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Proposed Elk Hunting Changes in Utah

March 8, 2010.

From the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources:

Two major elk hunting changes would happen if proposed updates to Utah's five-year Elk Management Plan are approved. There would be:

  • Fewer chances in the future to hunt bull elk on limited-entry units.
  • More chances to hunt spike bull elk in Utah.

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Photo

Survey and Committee

Utah's 15-member Elk Advisory Committee helped the DWR draft the updated plan. The group included representatives from sportsmen groups and land managing agencies.

The group suggested the updates after reviewing a recent survey of Utah elk hunters.

DWR biologists conducted the survey. They surveyed more than 16,600 elk hunters. These hunters were randomly chosen from the more than 76,800 hunters who either applied for or obtained a Utah elk hunting permit in 2009. The hunters included both limited-entry and general-season hunters.

Older Bulls

One thing the DWR learned is that hunters who draw a Utah limited-entry permit want to take a bull that has large antlers. "Taking a bull with large antlers is very important to limited-entry hunters," says Anis Aoude, big game coordinator for the DWR.

Utah already has a lot of big bull elk, including the world-record bull taken in 2008. To ensure there are plenty of big bulls in Utah in the future, the committee recommended that the DWR manage some of the state's limited-entry units so hunters take bulls that are even older than those they're currently taking.

Utah's limited-entry units are managed so the average age of the bulls hunters take fall into one of four age categories. The age objective the units are managed under, and the objectives they would be managed under if the updates are approved, are as follows:

Current categories

  • 3–4 years old (3 units)
  • 4–5 years old (4 units)
  • 5–6 years old (18 units)
  • 6–7 years old (6 units)

Proposed categories

  • 4.5–5 years old (8 units)
  • 5.5–6 years old (13 units)
  • 6.5–7 years old (4 units)
  • 7.5–8 years old (6 units)

Even though the age objectives would go up, the bulls' ages on many of Utah's elk units are already higher than the new objectives. So permit numbers will likely continue to increase until the average age falls to the objective.

Once the average age falls to the new objective, though, the number of permits would have to be reduced to keep the bulls at the objective.

"Growing older bulls comes with a price," Aoude says. "Once units reach the new age objectives, we'll have to reduce the number of limited-entry permits to remain at the objective. If too many bulls are taken, the average age of the animals will fall below the new, higher age objective."

For example, if Utah's elk herds were meeting the current age objective—which calls for slightly younger animals than the new objective calls for—the DWR could issue about 2,300 permits each season.

Under the new age objective—which calls for older animals—the DWR could issue only about 2,000 permits.

More spike permits

While the number of limited-entry bull elk permits might eventually go down, the number of general spike bull elk permits could go up over the next five years.

Raising the number of general spike bull permits to 13,750 is another update the committee suggested. (Currently, 12,500 permits are offered.)

Then, if fewer than 20 percent of the spike hunters take a bull during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, the permit cap would be raised to 15,000 permits for the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons.

"Our survey shows that spending time with family and friends is the most important part of the hunt for general-season elk hunters," Aoude says.

Aoude says raising the number of spike bull permits would accomplish two things.

"First, it would provide more elk hunters with a chance to hunt," he says. "Second, it would benefit the elk herds by reducing the overall number of bulls. Right now, the number of bulls per 100 cows is higher than it should be."



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