Salt Lake City — 2025 saw some great work from people helping to benefit wildlife in Utah, with volunteers in the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Dedicated Hunter Program completing 1,176 projects last year.
The Dedicated Hunter Program is a service-based hunting program that allows participants to have more time to hunt deer each year. In 2025, there were 1,547 people who participated in the program. Participants are required to complete 32 hours of DWR-approved service (or pay for their hours) in order to qualify for deer hunting permits through the program. They enroll in the program for a three-year period and can harvest two deer during that period if they meet the service requirements.
"The Dedicated Hunter Program provides opportunities for hunters and the DWR to work together as partners to improve wildlife habitat, increase hunting and angling opportunities and support all forms of wildlife recreation in Utah," DWR Dedicated Hunter Coordinator Aaron Sisson said. "Dedicated Hunters contribute thousands of hours of service each year and accomplish an incredible amount of work that benefits wildlife, which would otherwise not happen at this scale."
Last year, the participants in this important program completed a total of 62,417 volunteer hours toward fish- and wildlife-related projects. They also provided the equivalent of $2.4 million in equipment, labor and materials for use in projects. Over 52% of the projects were aimed at benefiting big game animals and wildlife habitat, specifically.
The projects completed by Dedicated Hunter volunteers last year included:
- Improving habitat for wildlife (including planting seeds and shrubs, removing trash from wildlife management areas and removing noxious weeds)
- Helping install guzzlers, which are large devices that catch and store water from snow and rain to provide drinking water for wildlife during dry years
- Assisting with wildlife monitoring (including helping biologists with wildlife population surveys, fish gillnetting surveys and bird-banding projects to help track their migrations)
- Teaching hunting and fishing to others
- Helping with wildlife recreation events
- Helping maintain and repair state facilities
"We are grateful for these passionate hunters who give back to wildlife through their service in this program,” Sisson said. “These important projects truly make a difference for wildlife and conservation in Utah."
In 2024, Dedicated Hunter volunteers completed a record 1,473 projects.
