Utah adds 450 elk hunting permits as drought strains herds

Overview

Updated 7 days ago

Utah's elk are running out of food. Statewide reservoirs sit at 32% capacity, drought has withered the forage elk depend on, and herds have grown beyond what the land can carry. The Utah Wildlife Board on Aug. 20 added 450 antlerless elk hunting permits across eight units where elk exceed population objectives by hundreds.

The new tags are on top of about 12,000 antlerless permits already issued in the spring draw. Statewide, elk are estimated at 83,020, about 2,420 above the management objective of 80,600. Managers say active harvest beats letting elk starve, wander onto highways, or eat farmers' crops.

Why it matters

With reservoirs at 32%, western states are using hunting permits to manage wildlife before starvation and conflicts with towns get worse.

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Key Indicators

2,420

Elk above statewide objective

Estimated 83,020 elk in Utah against an objective of 80,600, per DWR's May 2026 permit plan.

12,000

Baseline antlerless elk permits

DWR issued about 12,000 antlerless elk permits in the spring draw; the 450 drought permits are on top of that.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

People Involved

Mike Wardle

Big Game Coordinator, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Presented drought-driven permit proposal to Wildlife Board

David Stoner

Wildlife Extension Specialist and Associate Professor, Utah State University

Researching drought effects on wildlife habitat

Rusty Robinson

Once-in-a-Lifetime Species Coordinator, Utah DWR

Monitoring Book Cliffs bison following pneumonia outbreak

Organizations Involved

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

State Agency (Utah Department of Natural Resources)

Managing drought impact on wildlife populations

Utah's state agency responsible for managing wildlife populations and hunting regulations.

Utah Wildlife Board

Appointed Board

Unanimously approved additional elk permits

Seven-member citizen board that sets hunting, fishing, and wildlife-management policy for Utah.

Utah State University

Land-grant University

Research partner providing drought-wildlife analysis

Utah's land-grant university, whose wildlife ecology researchers study drought impacts on habitat.

Timeline

July 2026 September 2026

6 events Latest: September 4th, 2026 · 1 week ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

September 2026
450 additional elk permits added as Utah's intense drought persists
Latest Media Coverage

KSL reports on the permit increase and alternate-draw distribution to hunters.
September 4th, 2026
Deseret News reports elk permits as reservoirs hit 32%
Media Coverage

Deseret News details the permit increase and notes statewide reservoir storage is at 32% capacity.
September 1st, 2026
August 2026
Regional outlets detail eight affected elk units
Media Coverage

KPCW and TownLift report the 450 additional antlerless elk permits, listing Panguitch Lake, Mt. Dutton, Monroe, Fishlake, Boulder, North Slope–Three Corners, Nebo, and Wasatch.
August 25th, 2026
DWR announces elk permit increase and bison hunt changes
Announcement

Division of Wildlife Resources issues official notice; also waives surrender requirements for Book Cliffs bison hunt.
August 21st, 2026
Utah Wildlife Board approves 450 additional elk permits
Policy Decision

Board unanimously approves 450 antlerless elk permits across eight hunting units citing drought-reduced forage.
August 20th, 2026
July 2026
Pneumonia kills 40% of Book Cliffs bison herd
Wildlife Event

A pneumonia outbreak in the Book Cliffs' Bitter Creek area kills nearly 40% of adult bison over several weeks.
July 31st, 2026

Scenarios

Hunters fill permits; elk herds rebalance

Likely Resolves by Jan 15, 2027

Discussed by: DWR big game coordinator Mike Wardle; Utah State University researchers

Hunters take advantage of the 450 additional antlerless permits through the alternate draw system. Post-hunt population surveys show elk numbers in targeted units returning to objective levels. DWR cites the permit increase as a successful drought-responsive management tool.

Drought persists; Utah expands hunting options again

Possible Resolves by Aug 15, 2027

Discussed by: Mike Wardle, DWR big game coordinator; David Stoner, Utah State University

Dry conditions continue through fall and winter, and spring snowpack comes in below average. Wildlife managers return to the board in mid-2027 with another request for above-baseline antlerless permits, possibly more than this year's 450, citing continued forage shortages.

Elk herds crash despite added hunts

Unlikely Resolves by May 31, 2027

Discussed by: David Stoner, Utah State University

The hunts remove some elk, but drought kills more forage than the permits offset. Calf survival drops sharply and DWR winter surveys document elk deaths from starvation across the targeted units. Managers acknowledge the permit expansion was insufficient to prevent population damage.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1934-1937

Dust Bowl cattle buyout (1934)

Extreme drought across the Southern Plains destroyed forage for millions of cattle. The federal government, through the Federal Surplus Relief Corporation, bought and slaughtered over 8 million cattle to shrink herds that the land could not feed.

Then

Millions of cattle were culled; ranchers received payments but lost their herds.

Now

Established a precedent for government-managed herd reduction when drought eliminates forage.

Why this matters now

Like the Dust Bowl buyout, Utah's permit increase is government action to align animal numbers with drought-limited forage. The difference: the 1930s paid ranchers to give up animals; today's state charges hunters for the right to take them.

1995-2006

Yellowstone elk management

After wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995, elk on the park's northern range grew then fluctuated dramatically. The park service used qualified volunteer hunters to cull excess elk while debate raged over whether hunting or natural predation should control herds.

Then

Northern-range elk dropped from roughly 17,000 to about 8,000 animals.

Now

Normalized hunting as a legitimate elk management tool on public land.

Why this matters now

Shows the long-running American debate about hunting vs. letting nature take its course. Utah's drought-driven permits continue that same argument under new stress.

2010s-present

Great Basin wild horse gathers (2010s-present)

The Bureau of Land Management gathers wild horses across the West when herds exceed range carrying capacity, especially during drought. Removed horses go to long-term holding facilities.

Then

Target herds are thinned, but holding and feeding removed horses costs taxpayers tens of millions of dollars annually.

Now

Ongoing controversy over whether gathers are humane, effective, and fair to all interests.

Why this matters now

Same core dilemma as Utah's elk: what to do when drought-shrunken rangeland can't support current animal numbers. But wild horses are widely beloved, and the backlash against their removal shows what happens when the public rejects the culling tool.