Over the past few years, I’ve become more in tune with the weather patterns and moisture levels we receive in the West – or, often, the lack thereof. I spent six years as a wildland firefighter where every morning we’d discuss the weather and take specialized classes on how different weather patterns, including snow levels and moisture, would affect us each year. This experience gave me a solid understanding of how closely weather impacts our environment and resources.
For the last 10 years, I’ve also worked as a hunting guide in Southern Utah where I’ve seen firsthand how drought years affect both antler growth and overall body conditions in the more arid, dry units. When speaking with clients, moisture conditions are always a major topic of discussion, especially when they’re deciding whether to cash in years of points on specific units. The moisture levels in the fall, winter, and spring play such a crucial role in shaping the conditions for that year’s hunt, and understanding those patterns can make all the difference in their decision-making process.
Here’s my take on the subject and how it relates to hunting in the drier, moisture-dependent units of the West. The last few years in Southern Utah have been tough, especially when it comes to growing not just deer numbers, but also the big deer that many of us are after. During the hunting seasons of 2020, 2021, and 2022, we saw firsthand how severely horn growth was impacted, along with the overall body conditions of these deer.
When a big, mature mule deer buck is focused on just surviving the winter and finding enough food to get through each day, there’s simply not enough energy left to grow a massive set of antlers. The science behind this is fairly straightforward – the water content in the forage or feed directly affects the amount of crude fat and protein available for intake. In drought years, ungulates don’t have access to the nutrient-rich food they need to build fat reserves. As a result, they often end up with smaller, more brittle antlers and poorer body conditions overall. This is a key factor when we’re considering the health of the herds and the quality of hunts in these arid units.
We finally saw some good moisture levels in 2023 and 2024, but during the winter of 2023, we experienced too much of a good thing. While the heavy snow was great for the landscape – nourishing plants and trees and ultimately improving the quality of feed and forage – it came with its own set of challenges. The abundance of snow meant that deer, elk, and other animals had to burn a lot of extra calories just to survive the cold and search for food. Can you have too much of a good thing? Absolutely. During the critical spring months when animals should be focusing their energy on growing antlers, much of that vital energy was instead spent just trying to stay alive. As a result, while the landscape may have benefited from the moisture, the animals didn’t get the chance to pack on the inches in their antlers the way we had hoped.
I won’t dive too deep into this, but the outlook for Utah this year might be a bit concerning. December recorded one of the lowest moisture totals ever, which doesn’t bode well for the upcoming season. However, all hope isn’t lost. If we get a wet spring and early summer, it could do wonders for improving body conditions and antler growth. That said, I don’t think the situation will be as dire as it has been in years past because we won’t have multiple years of drought stacking up. To sum it up, if you’re looking at the West and considering the moisture outlook for this year, I’d recommend doing a bit more research on specific areas before deciding whether to burn your points. There’s still potential for recovery, but moisture patterns can be unpredictable, so it’s worth keeping an eye on.
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