Utah’s big game application deadline are approaching. The Department of Wildlife Resources want s to give ample warning of deadlines.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Division of Wildlife Resources wants to remind sportsmen of the application period for Utah’s big game hunts that will be starting soon. For those interested in getting their own locally-harvested deer or elk meat this fall, they should be sure to take note of the following dates.

Deer feed in a farmer’s alfalfa field in Huntington Canyon. Depredation is an on-going challenge for farmers, ranchers and the Division of Wildlife Resources.

The application period opens on Jan. 28 and runs until 11 p.m. on March 4. To be included in the drawing for the hunts, you can apply on the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources website or over the phone by calling the nearest DWR regional office.

The results of the drawing will be released no later than May 31. Applicants will be notified by email, on the DWR website or by calling 1-800-221-0659.

Besides mule deer and elk, big game hunts are held in Utah for bighorn sheep, bison, moose, mountain goat or pronghorn antelope.

In addition to applying for the hunts, if you’d like a chance to hunt all three general-season deer hunts, you should consider applying for the Dedicated Hunter Program,” said Mark Hadley, a DWR spokesman. “You can learn more about the program, and how to join it, on the DWR website.”

For hunters thinking about hunting in a new area or going after a new species and have a lot of questions, the Utah Hunt Planner – an interactive, online map – can answer many of them.

“The Hunt Planner provides in-depth, hunter-focused information about all of Utah’s hunts,” he said. “Use it when you’re researching hunts you want to apply for or use it after you draw a permit for a particular hunt.”

Hunters can learn the best spots to find specific animals, what the terrain is like in that area, if there’s a lot of public land in the unit and where the best access points are located.

“DWR biologists keep the Hunt Planner up to date with the details hunters care about,” Hadley said. ”If you’re not planning to hunt in 2021, you can still apply for a bonus point or a preference point. Earning a point increases the chance you’ll draw a permit the next time you apply.”

Application for a point must be received no later than 11 p.m. on March 18. Participants must have a valid hunting license or a combination license to apply for a bonus/preference point or a big game hunting permit.

For more information about applying for a 2021 Utah big game hunting permit, see the 2021 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook, call 1-800-221-0659 or contact the nearest DWR office.



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