Tips for hunters for the 2023 Utah deer and elk hunts – Cache Valley Daily

An archery hunter brings out an elk harvested in Utah montains.

SALT LAKE CITY — Decades of drought conditions followed by record-breaking snowfall have made big game quite vulnerable in some parts of the state. The Division of Wildlife Resources would like deer and elk hunters to know a few things before they hunt.

The general-season buck deer archery hunt and the general spike and any-bull elk archery hunts all begin Saturday, Aug. 19. New this year, the general-season any-bull elk hunt (with any legal weapon) will be split into two seasons. The early-season hunt will be held Oct. 7-13, and the late-season hunt will be held Oct. 14-20. The general-season buck deer hunt (with any legal weapon) runs from Oct. 21-29, and the general-season muzzleloader elk hunt will be held Nov. 1-9.

Deer hunts

The current deer management plan’s objective is to have 404,000 deer across Utah, and the 2022 postseason population estimate there are 335,000 deer in the state. The DWR has decreased hunting permit numbers for the last several years in order to better manage to the buck-to-doe ratios outlined in the management plans.

“There are a few things that can negatively impact deer populations in Utah,” DWR Once in a Lifetime Coordinator Rusty Robinson said. “Those include poor or limited habitat and extreme weather — either ongoing drought or really heavy snowfall, like we had last winter. The most important factors that drive deer population numbers are the survival rates of doe deer (since bucks don’t have babies), fawn production and fawn survival after the winter.”

Deer populations in Cache, Weber, Summit and Morgan counties were hit pretty hard by the severe winter conditions and had lower survival rates of adult doe deer and fawns in those areas. The low survival in those hunting units will result in fewer buck deer especially yearling bucks being available for hunters in those areas this fall.

Southern Utah had really favorable conditions this winter resulting in above-average deer survival rates and great habitat conditions this spring and summer. Hunters in the southern part of the state should see a lot of huntable yearling bucks, as well as some older age class bucks in their hunting units.

Elk hunts

The statewide elk management plan wants 80,000 elk across Utah and the 2022 postseason population estimate there are 82,960 elk in the state.

There are still some archery antlerless elk permits available. These permits allow a hunter to harvest a cow elk with archery equipment during the dates of the general-season archery elk hunt on those units. These permits are great for hunters who:

• Have an archery deer permit for a unit but would also like the opportunity to hunt a cow elk if they encounter elk. The archery elk and deer season dates are similar, although not exactly the same.
• Have a general-season archery elk permit and would like to harvest a cow and still be able to stay in the field to hunt a bull, as well, so they can harvest the meat from both animals.
• Always feel like they encounter cow elk when they have a bull permit.

“The DWR uses these permits to help manage the elk populations to the management objectives established in the management plan,” Robinson said. “Hunting pressure from archery hunters doesn’t change the elk distribution on the landscape as much as rifle hunting, which often pushes the elk herds to inaccessible areas. These permits and antlerless hunts are a good strategy to help with elk harvest in certain areas that need to balance the number of animals with the available habitat.”

Hunters should also note that many areas of Utah have more abundant water sources this year — due to the record-breaking snowfall so hunting near water sources may not be as effective this year because there are more water sources available than usual. For sportsman planning to hunt deer or elk in Utah this fall, here are some tips to help them be successful during the archery and rifle hunts:

Do your research before heading out, know the laws and scout the area in advance

It is a good idea to visit the Utah Hunt Planner before heading out into the field. This great online resource includes notes from the biologists who manage the various hunting units across the state, as well as general information about the units and safety and weather items. You can see information about the number of bucks on the units, compared to the number of does. You’ll also find maps that show the units’ boundaries, which land is public and private, and the various types of deer habitat on the unit.

“Hunters who have scouted their hunting units and spent time locating animals before the hunt begins are typically more successful at finding, pursuing and harvesting an animal during their hunt,” Robinson said. “Spend time scouting, and if you haven’t, consider planning multiple hunting trips during the hunting season. Treat your early hunting dates in the season as hunting and scouting, and try to cover lots of ground to locate animals.”

Here are a few changes to big game hunting this year and some of the new laws to be aware of:

• Trail cameras: All trail cameras are prohibited on public land from July 31 to Dec. 31, with a few exceptions. A trail camera using internal data storage and not capable of transmitting live data is still permitted for use on private land for the purposes of legal hunting.
• Mandatory harvest reporting for antlerless hunts: This new rule requires that hunters report their harvests in Utah’s antlerless big game hunts. Hunters will have 30 days to report after the hunting season ends, either online or over the phone. Late reporting will result in a $50 fine in order to reinstate eligibility for the antlerless drawing. This change came as a request from hunters, so the DWR will have more-complete harvest data to use when setting permit numbers.
• Game retrieval and meat salvage requirements: These rules require a hunter to physically check the area where they shot at an animal to see if the animal was killed or wounded before the hunter leaves the area. If a hunter does harvest an animal, they are required to harvest the meat from the front quarters, above the knee; from the hind quarters, above the hocks; and along the backbone — between the neck and hind quarters — including the loins and tenderloins.

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  Paunsaugunt Unit changes for elk hunting: The Utah Wildlife Board approved changing the Paunsaugunt Unit from a limited-entry elk hunting unit to an any bull elk unit, but removed the archery hunting portion from the “any bull” seasons. Hunters may still hunt the any-legal weapon and muzzleloader hunting season dates with a valid any bull permit, but can not hunt the archery dates. This was implemented in order to avoid crowding conflicts with the premium limited-entry archery deer hunt on the Paunsaugunt unit.

• Weapons technology changes: Several regulation changes were also approved by the Utah Wildlife Board to Utah’s allowed weapons technologies, including prohibiting attached electronics (except for illuminated reticules) on most weapons. To see all the changes, review pages 45-58 of the 2023 Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook.

For more information about all the new changes and laws for hunting big game this fall, hunters should check the 2023 Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook.