New Chances to Hunt Deer and Elk in Utah
Wildlife Board approves changes for 2018 seasons
Salt Lake City -- If you enjoy hunting deer and elk in Utah, some new opportunities are waiting for you in 2018. At their Nov. 30 meeting, members of the Utah Wildlife Board—seven members of the public appointed by the governor—approved the following:
- Splitting the rifle buck deer hunt into two hunts—an early-season hunt and a regular-season hunt—on nine general deer hunting units. The early-season hunt runs Oct. 10 – 14.
- Allowing those who buy a multi-season elk hunting permit to hunt all three seasons—archery, rifle and muzzleloader—on Utah’s spike-only and any-bull general elk hunting units.
- Holding a special “cactus buck” hunt on the famed Paunsaugunt premium-limited-entry unit in southwestern Utah. (Typically, “cactus bucks” are unable to reproduce and contribute to the overall population.)
One item Division of Wildlife Resources biologists recommended at a series of public meetings, but that won’t happen in 2018, is holding a late-season limited-entry muzzleloader buck deer hunt on all of Utah’s 29 general deer hunting units. Instead, the board voted to hold the late-season hunt on 16 of the 29 units.
Expanding the opportunity to all of Utah’s general deer hunting units could happen in the future, though. Members of Utah’s Statewide Mule Deer Management Plan Committee will discuss the idea when they meet to revise Utah’s statewide mule deer management plan. The plan will be revised in 2019.
Covy Jones, big game coordinator for the DWR, says each change the board approved will do a specific thing.
“Splitting the rifle hunt into two seasons will reduce hunter crowding on the nine units that have an early season,” he says. “Instead of everyone hunting during the regular season, some of the hunters will now have a chance to hunt earlier.”
The elk hunting change will give elk hunters more chances to hunt elk, while the cactus buck opportunity gives more hunters a chance to hunt a unit that’s challenging to obtain a permit for.
“More chances to hunt big game, without negatively affecting the herds, is something big game hunters have consistently told us they want,” Jones says. “The changes we recommended are innovative ways to meet that request. We appreciate the board’s support and hope hunters enjoy these new opportunities.”
All of the rules the board approved will be available in the 2018 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook. The free guidebook should be available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks by late December.
Early-season rifle hunt
The early-season rifle buck deer hunt runs Oct. 10 - 14 on the Kamas, Chalk Creek, East Canyon and Morgan/South Rich units in northern Utah, the Nine Mile unit in southeastern Utah, and the Fillmore, Fishlake, Pine Valley and Zion units in south-central and southwestern Utah.
In addition to reducing crowding on the units, the early-season hunt will be held at the same time the general rifle bull elk hunt is underway. “If you have a permit for both hunts,” Jones says, “you could possibly take a buck deer and a bull elk during your hunt.”
Hunt all three elk seasons
Elk are doing really well in Utah. And the number of these wary animals hunters take each season is fairly low. For those reasons, bull elk hunters now have a chance to hunt all three general elk seasons—archery, rifle and muzzleloader.
The first step to hunting all three seasons is deciding whether you want to hunt on spike-only units or any-bull units. Next, you must buy a $150 over-the-counter multi-season elk permit. After obtaining your permit, you can hunt during the archery season on any general season bull elk unit in Utah. During the rifle and muzzleloader hunts, you must hunt on the type of unit for which you bought a permit. Your permit allows you to take only one elk, so your elk hunt will end for the year as soon as you take an elk.
Jones says biologists will closely monitor the number of elk taken. “We don’t think this will happen,” he says, “but if the number goes beyond the limit set in Utah’s elk management plan, we’ll relook at whether the opportunity should be offered again in 2019.”
General elk hunting permits go on sale July 17.
“Cactus buck” hunt
More hunters will have a chance to hunt the famed Paunsaugunt premium-limited-entry unit in southwestern Utah after the board approved a “cactus buck” hunt.
Cactus bucks—buck deer that typically can’t reproduce—are found in very few places in Utah. The Paunsaugunt unit does host a small population, though.
(Cactus bucks are easy to distinguish: they still have velvet on their antlers late into the fall.)
Jones says those who draw a permit for the Paunsaugunt unit can take a cactus buck now, but most don’t, opting instead to take one of the massive bucks on the unit.
“Offering a cactus buck hunt will allow more people to hunt this amazing unit and take bucks hunters aren’t currently taking,” Jones says. “Cactus bucks typically can’t reproduce, so taking these bucks will not have a negative effect on the population.”
After taking a buck on the unit, the deer must be checked by a DWR biologist or conservation officer. “This requirement will give us a good handle on the number of cactus bucks hunters take,” he says.
Have Fun, See Wild Elk
Elk festival happens Dec. 9
Hyrum -- Another chance to ride a horse-drawn sleigh or wagon through the middle of hundreds of wild elk is almost here.
To celebrate the start of another elk-viewing season at the Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area, staff at the WMA will hold the ranch’s annual Elk Festival on Dec. 9. Activities run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
On Nov. 30, Brad Hunt, manager of the Hardware Ranch WMA, said 350 elk were already in the area that surrounds the meadow through which the sleighs or wagons are pulled. “We don’t have any snow yet,” Hunt said on Nov. 30, “but we’re ready for an awesome kickoff.”
Except for a fee to ride through the elk herd ($5 for those 9 years of age or older, or $3 for those 4 to 8 years old), all of the festival activities are free.
You can reach Hardware Ranch by traveling 16 miles east of Hyrum on state Route 101.
Activities
In addition to riding a sleigh or wagon through the middle of the elk herd, several free activities will be held on Dec. 9. For example, children can learn how to make Christmas ornaments using sagebrush, bitterbrush and other plants found at the WMA. “Did you know pinecones make great bird feeders?” Hunt says. “They do, and we’ll show you how to make one.”
You can also learn how to call elk and then demonstrate your newly learned skills at an amateur elk-calling contest held during the last hour of the festival.
Hunt encourages you to bring some binoculars and to dress for all types of weather. “We’ll host the event,” he says, “even if it snows.”
On your way to the ranch, you can enjoy the scenic drive up Blacksmith Fork Canyon. Food is not available at the ranch, but you’re welcome to bring a picnic lunch and eat in the lunch area in the auxiliary building at the WMA.
Sleigh rides start Dec. 8
If you’re itching to take a ride sooner than Dec. 9, visit the ranch on Dec. 8. That’s the first day the visitor center will be open and rides through the elk herd will be offered.
From Dec. 8 through Feb. 26, the ranch’s visitor center will be open, and sleigh or wagon rides will be offered, during the following days and times:
Day Time
Friday noon to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday noon to 4:30 p.m.
If you want to go on a sleigh ride or a wagon ride, you must buy your ticket at the visitor center by 4:30 p.m.
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the sleigh rides will not be running, and the visitor center will not be open. You can still bring your binoculars and view the elk from a distance, though.
For more information, including holiday hours, visit www.hardwareranch.com. You can also call the ranch at 435-753-6206.
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Two Pintails a Day
Wildlife Board approves migratory game bird hunting changes for 2018 – 2019 season
Salt Lake City -- Starting next season, hunters in Utah can keep two pintail ducks a day.
The limit change is among several migratory game bird hunting changes members of the Utah Wildlife Board—seven members of the public appointed by the governor—approved for Utah’s 2018 – 2019 waterfowl and sandhill crane hunting seasons.
Other changes include different dates for the light goose hunt in Millard County. The dates for the sandhill crane hunt in Uintah County were also changed.
Two pintails a day
North America’s pintail duck population has experienced plenty of ups and downs over the past 30 years. This season, Utah hunters may take only one pintail a day. Next season, though, you can take two.
“Pintails did pretty well this past nesting season,” says Blair Stringham, migratory game bird coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. “Hopefully, good nesting this past spring, coupled with high survival rates this winter, will put plenty of pintails on the nesting and breeding grounds during spring 2018. Starting next fall, we’re comfortable allowing hunters to take two pintails a day.”
Hunting light geese in Millard County
Managing the light goose hunt in Millard County is a juggling act. On one hand, biologists want to keep plenty of geese near Delta, where a popular wildlife viewing event—the Snow Goose Festival—happens every February. On the other hand, limiting hunting in the area allows geese to do more damage to farmers’ fields.
This season, the light goose hunt in Millard County is closed from Feb. 5 – 28, 2018. Next season, the season will be closed from Feb. 15 – 28, 2019.
“We think this is a good compromise,” Stringham says. “The festival usually happens at the end of February, so stopping the hunt on Feb. 15 should keep plenty of birds in the area. At the same time, allowing hunting in early February should reduce the amount of damage geese are doing to farmer’s fields and their newly planted crops.”
Hunting sandhill cranes in Uintah County
The board also approved a longer sandhill crane hunt in Uintah County. Currently, the hunt in the county happens mostly in October. During the 2018 – 2019 season, the hunt will be held in both October and November.
“Uintah County is a popular place for cranes to stop during their migration south in the fall,” Stringham says. “The number of cranes is increasing, and more and more damage is being done to crops in the area. Giving hunters more time to hunt in the fall should put more pressure on the cranes. The added pressure should reduce the agricultural damage cranes do before they migrate out of the area.”
Fishing and Hunting Licenses Make Great Christmas Gifts
Ice fishing season will begin soon
Looking for that perfect gift for the angler or hunter on your Christmas list? If so, a Utah fishing or hunting license might be the answer. These licenses make great Christmas gifts. And they’re easy to buy.
And winter is the perfect time to give one as a gift. Lindy Varney, wildlife licensing coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says some of the state’s fishing waters should be covered with ice soon. “Ice fishing is a fun activity that’s growing in popularity in Utah,” she says. “Once the ice is safe to walk on, another ice fishing season will be underway.”
Hunting opportunities are also available in the winter. Several hunting seasons, including the cottontail rabbit, chukar partridge and snowshoe hare seasons, run through most of the winter.
Where to get one
Buying a license at the DWR’s website (www.wildlife.utah.gov) is the easiest way to get one. You can also buy a license at DWR offices and from more than 260 fishing and hunting license agents across Utah.
Combination licenses—which allow the license holder to fish and hunt small game—are also available at the same locations and at the website.
To buy a license for someone, all you need is the person’s name, their approximate height and weight, their eye color, hair color, date of birth, address and phone number. “Once you have that information,” Varney says, “you’re good to go.”
If you buy a license at the website (www.wildlife.utah.gov), you can have it mailed to you (so you can wrap it and give it as a gift). Or, the license can be mailed directly to the person you’re buying it for.
It usually takes about seven days for a license to arrive in the mail.
In addition to enjoying the outdoors in 2018, the person you give the license to will receive an added bonus: they won’t have to wait until Jan. 1 to use it. The license is valid starting the day you buy it. So, the person for whom you buy the license can start using it the day they receive it.
Annual Utah fishing and hunting licenses are 365-day licenses. That means they’re good for 365 days from the day you buy one.
Utah resident license and permit costs are as follows:
License Cost
Combination license (ages 14 - 17) $20
Combination license (ages 18 - 64) $38
Combination license (age 65 and older) $29
Fishing license (ages 12 - 13) $5
Fishing license (ages 14 - 17) $16
Fishing license (ages 18 - 64) $34
Fishing license (age 65 and older) $25
Hunting license (age 13 and under) $11
Hunting license (ages 14 - 17) $16
Hunting license (ages 18 - 64) $34
Hunting license (age 65 and older) $25
Two options
In addition to buying a 365-day license, if the person you’re buying the license for is 18 years of age or older, you have two additional options:
- Instead of buying a 365-day license, you can buy a license that’s valid for two, three, four or even five years.
- If the person you’re buying for already has a license, you can extend the period of time when their current license is valid. For example, if the person you’d like to buy for has a license that will expire next April, you can buy a license extension for them now. The extension will keep their license valid for one, two, three, four or five years from the day the license was supposed to expire.
Please be aware, however, that a license extension may be bought only for a license that will expire within six months from the day you buy the extension. For example, if a license doesn’t expire until November 2018, the soonest you can buy an extension for it is June 2018, six months before it expires.
(One note: hunting and combination licenses do not include a deer or elk permit and do not allow someone to hunt deer or elk. Hunters can apply for a 2018 general buck deer permit starting in late January. General elk permits will be available, on a first-come, first-served basis, starting July 17.)
For more information about Utah fishing and hunting licenses, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at 801-538-4700.
DWR Recommends More Black Bear Hunting Permits
Black bears are doing extremely well in Utah: in less than 20 years, the number of bears has almost tripled. For that reason, biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources want to give more hunters a chance to hunt black bears during the state’s 2018 season.
This past season, the number of permits issued gave hunters a chance to take 758 black bears in the state. For the upcoming season, DWR biologists are recommending that 860 permits be issued to take black bears in Utah.
(Every hunter won’t take a bear, so the number of bears taken would actually be much lower than 860. Biologists say issuing 860 permits would likely result in about 400 bears being taken. In 2017, allowing hunters to take 758 bears resulted in 365 bears being taken.)
You can see all of the biologists’ bear hunting recommendations at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings.
Learn more, share your ideas
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—a panel of seven citizens appointed by the governor—will meet in Salt Lake City on Jan. 11 to approve rules for Utah’s 2018 black bear hunting season.
Dates, times and locations for the RAC meetings are as follows:
Central Region
Dec. 5
6:30 p.m.
Springville Civic Center
110 S. Main St.
Springville
Northern Region
Dec. 6
6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N. 300 W.
Brigham City
Southern Region
Dec. 12
5 p.m.
Sevier School District Office
180 E. 600 N.
Richfield
Note: The meeting begins at 5 p.m.
Southeastern Region
Dec. 13
6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E. Main St.
Green River
Northeastern Region
Dec. 14
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.
Bear population
Efforts to protect and manage black bears in Utah are working. Since the first Utah Black Bear Management Plan was drafted in 1998, the number of bears in Utah has increased from an estimated minimum of 1,300 adult bears in 2000 to a minimum of just under 3,500 adult bears in 2016.
The numbers given do not include cubs or bears under two years of age, so Utah’s overall bear population is actually much higher.
“The state’s bear population has been growing steadily since 1998,” says Darren DeBloois, game mammals coordinator for the DWR, “especially in the southeastern part of the state. We’d like to give additional hunters a chance to hunt them.”
In addition to helping the state meet objectives outlined in the Utah Black Bear Management Plan, hunters who take bears provide biologists with vital information.
After taking a bear, a hunter must bring the animal to a DWR biologist or a conservation officer. In addition to assessing the bear’s overall condition, the biologist or officer determines whether the animal is a male or a female. A tooth is also removed and analyzed to determine the bear’s age.
“These two simple procedures give us lots of information about how the population is doing,” DeBloois says.
Since a male bear will breed numerous females, it’s important that a bear population has plenty of females. Also, since hunters typically target older males, the number of male bears that are five years of age or older provides valuable insight into how the population is doing.
“If the number of older males hunters take holds steady or even increases—despite older males being the part of the population hunters target most—we know the overall population is doing well,” DeBloois says.
Utah’s Black Bear Management Plan provides guidelines that help ensure the state has a healthy and stable bear population. The plan says that statewide, not more than 40 percent of the bears hunters taken over the past three years can be females. And at least 25 percent of the bears taken over the past three years must be males that are five years of age or older.
From 2015 to 2017, only 31 percent of the bears taken were females. And 36 percent of the male bears taken were five years of age or older.
“The state’s bear population is doing really well,” DeBloois says. “We’re excited about that.”
Fishing reports - available at http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots .
