development, and highway work, were needed to successfully recover populations. More is needed. With your help, we can demand more success stories, not only in some deer management areas, but across the state of Utah.

Solutions

SFW has a history of tackling some of America’s most difficult wildlife issues.  We believe that now is the time to turn the tide on declining mule deer populations.
To improve opportunity and conservation, we need more deer in Utah’s wilds.

Feed

Protect

Grow

We propose the following goals and solutions:
(1) Double Utah’s deer populations, to a minimum of 400,000 Mule Deer.
(2) 3-5 years time frame to grow 400,000 deer. Pull out the stops to reach 400,000 deer quickly.
(3) No Excuses. The status quo when it comes to Mule Deer is not acceptable.  Better use of resources and winning combinations of multiple intensive management tools should be utilized for each struggling herd.
(4) Continue Habitat and Highway work to support ongoing success.
(5) Restore predator balance:
(a) dramatic decreases in coyote numbers;
(b) $50 statewide coyote bounty;
(c) more resources for professional control efforts (trapping and aerial removals).
(d) better control of other large predators until mule deer are restored.
(6) Once 400,000 deer are established, maintain the population on a sustained basis.

Get Involved. Join today!

We are asking each one of you to join the Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife Mule Deer campaign. To be successful, this will be a hands-on effort. Here is how you can help.

Sportsmen Mobilizing Together-Become a Supporter
If Mule Deer restoration is a priority to you, simply add your name to the SFW Mule Deer Petition above. This way we can collectively communicate with leaders in our state so they know that sportsmen want Mule Deer fixed now.  This will be a big effort.  We need an army of sportsmen ready to answer the call when it is needed.

SFW Organizing Mule Deer Restoration
We are organizing teams in your community to ensure that Mule Deer restoration can be a success not only statewide, but also in your backyard. If you want to get more involved, check the box on the petition “I want to get more involved.” We can then put you in touch with other team leaders in your community.

How joining SFW’s Mule Deer Initiative makes a difference
There is a lot of work to be done for Mule Deer restoration to be a success. By organizing teams in your community, success on the ground can be improved. Each team will help to:

Improve information
Good information is a powerful asset. Here is how you can help.
(a) Participating in deer counting days
(b) Providing information on stretches of road with high mule deer mortality
(c)  Reporting areas with high predator numbers
(d) Identifying areas for water, habitat or other projects
(e) Reporting areas with landowner wildlife conflict

Implement Solutions
A lot of the work needed to fix mule deer is hands-on. Here are some areas where you can help.
(a) participating in habitat restoration projects
(b) work with local leaders to ensure that wildlife restoration is a priority
(c)  educating schools and others in your community how they can make a difference
(d) planning projects to lower highway mortality
(e) participate in trapping and predator control work
(f)  installing guzzler and other infrastructure projects
(g) mobilizing sportsmen and citizens in your community to make restoration a priority
(h) raising money for winter feeding projects where appropriate

Provide more man power where needed
A lot of time an effort is spent by Division employees on efforts that could be fulfilled by volunteers.  Here is how volunteers can help
(a) help move depredating elk from farmers fields
(b) repair damaged fences
(c) noxious weed control and removal
(d) deer darting and translocation
(e) raise funds for projects
(f)  work with landowners to  solutions to resolve wildlife conflicts
(g) participate in wildlife feeding projects where appropriate
(h) explore new tools, techniques and investments to turn the tide on Mule Deer

Restoration
We appreciate the dedication of sportsmen to ensure that mule deer and other wildlife is available for future generation.  Working together we can restore abundant mule deer now and for future generations.