Anyone gathering shed antlers or horns in Utah between Jan 1 and May 31 must first complete the free online Antler Gathering Ethics Course and carry the certificate in the field — a new certificate is required every year, and it doesn't authorize entering closed areas or private land. Outside that window, no certificate is needed. In severe winters, the DWR director can order an emergency statewide closure of shed gathering under Utah's big-game winter feeding policy. Buying sheds for resale requires a $150 commercial Certificate of Registration.
LAST CHECKED August 29, 2026 · RULES CHANGE — CONFIRM WITH UTAH DIVISION OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES (DWR) BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT.
Set by: Utah DWR Director
No pending rule changes found as of the last check.
UDWR's own statewide series: mule deer 1925-2024, elk 1931-2024, pronghorn 1946-2024. Success = total harvest / hunters afield, computed where both are published.
CWD has been documented in free-ranging deer or elk in 15 counties as of May 2026. Captive-cervid detections are also on record in 7 counties.
Carbon · Daggett · Davis · Duchesne · Emery · Grand · Juab · Morgan · Salt Lake · San Juan · Sanpete · Summit · Tooele · Uintah · Utah
SOURCE: USGS NATIONAL WILDLIFE HEALTH CENTER — CWD DISTRIBUTION BY STATE AND COUNTY, VER. 4.0 (AUG 2026).
13 mule deer — migration corridors, stopovers, and winter ranges mapped from GPS-collared animals and published by the USGS Corridor Mapping Team with the state agency.
SOURCE: USGS — UNGULATE MIGRATIONS OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES, VOLS. 1–6
Every state reports these numbers to the federal government on the same terms, so they compare cleanly across states. A license holder is a person — one hunter can buy several licenses or tags in a season.
SOURCE: U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE — HUNTING LICENSE CERTIFICATIONS. FEDERAL DATA RUNS TWO YEARS BEHIND; 2024 IS THE MOST RECENT SALES YEAR PUBLISHED.
H.B. 382 (2024) REPORTEDLY GAVE THE WILDLIFE BOARD AUTHORITY OVER GATHERING SEASONS AND FEES, BUT THE BILL TEXT COULDN'T BE LOADED TO CONFIRM SPECIFICS. VIOLATION PENALTIES AREN'T STATED ON THE DWR PAGE.