Mule Deer and Antler Shed Hunting In Eagle Mountain

Mule deer migration is a critical wildlife issue in Eagle Mountain, Utah, and is impacted by various human activities, including shed antler hunting. The city has been working to protect the mule deer migration route, particularly as development increases through vital wildlife corridors.

The Eagle Mountain Wildlife Corridor is a crucial part of the Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape and has gained federal recognition. This corridor serves as a migratory path for mule deer traveling from the Oquirrh Mountains and Camp Williams, through Eagle Mountain, to their wintering grounds on Lake Mountain. The designation underscores the importance of maintaining wildlife connectivity in the area.

Protecting the mule deer migration route is a complex endeavor, and the city of Eagle Mountain has been collaborating with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) since 2018 to address the issue. Initial concerns arose due to the growing number of deer-vehicle collisions. To mitigate these problems and protect the migration route, several measures have been put in place.

• New regulations have been passed to protect the mule deer.
• Fencing has been installed.
• A thermal infrared detection system was installed at the SR-73 wildlife crossing.
• There are long term plans to install 50 miles of eight-foot-high wildlife fencing, along with two wildlife bridges/overpasses, one wildlife underpass, and at least six at-grade crossings on City streets.

These projects are ongoing and require significant funding and collaboration. The recent designation of the Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape offers new opportunities for funding and resources to support these conservation efforts. Additionally, collaboration with Camp Williams and the West Traverse Sentinel Landscape program is helping to secure the northern end of the migration route. The city also adopted a Wildlife Overlay Zone in 2020 to protect the migration route.

Shed antler hunting is a popular activity in Utah, and it is important to understand its potential impact on wildlife, especially during the winter. The shed antler hunting season runs from January 1 to May 31. Before engaging in this activity, individuals are required to complete the free, online “Utah Antler Gathering Ethics Course”. This course is designed to minimize stress on deer and other big game animals, who rely on fat reserves built up before winter. When these animals are disturbed, they may have to use their energy reserves to move and escape, which can be detrimental. The course aims to help people understand how to minimize stress and avoid habitat damage.

Completing the course and having a certificate allows people to gather antlers in many areas across Utah. Those who do not complete the course may be cited by DWR conservation officers for harassing protected wildlife. It is also important to note that commercial shed antler hunting is regulated by the Utah Wildlife Board. Additionally, individuals should not pick up or move skulls with antlers or horns still attached, as these should be reported through the Utah Deadhead Reporter app.

In conclusion, protecting the mule deer migration route in Eagle Mountain requires a multifaceted approach that includes the establishment of wildlife corridors, collaboration between government agencies and community stakeholders, and responsible recreational practices like shed antler hunting. The ongoing efforts to enhance the migration route demonstrate a commitment to both conservation and community development.

Press Release from Utah DWR

Want to gather shed antlers from Jan. 1 through May 31? Take the free, mandatory ethics course

SALT LAKE CITY — Collecting shed antlers from many big game species, including deer, elk and moose, is a popular pastime in Utah. But before you head outdoors to collect shed antlers during the next few months, you must complete the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources’ Antler Gathering Ethics course — and the dates the course is required have recently changed.

After dropping their antlers each winter, male deer, elk and moose will grow a new set of antlers starting in spring. Looking for the shed antlers is a fun activity that many Utah families enjoy. However, late winter and early spring are tough times of the year for deer, elk and moose, which is why the educational ethics course is required if you want to go “shed hunting” between Jan. 1 and May 31. (Previously, taking the course was only required for those collecting shed antlers between Feb. 1 and April 15. In May 2024, the Utah Wildlife Board approved some date changes.) 

“During winter, big game animals, especially deer, often have a difficult time obtaining enough nutritional food,” DWR Once-In-A-Lifetime Species Coordinator Rusty Robinson said. “As a result, they often survive on fat reserves they have built up before winter. If the animals receive constant pressure from people and repeatedly have to run or move, they can use up the fat reserves and energy they need to make it through the winter. Being disturbed briefly once or twice isn’t too significant, but we have over 20,000 people who routinely shed hunt in Utah each year, so ongoing, repeated disturbances can be detrimental to deer.”

From late winter through early spring, the habitat that big game animals rely on is usually wet, which means it’s more at risk for damage. The free antler gathering ethics course can help you learn how to minimize stress to wildlife and also how to avoid damaging their habitats during this critical time of year. 

Completing the course is mandatory if you want to gather shed antlers from Jan. 1 to May 31, and it must be completed each year. However, if you wait until after May 31 to gather antlers, you don’t need to complete the course. You can find the free 2025 course on the DWR website. About 20,000 people take the mandatory course each year to look for shed antlers in Utah. 

After you finish the course, you must either:

• Store the certificate of completion in the DWR Hunting and Fishing app
• Print your certificate of completion and carry it with you in the field while “shed hunting” 

People who haven’t taken the mandatory Antler Gathering Ethics course or who are detected harassing protected wildlife may be cited by DWR conservation officers. 

Areas where you can’t collect shed antlers

Completing the course and having the certificate of completion with you allows you to gather antlers in many locations across Utah. However, some notable exceptions include: 

• Wildlife management areas: Many of the state’s wildlife management areas are closed in the winter and spring to protect animals and their habitat. Double-check for any closures before entering a WMA to gather shed antlers. You can find a list of Utah’s wildlife management areas and any seasonal closures on the DWR website. 
• Private property: You must have written permission from the landowner before gathering antlers on private land.
• Native American lands, national parks and many national monuments are also closed to gathering antlers or horns. 

Commercial shed hunting in Utah

In May, the Utah Wildlife Board also approved a new law designating that legally obtained shed antlers and horns may be purchased or sold at any time in a whole or altered state. However, a certificate of registration — a document that authorizes a particular activity — is required for commercial antler buyers. A “commercial antler buyer” is defined as an individual or entity that buys shed antlers or horns to resell them for financial gain. This new rule does not apply to shed hunters who pick up shed antlers off the ground and then sell them to an antler buyer. 

Reporting “deadheads”

If you find a skull with the antlers or horns still attached (often referred to as a “deadhead”), that animal could have been poached. Do not pick up or move the skull or disturb footprints or other evidence at the scene. Instead, you should report it through the Utah Deadhead Reporter app, which was released in April 2023, to increase the efficiency of those reports.

 

You will need to download the app when you have cellphone service, but once downloaded, you can submit a report from the field even without cellphone service. To submit a report on the app, you will need to include:

• Your DWR customer ID
• A GPS location of the skull
• Photos of the animal and surrounding scene
• Other important details

Conservation officers often let the person who reported the find keep the antlers if they determine that the animal died of natural causes or other non-suspicious circumstances.

For more information about gathering shed antlers in Utah, call the nearest DWR office.

Bibliography

Here is a Chicago style bibliography for the sources used:

• “DWR News Release: Want to gather shed antlers from Jan. 1 through May 31? Take the free, mandatory ethics course.” Email from Faith Jolley, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, December 31, 2024.
• “Federal recognition of wildlife corridor enhances conservation efforts.” Eagle Mountain City News, May 15, 2024.
• “The Eagle’s View.” Eagle Mountain City Newsletter, November 2024.