Gathering deer, elk and moose antlers
has been put on hold in 11 counties in Utah, including several northeastern counties. Uintah and Duchesne County both made the list from the Division of Wildlife Resources. The emergency closure is due to the extreme, prolonged cold and deep snow making it difficult for deer to find food. Minimizing activities on the winter ranges is essential to reducing the stress to the animals. “These animals and other wildlife in the areas are stressed,” shares DWR Director Greg Sheehan. “They cannot sustain being repeatedly moved around by shed hunters looking for dropped antlers. We support shed antler gathering but we’re asking, through this emergency order, that you wait until April 1 to move through these winter range areas.” Anyone caught gathering shed antlers in Box Elder, Cache, Rich, Weber, Morgan, Summit, Wasatch, Carbon, Emery, Duchesne and Uintah Counties will be cited. Anyone gathering shed antlers in other counties must take the course available at
www.wildlife.utah.gov
.
