SALT LAKE CITY – For young men or young women wanting to try hunting big game for the first time this fall they will need to either take a hunter education course or participate in Utah’s Trial Hunting Program. There is also a course available for someone who wants to learn more about trapping.
There is an application process for big game permits that are available from March 19–April 23. The hunter education course must completed before a person can apply for a permit. Elk permits can be purchased over the counter, any time from July through the hunting season.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Hunter Education Program Manager RaLynne Takeda said hunting is a great way to obtain your own local meat while getting outdoors and exploring our beautiful state.
“It provides an opportunity to spend time together and make memories as a family,” she said. “Hunting is also an excellent way to support and fund wildlife conservation, since the majority of the funding from hunting licenses goes directly back to paying for wildlife habitat and restoration efforts.”
Takeda also said hunting is an important tool in managing healthy wildlife populations.
To hunt in Utah, everyone born after Dec. 31, 1965, must complete a state-approved hunter education class or participate in the Trial Hunting Program.
There are two ways to complete hunter education in Utah; one option is to take a traditional in-person class led by an instructor. The other option is taking an online course. Both options include a final written test and the “field day,” with hands-on skills demonstration and a live-fire shooting exercise at the end.
Prior to taking either course option, candidates must buy a hunter education certificate online or from a license agent. The certificate costs $12 for residents and $17 for non-residents, and it is required before the in-person field day.
The courses teach firearm safety, hunter responsibility and ethics. The online course can be taken at your own pace, while the in-person course typically has scheduled meetings and times and locations. The online course costs $25, and it can be registered on the Utah Hunter Education webpage.
“If you have a young child who’s taking the course online, you can help them understand what they’re learning by sitting with them and discussing the course material as they go through it,” Takeda said. “Your child can also take the online course at their own speed, and they can go back and review the material as often as they’d like.”
Online course with a field day is also a great option for first-time adult hunters with busy schedules to complete hunter education.
Instructors provide additional details about the in-person field day during the course. After completion of the online portion of the course, the proof-of-completion document must be printed.
There is also Utah’s Trial Hunting Program which can see if someone is interested in hunting this fall. The program gives someone an opportunity to go with an experienced hunter and see if it is something they would like to pursue. There are no requirements to take this avenue of hunting.
The applicant must be at least 12 years old to join the program, and they need to be accompanied by a licensed hunter who is 21 years old or older. To participate they must complete a brief online orientation course, which can be found on the DWR website and have a hunting license and the permit for the species they’d like to hunt. For this program, people are eligible to obtain the following licenses and permits:
- Combination or hunting licenses (good for hunting all small game, including upland game and waterfowl)
- General-season deer and elk permits
- Permits to hunt bear, greater sage-grouse, sandhill crane, sharp-tailed grouse, tundra swan and turkey
Interested parties can learn more about the program on the DWR website.
Utah, residents born after Dec. 31, 1984, must complete a state-offered furharvester education course and in-person field day. The furharvester education course provides instructions on the following:
- Safe, responsible and ethical trapping methods
- How to use trapping devices
- Trapping laws, trapping ethics, techniques in safely releasing nontarget animals
- Firearm safety
- Wildlife management
- Proper catch handling
To participate, you must purchase a registration certificate before taking the course. The registration certificate cost $7 and can be purchased online, at a DWR office or from any available license agent. Interested people can either take an in-person instructor-led course or an online course paired with an in-person field day. The online completion document must be presented when attending the field day exercise. At the end of either course option, participants will then take a final written exam.