Don’t wait until it’s too late: take Hunter Education now
Classes fill up fast
If you want to hunt in Utah this fall—but you haven’t completed the state’s Hunter Education course—there’s still time.
Don’t wait too long, though. Classes fill up fast in the fall.
In addition to the Hunter Education course, the state’s Trial Hunting program is another way to get afield this fall.
Some of the state’s hunts are just around the corner. For example, five upland game hunts start Sept. 1. And special hunting days, for those 17 years of age or younger, start in September.
Hunter Education course
To hunt in Utah, everyone born after Dec. 31, 1965 must complete the state’s Hunter Education course or participate in the Trial Hunting program. You can take the Hunter Education course one of two ways:
- Online at www.wildlife.utah.gov/hunter-education.html.
After you’ve completed the online course, you must attend a field day. The field day lasts about five hours. During the field day, you’ll be tested on the instruction you received online. Your instructor will also teach you how to handle a firearm safely. Then, you’ll shoot a small-caliber rifle on a shooting range.
- Attend the course in a classroom. You can see a class schedule, and get contact information for the class instructors, at www.wildlife.utah.gov/hunter-education.html.
The class usually meets two nights a week, for two to three weeks. In the class, you’ll learn how to handle a firearm and how to shoot it safely. After completing the class work, you’ll meet at a shooting range where you’ll demonstrate your ability to shoot a small-caliber rifle safely.
So, which of the two options is best? If you want to be in the field on Sept. 1, the online option might be the way to go. Gary Cook, Hunter Education coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says taking the course online might allow you to complete it faster. You can also take it at a time that’s convenient for you.
“Also,” Cook says, “if you have a young child who’s taking the course, you can help them understand what they’re learning by sitting by their side and going through the course material with them. Your child can also take the course at his or her own speed. And they can go back and review the material as often as they like.”
If you don’t know much about hunting, taking the course in a classroom might be the best option. The classes are taught by volunteer instructors who are also experienced hunters. If you or your child has a question, the instructor should be able to answer it.
Trial Hunting program
Utah’s Trial Hunting program is another way to get in the field this fall. The program gives you a chance to go afield with an experienced hunter and see if hunting is something you’d like to pursue.
Anyone 12 years of age or older can join the program. To participate, you must complete a brief online orientation course and buy the license required to hunt the species you want to hunt. To get into the field and hunt, you must be accompanied by a licensed hunter who is 21 years of age or older.
You can learn more about the Trial Hunting program, and sign up to participate, at www.wildlife.utah.gov/trial-hunting-program.html.
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Get a free upland game guidebook
Many reasons to hunt upland game in Utah
As Utah swelters under the summer sun, a cool reminder that fall isn’t that far away is waiting for you at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks.
At the web page, you’ll find the 2018 – 2019 Utah Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook. You can also get a printed copy of the guidebook at your nearest Utah hunting license agent location or Division of Wildlife Resources office.
The guidebook is free. In it, you’ll find hunting rules, season dates and bag limits for Utah’s 2018 – 2019 upland game hunts. You’ll also find information about the 20 upland game species that live in Utah. The book also contains distribution maps that show where each species lives in the state.
Something for everyone
It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced hunter, someone who hasn’t hunted for years or someone who has never hunted, upland game offer something for everyone.
When asked why someone should consider hunting upland game in Utah, DWR Upland Game Coordinator Jason Robinson provided the following:
Reason 1 – Plenty of time to hunt
Finding time to hunt can be tough. But upland game seasons are long, giving you plenty of time to get outside, relax and ‘clear your head.’
The cottontail rabbit season, for example, starts Sept. 1 and runs until Feb. 28. That’s almost six full months to get outside and chase cottontails.
Reason 2 – Close-to-home opportunities
Draw a big game permit, and you might have a four- or five-hour drive to get to your hunting spot. Not so with upland game. In many cases, a good upland game hunt is only 30 minutes from your home.
Reason 3 – Less strenuous hunts
Hunting chukar partridge in steep, rocky terrain is among the most strenuous hunts you’ll find. But not all upland game hunts are that way. For example, cottontail rabbit hunting usually happens on relatively flat terrain that’s easy to walk through.
“Cottontail rabbit hunting,” Robinson says, “and many other upland game hunts are perfect hunts for hunters of all ages and abilities. That includes parents who have a youngster who wants to go hunting, and hunters who prefer an easier walk.”
Reason 4 – Simple equipment
Unlike other types of hunting, the gear required to hunt upland game is relatively simple. Usually, a sturdy pair of boots; clothes that can handle the weather and terrain you’ll hunt in; a backpack with water, small food items and room for the game you take; and a gun and ammunition, are all you need to get afield and take upland game.
“You don’t need a lot of expensive equipment to hunt upland game,” Robinson says. “And the gear you’ll carry, including your gun, are usually fairly light and easy to carry.”
Reason 5 – Healthy, tasty meat that’s easy to get out of the field
In addition to being extremely healthy, upland game birds and animals are among the tastiest wild game you can put on your table. (If you’re hunting in warm weather, dressing your animal or bird in the field, and then placing the meat in a plastic bag that has a small ice block in it, is the best way to care for the meat until you get it home.)
In addition to being tasty and healthy, upland game is easy to get out of the field. Big game hunters are fond of saying “once you take an animal, the fun is over and the work begins.” That’s not the case with upland game. After taking a rabbit, hare or upland game bird, simply slide the animal or bird into your back pack or hunting vest, and keep hunting.
Reason 6 – Simple rules and regulations
Upland game hunting rules are simple and easy to understand. “Get a copy of the free guidebook,” Robinson says, “and read through it. As you do, you’ll see that upland game hunting rules aren’t complex. They’re simple and easy to understand.”
More information
Would you like to receive the latest information about hunting upland game in Utah? You can by subscribing to the DWR’s free upland game updates. You can subscribe at www.wildlife.utah.gov/about-us/subscribe-to-updates.html. The updates will arrive in your email inbox.
If you have questions about hunting upland game in Utah, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at 801-538-4700.
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See hunting dogs in action, learn how to shoot
DWR shooting range hosts free open house
Salt Lake City -- If learning how to shoot a bow and arrow or a shotgun sounds like fun—but you don’t have much experience shooting—come to the Lee Kay Public Shooting Range on Aug. 4.
August is National Shooting Sports Month. The Division of Wildlife Resources is kicking the month off by holding an open house at the range from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Aug. 4. You can shoot on the archery, handgun and rifle ranges for free. And, on the trap and skeet shotgun ranges, you can shoot one round of trap or skeet for half off the regular price.
The Lee Kay Public Shooting Range is at 6000 W. 2100 S. in Salt Lake City.
Learn how to shoot
Blanche Smith, the range’s manager, says the open house is a perfect way to learn about recreational shooting. “DWR staff, range safety volunteers and partners from the shooting sports community will be available to teach you how to shoot,” she says.
If you don’t have your own equipment, bows and arrows and .22 rifles will be available to use. “Thanks to a generous donation from Scheel’s, free .22 and shotgun ammunition will also be available to shoot,” Smith says.
The free ammunition supply is limited, though, and per person limits apply. “If you don’t bring ammunition with you,” she says, “you’ll want to arrive early to give yourself the best chance to shoot.”
Smith says basic instruction will be offered at each of the shooting ranges. “You can learn a variety of skills,” she says, “including how to shoot a bow and arrow accurately, how to hit flying targets with a shotgun and how to pattern a shotgun and sight in a rifle. If you have your own bow and arrows, a shotgun, handgun, rifle or muzzleloader, make sure to bring them with you.”
Classes
In conjunction with the open house, the DWR will host a Handgun Basics and an Archery Turkey Hunting class at the range on Aug. 4. Space is limited, and registration is required:
· The Handgun Basics class will be taught from 10 – 11 a.m. Register at https://bit.ly/2NsXkbb.
· The Archery Hunting for Turkey class runs from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Register at https://bit.ly/2uNSaiB.
Dog demos, booths
When you’re not participating in the shooting activities, visit the dog demonstration area. You can watch trained hunting dogs leap into a pond to retrieve decoys. They’ll also perform impressive feats on land. You can also visit several booths staffed by members from local shooting sports clubs and various wildlife conservation organizations.
If you have questions about the open house, call the range at 801-972-1326.
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Editor’s note: A unique wildlife-viewing event happens Aug. 11 on the Tushar Mountains in southwestern Utah. It’s time to see some mountain goats!
The following news release is the DWR’s annual reminder about the free viewing event.
See mountain goats in unique terrain
Free viewing event Aug. 11 on Tushar Mountain
Beaver -- You could see as many as 100 mountain goats on Aug. 11. And you might not need binoculars to see them. At some past viewing events, goats have gotten as close as 35 feet to those viewing them.
On Aug. 11, the Division of Wildlife Resources will host its annual Goat Watch on the Tushar Mountains east of Beaver. The event is free.
The trip will begin at 8 a.m. at the Cardwell convenience store and gas station. The business is at 215 N. Main St. in Beaver. (The station is at the start of state Route 153, in the center of town.)
From the station, participants will caravan to the top of the Tushar Mountains. When you reach the top, you’ll be close to 11,500 feet above sea level.
Phil Tuttle, regional conservation outreach manager for the DWR, says the view from the top of the Tushars is amazing. “From the top of the mountain,” he says, “you can see all of southern Utah. Seeing wildlife at such a high elevation is truly remarkable.”
If you need binoculars or a spotting scope, the DWR will have some you can borrow. But, if you have your own viewing equipment, please bring it.
Tuttle also encourages you to bring water, a hat, a jacket and a sack lunch. It’s also a good idea to travel in a vehicle that has high ground clearance. “Towards the top,” he says, “the road is quite rocky.”
In addition to seeing mountain goats, attending the viewing event will allow you to explore the alpine-tundra ecosystem the goats live in. Found only above the timberline at high elevations, it’s an ecosystem seldom seen in southern Utah. Tuttle says unique animals live in this alpine-tundra terrain, including yellow-bellied marmots and pika.
For more information about the goat watching event, call the DWR’s Southern Region office at 435-865-6100.
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DWR recommends slight increase in cougar hunting permits
Cougars are doing well in Utah. So well, in fact, that a few more hunters might be allowed to hunt them this fall.
This past season, hunters were given the opportunity to take 581 cougars in the state. For the upcoming season, biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources are recommending that hunters be allowed to take 653.
The number of cougars that are taken will actually be lower than 653, though. For example, 456 cougars were taken this past season, even though hunters were allowed to take 581.
“Cougars are tough to hunt,” says Darren DeBloois, game mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. “Not every hunter who gets a permit will take one.”
Bobcat recommendations, for Utah’s upcoming season, will also be discussed at an upcoming series of public meetings.
Learn more, share your ideas
All of the biologists’ cougar and bobcat hunting recommendations are available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings. After you’ve reviewed the ideas, you can let your Regional Advisory Council members know your thoughts by attending your upcoming RAC meeting or by sending an email to them.
RAC chairmen will share the input they receive with members of the Utah Wildlife Board. The board will meet in Salt Lake City on Aug. 30 to approve cougar and bobcat hunting recommendations for Utah’s 2018 - 2019 seasons.
Dates, times and locations for the RAC meetings are as follows:
Southern Region
July 31
7 p.m.
Sevier School District Office, Training Lab
180 E. 600 N.
Richfield
Southeastern Region
Aug. 1
6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E. Main St.
Green River
Northeastern Region
Aug. 2
6:30 p.m.
DWR Northeastern Region Office
318 N. Vernal Ave.
Vernal
You can also provide your comments to your RAC via email. Email addresses for your RAC members are available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/rac-members.html.
The group each RAC member represents (sportsman, non-consumptive, etc.) is listed under each person’s email address. You should direct your email to the people on the RAC who represent your interest.
Cougar population
DeBloois says Utah’s cougar population is doing well, with lots of the big cats found across the state. He appreciates the role cougar hunters play, both in helping protect deer, bighorn sheep and livestock from cougars and providing wildlife biologists with valuable information that helps them manage the population.
DeBloois says those who take a cougar must bring the animal to a DWR biologist or a conservation officer. “The first thing we do is examine the animal to see if it’s a male or a female,” he says. “Next, we determine the animal’s age by removing and analyzing one of its teeth.”
DeBloois says the number of females and the number of adults in a cougar population are the key factors in keeping the population healthy and strong.
“A male cougar will breed with several females,” he says, “so keeping plenty of females in the population is important. The number of adults is also important. A healthy population will have plenty of adults. If the number of adults starts to decline, we know the overall number of cougars in the population is declining too.”
Utah’s Cougar Management Plan provides guidelines that help ensure the state has a healthy and stable cougar population. The two major guidelines are the number of female cougars hunters take—compared to the number of males—and the number of cougars taken that are five years of age or older.
The plan says not more than 40 percent of the cougars hunters take can be females. And at least 15 percent of the cougars taken must be five years of age or older.
During the 2017 – 2018 season, only 32 percent of the cougars taken were females. And 16 percent of the cougars taken were five years of age or older.
“Utah’s cougar population has plenty of females in it,” DeBloois says, “and plenty of adults too. For those reasons, we’re recommending a slight permit increase for the 2018 – 2019 season.”
If you have questions about the upcoming meetings, call the nearest DWR office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at 801-538-4700.
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Fishing reports - available at http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots .
