SALT LAKE CITY — As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its second year, people in Utah seem to be spending more time in the outdoors.
Utah State Parks and other land management agencies have seen a a significant increase in the number of visitors over the past year.
On Thursday, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources announced a record year for hunting and fishing license sales.
March 2020 to February 2021 saw a 28% increase in total license sales from the previous year.
- 222,124 combination licenses, which allow hunting and fishing were sold, up from 183,358 from last year.
- 417,883 fishing licenses were sold, an increase of more than 100,000 licenses from the year before.
- 68,265 hunting licenses were sold, up from the previous year’s 50,551 hunting licenses.
“License dollars are used by the DWR to carry out the division's mission to conserve and protect the wildlife of Utah,” DWR Licensing Commissioner, Phil Gray said. “So any time you buy a fishing or hunting license, you are helping conserve wildlife in Utah.”
The money is used for projects like improving habitat for our various fish and wildlife species in the state, so that everyone can continue enjoying them for years to come, Gray said.
