SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 22, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Heads up to hunters: The application period for the antlerless hunt opens June 5, in about two weeks.
“If putting locally sourced, nutritious meat on the table while enjoying Utah’s beautiful outdoors sounds good to you, take note,” says a news release from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
“Depending on the age, a cow elk can provide between 120 to nearly 200 pounds of boneless meat. That meat can then be eaten in a variety of ways, including hamburger, roasts, steaks, stews, stir-fry or in fajitas. A doe deer will provide approximately 40 pounds of boneless meat.”
Beginning at 8 a.m. June 5, a Wednesday, you can apply for a permit to hunt Utah’s antlerless big game animals, including:
- Antlerless deer
- Antlerless elk
- Antlerless moose
- Doe pronghorn
- Ewe bighorn sheep (Although you cannot apply for both an antlerless moose permit and a ewe bighorn sheep permit in the same year — you must pick one or the other.)
You must submit your application no later than 11 p.m. June 19 to be included in the drawing for hunting permits. Before you can apply for a 2024 antlerless permit or a bonus point or preference point for either antlered or antlerless species, you must have a valid Utah hunting or combination license. You can buy a license online, by calling 800-221-0659 or by visiting a license agent.
To be included in the drawing for antlerless hunts, you can apply online or over the phone by calling the nearest Utah Division of Wildlife Resources regional office. You can find details about the different units — including boundary descriptions, biologists’ notes, and population and harvest statistics — on the Utah Hunt Planner.
“The antlerless big game hunts are a great opportunity to not only harvest meat and make some great memories outdoors, but also to help manage wildlife populations and maintain healthy herds and landscapes,” DWR Licensing Coordinator Lindy Varney said. “All of Utah’s recommended doe deer hunts are designed to be very targeted to address localized areas of specific concern, conflicts or public safety considerations.”
The drawing results will be available on or before July 5. If any antlerless permits are available after the drawing, you can purchase them beginning at 8 a.m. MDT on July 23. Check the online 2024 Utah Antlerless Application Guidebook for details. You can find all of the regulations for hunting both antlered and antlerless big game in the 2024 Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook.
As a reminder, mandatory reporting is required for any antlerless big game harvested during the antlerless hunts. Hunters will have 30 days after the hunting season ends to report their antlerless harvest online or over the phone. Failure to comply will result in a $50 fine and/or exclusion from next year’s big game and antlerless hunt drawings. The harvest reporting can be completed on the DWR website.
Hunters should also be aware of a few changes approved by the Utah Wildlife Board and passed by the Utah Legislature, which impact the antlerless hunts, including:
New hunts: This year, the Utah Wildlife Board approved a few new antlerless hunts in the following areas:
- Cow elk: Archery hunt on the North Slope, Summit hunting unit
- Cow elk: Any legal weapon hunt on the Box Elder, Hansel Mtn hunting unit
- Cow elk: Any legal weapon hunt on the Cache hunting unit
- Cow elk: Any legal weapon hunt on the Ogden hunting unit (excludes Hyrum)
- Cow elk: Any legal weapon hunt on the Wasatch Mtns, Avintaquin hunting unit
- Cow elk: Any legal weapon hunt on the Wasatch Mtns, Rabbit Gulch hunting unit
- Cow elk: Any legal weapon hunt on the Wasatch Mtns, Tabby Mtn hunting unit
- Doe pronghorn: Any legal weapon hunt on the Parker Mountain hunting unit
Antlerless elk-control units: This year, the DWR is offering antlerless elk-control permits on eight hunting units. Learn more about these permits and how they work on the DWR website.
Hunter orange: The Utah Legislature made changes to the hunter orange requirements, which formerly stated that a hunter must wear a minimum of 400 square inches of hunter orange. The new regulation requires that anyone hunting big game must wear hunter orange on the exterior so that it can be seen, including one or more of the following items: a hat, shirt, jacket, coat, vest or sweater.
Night-vision device rule changes: The Utah Wildlife Board clarified rule language from “unlawful to use” to “unlawful to possess” night-vision devices while locating big game from July 31 to Dec. 31. (The end date also changed to align with trail camera rules.)
You can see all of the changes for this year’s hunts on the DWR website.
If you have questions about applying for an antlerless permit, call 800-221-0659 or your nearest DWR office.
For a guide on the antlerless hunt, click here.
