Those who applied to hunt in Utah this year are going to be very glad they did. Depending on which unit applied for, hunters might have a better chance at drawing a permit to hunt mulie bucks this fall. And if they obtain written permission to hunt on private property, a new cow elk hunting experience is waiting, too.
The Utah Wildlife Board recently approved 12,010 private-lands-only permits for cow elk. The change was voted on at the board’s April 28 meeting, one of several that hunters can enthusiastically look forward to.
For one, the total number of deer in Utah has increased for the fourth straight year; the number of bucks, compared to the number of does, is the best it’s been in decades.
For those reasons, Division of Wildlife Resources biologists recommended a total of 90,950 general buck deer hunting permits for this fall’s hunts. But after hearing recommendations from the biologists and input from representatives from Utah’s five public Regional Advisory Councils the board settled on a final total of 90,675 general buck deer permits.
In 2015, for comparison, a total of 86,550 permits were offered.
Starting the week of May 1, you can see if the unit you applied for has more permits by visiting the DWR’s Hunt Maps web page at wildlife.utah.gov/maps. Once you arrive at the page, click on the “Buck Deer” choice under the “Hunt Tables” heading.
Justin Shannon, Big Game Coordinator for the DWR, said 2016 is an exciting time to be a deer hunter in Utah.
“The total number of deer in the state is the highest it’s been since the 1980s,” he said. “And a good percentage of those deer are bucks. The average buck-to-doe ratio across Utah — on general-season units that are made up mostly of public land — is 23 bucks per 100 does.”
A multitude of reasons — mild winters, precipitation received at just the right time, intense work to make habitat better for mule deer, efforts to reduce the number of deer hit and killed by vehicles, etc. — are helping mulies thrive in Utah.
Based on surveys conducted after last fall’s hunts, DWR biologists estimate the state’s deer population at more than 384,000 animals.
Elk populations are also thriving in Utah, with an estimated 79,230 elk in the state.
One challenge hunters and landowners in certain areas face, though, are elk moving from public land to private land when the hunts start.
“When elk are not evenly distributed on a unit,” Shannon said, “it can frustrate both hunters and private landowners. The elk leave the public land, and not many hunters have access to them. We need to ‘retrain’ elk to stay on public land by limiting the refuge areas they have on private property. Providing private landowners with additional tools, to help control elk on their property, is the key to making that happen.”
The state’s recently approved statewide elk plan allows for some “out of the box” ideas regarding cow elk hunting in Utah. Offering 12,010 private-lands-only permits on 15 units in 2016 is the idea DWR biologists brought to the board. Board members liked the idea and approved it.
The new permits are valid only on private property. July 21 is the first day they can be bought.
The Wasatch unit in north-central Utah is one of the 15 units that will have private lands only permits this year.
“On the Wasatch unit,” Shannon said, “we want to increase harvest on private lands and decrease hunting pressure on public lands. Over time the increased hunting pressure on private land should push the elk to public land, giving hunters more access to them in the future.”
Biologists are relying on draw permits and the new private-land permits to manage elk on the unit. Antlerless elk control permits are no longer available for the Wasatch unit.
The DWR is urging hunters to remember one critical thing: Before hunting on private property you must have written permission from the person who owns the land.
“Before you buy one of these permits,” said Judi Tutorow, Wildlife Licensing Coordinator for the DWR, “obtain written permission to hunt on the private property you want to hunt. You don’t want to end up with a permit you can’t use.”
Cow moose are another option for Utah hunters. For the first time since 2011 hunters will be able to take the animals via 20 cow moose hunting permits, which will be available for the East Canyon and Ogden units in northern Utah.
“Moose are doing really well on both units,” Shannon said.
Hunters can apply for one of the cow moose permits in the antlerless big game drawing. Applications for the drawing will be accepted starting May 26.
The following are the total number of permits the board approved for Utah’s 2016 big game hunts:
| Hunt | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| General buck deer | 86,550 | 90,675 |
| Premium limited-entry deer | 184 | 184 |
| Management buck deer | 46 | 55 |
| Limited-entry deer | 1,058 | 1,166 |
| Doe deer | 625 | 755 |
| General any bull elk | 14,300 | 15,000 |
| Youth any bull elk | 500 | 500 |
| General spike bull elk | 15,000 | 15,000 |
| Limited-entry bull elk | 2,938 | 2,752 |
| Cow elk, public draw | 15,360 | 13,680 |
| Cow elk, private lands only | 0 | 12,010 |
| Buck pronghorn | 804 | 771 |
| Doe pronghorn | 844 | 630 |
| Bull moose | 65 | 68 |
| Cow moose | 0 | 20 |
| Bison | 80 | 96 |
| Desert bighorn sheep | 41 | 42 |
| Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep | 37 | 38 |
| Mountain goat | 107 | 102 |
These changes and all of the big game hunting rules the board approved will be available in the 2016 Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook. The free guidebook should be available at wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks by May 16.