Apply to hunt big game
It might be the middle of winter, but it's time to apply for a permit to hunt big game animals in Utah this fall.
To be included in the draw for permits, your application must be received no later than 11 p.m. on March 7. You can apply for a permit at www.wildlife.utah.gov.
Applications are being accepted for every big game hunt except the general-season bull elk hunt. General-season elk permits will be available, on a first-come, first-served basis, starting July 16.
Get a free guidebook
Everything you need to know to apply for a permit is available in the 2019 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook.
You can get the free guidebook at www.wildife.utah.gov/guidebooks, at Division of Wildlife Resources offices and from more than 300 hunting and fishing license agents across Utah.
The Utah Hunt Planner
When you’re thinking about hunting in a new area—or going after a species you’ve never hunted before—you likely have a lot of questions. The Utah Hunt Planner, an interactive, online map tool, gives you in-depth, hunter-focused information about all of Utah’s hunts. Use it when you’re researching hunts you want to apply for—or use it after you draw a permit for a particular hunt—and learn the best spots to find animals, what the terrain is like in that area, if there’s a lot of public land in the unit and where the best access points are located.
DWR biologists keep the Hunt Planner up to date with the details you care about. (Note: The Hunt Planner works best on a desktop or laptop computer.)
You can view the planner at www.wildlife.utah.gov/huntplanner.
Big game web page
Another great resource is the DWR's big game web page. The page is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/biggame. Once you arrive at the page, the following are among the items you'll find:
· Drawing odds in 2018
· Maps for the various hunting units
· Information about the number of big game animals taken on the units since 2010
Hunt all three deer seasons
Would you like to hunt all three general deer hunting seasons (archery, muzzleloader and rifle) on the unit you draw a permit for?
You can if you join the Dedicated Hunter program.
To give yourself a chance to join the Dedicated Hunter program, you must do two things. First, you must complete an online orientation course that teaches you more about the program. After you complete the course, you must then apply for and draw a 2019 Dedicated Hunter permit.
To learn more about the program and how to join it, visit www.wildlife.utah.gov/dh.
Applying for a point
If you're not going to hunt in 2019, you can still apply for a bonus point or a preference point. Earning a point increases the chance you'll draw a permit the next time you apply.
Your application for a point must be received through www.wildlife.utah.gov no later than 11 p.m. on March 21.
Please remember that you must have a hunting license or a combination license to apply for a point or a hunting permit.
More information
If you have questions about applying for a 2019 Utah big game hunting permit, call the Utah Hunt Application office at 1-800-221-0659 or the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office.
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See bald eagles
February is Bald Eagle Month in Utah
February is the best time of the year to see one of the country’s most iconic birds.
Bald eagles fly to Utah in the winter to find food and escape colder conditions farther north. By the time February arrives, hundreds of eagles are in the state.
You can see the eagles, and learn more about them, during Bald Eagle Month.
Seeing the eagles is free. Spotting scopes will be available at the various locations, but if you have your own scope, or a pair of binoculars, please bring them with you. On Feb. 9, you can see eagles at the following times:
Feb. 9
Northern Utah
Salt Creek Waterfowl Management Area (Compton’s Knoll), located about 10 miles northwest of Corinne
Viewing on Feb. 9 takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To reach the Salt Creek WMA, exit Interstate 15 at Exit 365, and travel west on state Route 83 through Corinne. Stay on SR-83 until you get to 6800 West (Iowa String). Turn right on 6800 West, and travel north to 6800 North. Once you reach 6800 North, the WMA’s Compton’s Knoll Watchable Wildlife site will be on your left side.
The Division of Wildlife Resources and Wasatch Audubon are co-sponsoring the event at Salt Creek.
Northern Utah
Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, located on the west side of Farmington at 1325 W. Glovers Lane (925 South)
Viewing on Feb. 9 will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to seeing a wide variety of birds, you can enjoy special activities at the Eccles Wildlife Education Center that day. The center is on the north side of the WMA, at 1157 S. Waterfowl Way.
Activities run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They include getting close to a live bald eagle in the conservation hall and taking your kids into the wetland discovery classroom, where volunteers will help them make an eagle-themed craft.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can learn more about bald eagles at programs offered in the auditorium. A new program starts every hour. Visit the conservation hall welcome desk to see the topics that will be presented.
Eagle viewing will happen on the WMA from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Spotting scopes will be set up, and biologists with the DWR and volunteers from Wasatch Audubon will be on hand to answer your questions.
Farmington Bay WMA Manager Jason Jones says it’s always a guessing game regarding the number of eagles that will be at the WMA on the day the viewing event happens. “Hopefully,” he says, “good numbers of eagles will be available to see. Even if eagle numbers are low, there should still be plenty of ducks and tundra swans to view.”
The Division of Wildlife Resources, Wasatch Audubon and HawkWatch International are co-sponsoring the Farmington Bay event.
Central Utah
Fountain Green State Fish Hatchery, located east of Nephi
Viewing on Feb. 9 takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free tours of the Fountain Green State Fish Hatchery will also be offered.
If you’re coming from the north, you can reach the hatchery by taking Interstate 15 and exiting the freeway at the second Nephi exit (Exit 225). After exiting the freeway, turn east on state Route 132 and travel about 10 miles. About one mile before the city of Fountain Green, a Bald Eagle Day sign will point you to an access road that leads to the hatchery.
Once you reach the hatchery, you’ll receive a driving map of the Sanpete Valley that highlights the best areas in the valley to view eagles. Literature, displays and bathroom facilities will also be available at the hatchery. Spotting scopes will be set-up at a nearby location where eagles often gather in a large tree. The viewing site is about one mile from the hatchery.
Get a close look
Matt Bartley, Wildlife Recreation coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says spotting scopes will be available at each viewing site so you can get a good look at the eagles. “If you have any challenges spotting the eagles,” he says, “our biologists and volunteers will help you find them. We’d also be happy to answer any questions you have.”
You can also pick up a free Bald Eagle Month button.
Items to bring
If you attend any of the events, dress in warm clothes and bring waterproof boots. Also, if you want to take photos of the eagles, bring a telephoto lens.
“You need a telephoto lens to get good, close-up shots of the eagles,” Bartley says. “The eagles will be fairly close to the viewing sites, but you still need a telephoto lens to get good photos of them.”
More information
If you have questions about Bald Eagle Month, call Division of Wildlife Resources offices in Ogden and Springville.
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Fishing reports - available at http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots .
