FY26 Deer Fawn/Adult Survival and Condition
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Project ID: 7649
Status: Proposed
Fiscal Year: 2026
Submitted By:
N/A
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Project Manager: Kent Hersey
PM Agency: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
PM Office: Salt Lake Office
Lead: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
WRI Region: Statewide
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Description:
DWR has been monitoring survival rates and condition of adult does and fawns for the past 9 years. This information has allowed us to better understand the status and trends in the deer populations. We are proposing to continue this monitoring.
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Location:
We have monitoring sites on the San Juan, Manti, Cache, Oquirrh-Stansbury, Pine Valley, Monroe, Boulder, and South Slope units. We will monitor buck survival on Pine Valley, Monroe, and Cache.
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Project Need
Need For Project:
Mule deer are an important big game species in Utah. Knowing the status and trend of populations is important for management. We propose capturing and GPS-collaring fawns and adults annually to determine survival rates and condition. We will also obtain cause-specific mortality on each unit. This information will help identify limiting factors for each population and help improve/target management.
Objectives:
Estimate annual survival rates and body condition for fawns and adult does for representative locations throughout the state. We will also identify limiting factors for each population.
Project Location/Timing Justification (Why Here? Why Now?):
Abandoning this monitoring effort will give us less trust in population models, and we will be lacking the most basic monitoring component for mule deer (survival rates). We will also lack data on why population may be struggling.
Relation To Management Plan:
The updated management plan relies heavily on the use of survival and body condition data for managing deer populations. Deer populations are to be managed to their population objectives. GPS-collaring these animals and collecting BCS data allows us to know where individual populations are relative to their population objective, and which direction the population is going (increasing, decreasing, stable).
Fire / Fuels:
N/A
Water Quality/Quantity:
N/A
Compliance:
N/A
Methods:
We will GPS radio collar approximately 160 fawns and 180 adult does and 60 yearling bucks on 8 units during December 2025. Deer will be monitored via satellite.
Monitoring:
Deer will be monitored using satellite GPS collars.
Partners:
This project is a partnership with DWR, BYU, and conservation organizations.
Future Management:
Knowing the survival rates and condition of does and fawns throughout the state allows us to better understand and manage deer across Utah.
Sustainable Uses of Natural Resources:
N/A
| Budget | WRI/DWR | Other | Budget Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $450,000.00 | $0.00 | $450,000.00 | $0.00 | $450,000.00 |
| Item | Description | WRI | Other | In-Kind | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | $450,000.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2026 |
| Funding | WRI/DWR | Other | Funding Total | In-Kind | Grand Total |
| $450,000.00 | $0.00 | $450,000.00 | $0.00 | $450,000.00 |
| Source | Phase | Description | Amount | Other | In-Kind | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Aid (PR) | $337,500.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2026 | ||
| External Conservation Permit | $112,500.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 2026 |
Species
| Species | "N" Rank | HIG/F Rank | ||||
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| Mule Deer | R1 | |||||
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Habitats
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Project Comments
Completion
Start Date:
End Date:
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Project Narrative:
Future Management:
Map Features
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Project Map
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