Things will change at the license counter on Sunday for Utah's hunters and fishermen. The more avid sportsmen will likely applaud the change. The occasional hunters likely won't.

During the past legislative session, lawmakers changed Utah's hunting and fishing license structure. Come Sunday, it will cost some less to hunt and some more.

The only real change in the area of fishing is that those between ages 12 and 14 will need to buy a $5 license. Until now, fishing for this age group was free.

The biggest change, pointed out Jim Karpowitz, director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, will be the elimination of the small-game license and the introduction of a hunting-only license.

Before hunters can buy a big-game permit, they will first need to buy a hunting-only or combination license.

"The people this will affect most are the casual hunters who only want to put in for the special draw hunts in hopes of getting one of those once-in-a-lifetime hunts. They will have to buy the hunt-only or combination license before they can apply. The reason for the change is the cost of that special permit alone did not, in any way, cover the cost of what it takes in the way of management to raise that animal. The general deer and elk hunters have been subsidizing the high-quality hunts."

The hunt-only license will cost $26. For $4 more, a hunter can purchase a combination license good for both hunting and fishing. Fishermen can get the same deal. A fishing-only license is $26, where a combination for hunting and fishing is $30.

As of Sunday, the cost of a deer tag in the Northern Region will drop from $40 to $35. (Permits in the other four regions have been sold.) General season elk tags will drop from $65 to $35.

A resident combination license will drop from $34 to $30.

"What we plan to do with this money is reinvest it to the benefit of the sportsmen," added Karpowitz.

• $500,000 will go toward the DWR's walk-in access program, which will be expanded from one to three regions. This will result in more and better access for hunters and fishermen.

• More money will be put into Utah's wildlife habitat program.

• $200,000 will be put into the phragmites control program to benefit waterfowl and waterfowl hunters. Phragmites is a non-native plant that is choking Utah's marshes.

• More money will also go into wildlife management areas.

"We are also facing some increased costs within the division," Karpowitz explained.

"We did a study and found salaries within the division are significantly lower than in other states. It also showed that we have fewer wildlife employees per capita than any of the wildlife agencies in the West.