On May 3, the Utah Wildlife Board gave the answer: 86,500.
The board divided the 86,500 permits as follows:
Hunt Number of permits
Archery 17,300
Rifle 51,900
Muzzleloader 17,300
The 86,500 permits the board approved are 500 fewer than the 87,000 permits available in 2011.
Anis Aoude, big game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says the number of permits dropped slightly because some of the 30 units will be managed for a higher buck-to-doe ratio than biologists have managed them for in the past.
(A buck-to-doe ratio is the number of bucks per 100 does that biologists find after the hunting seasons are over in the fall.)
“The best way to increase the number of bucks per 100 does is to reduce the number of bucks that are taken during the hunting season,” Aoude says.
Starting this year, biologists will manage 14 of Utah’s 30 general deer hunting units for 15 to 17 bucks per 100 does.
The remaining 16 units will be managed for 18 to 20 bucks per 100 does.
Aoude says the 14 units that will be managed for a lower buck-to-doe ratio are units that provide good access to lots of public land. “Units that are mostly private land, or units that have public land that’s difficult to access,” he says, “are the units that we’ll manage for 18 to 20 bucks per 100 does.”
In addition to approving general buck deer hunting permits at their May 3 meeting, members of the board also approved permits for Utah’s remaining big game animals.
The following are the number of big game permits available in 2011 and the number the board approved for 2012:
Hunt 2011 2012
Premium limited entry deer 179 183
Management buck deer 105 80
Limited entry deer 986 967
Doe deer 560 290
General any bull elk 14,615 14,620
Spike bull elk 15,000 15,000
Limited entry bull elk 2,989 2,956
Cow elk 12,174 12,967
Buck pronghorn 658 665
Doe pronghorn 467 527
Bull moose 93 76
Cow moose 0 0
Bison 20 60
Desert bighorn sheep 44 41
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep 30 34
Mountain goat 133 165
How and when you can obtain a permit varies according to which big game animal you want to hunt:
• With the exception of Utah’s general bull elk hunt, applications for all of the state’s hunts that involve male animals were accepted in February.
• Results of the 2012 big game draw will be available by May 31.
• You can apply for a doe deer, cow elk or doe pronghorn permit starting June 1.
• Results of the 2012 antlerless draw will be available by July 11.
• Permits to hunt during the state’s general bull elk hunt will be available on a first-come, first-served basis starting July 17.
• Hunters have already applied for general buck deer hunting permits. If any general archery or muzzleloader buck deer permits are available after this year’s big game draw, the permits will be available—on a first-come, first-served basis—starting July 19.
• Any general buck deer rifle permits that are still available after the draw will go on sale—on a first-come, first-served basis—starting July 31.
• If the general archery season ends—but all the archery permits haven’t been sold—the archery permits will be converted to muzzleloader permits.
These muzzleloader permits would be available—on a first-come, first-served basis—starting Sept. 17.
• Any muzzleloader permits that are still available after the muzzleloader hunt ends would be converted to general rifle permits.
These rifle permits would be available—on a first-come, first-served basis—starting Oct. 9.
For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.
Utah is one of 19 states that are holding a “Wanna’ Go Fishing for Millions?” contest this year.
The contest is sponsored by Cabela’s.
If you catch a fish that has a tag on it, you’ll be eligible for some big prizes.
(You can learn more about the prizes at www.cabelas.com/fishformillions.)
The following are the Utah lakes and reservoirs that have fish with tags, the species of fish that have been tagged and the number of tagged fish:
Northern Utah
Water Species Number of tagged fish
Bear Lake Cutthroat trout 17
East Canyon Rainbow trout 8
Mantua Largemouth bass 8
Willard Bay Walleye, wiper 12
North-central and Central Utah
Water Species Number of tagged fish
Grantsville Rainbow trout 8
Gunnison Bend Channel catfish, white bass 8
Utah Lake White bass, channel catfish 16
Northeastern Utah
Water Species Number of tagged fish
Starvation Walleye, rainbow trout 11
Southeastern Utah
Water Species Number of tagged fish
Joes Valley all trout species 9
Southwestern Utah
Water Species Number of tagged fish
Lake Powell Striped bass, smallmouth bass 23
Paragonah Lake Rainbow trout 8
Sand Hollow Bluegill, largemouth bass 9
The contest runs until July 8.
The fish in Utah that have tags on them were tagged by biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources. “We’re happy to help,” says Roger Wilson, Aquatic Section chief for the DWR. “We wish the anglers who participate in this contest the best of luck. We hope you’re one of the prize winners.”
To qualify to win, you must pre-register online.
In one of the 19 states, a fish has been tagged with a tag worth $1 million. The grand prize will be doubled to $2 million if the person who catches the fish had Cabela’s Fish Recon app on his or her smartphone before they caught the fish.
Other prizes include two Ranger 520Z Bass Series Comanche boats and trailers with Evinrude outboard motors, valued at $65,000 each, as well as more than $20,000 in gear from Costa sunglasses, Abu Garcia and Rapala.
All rules and requirements, as well as contest details and registration information, are available at www.cabelas.com/fishformillions
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