"The good news is, if you do get into the backcountry, there's a good chance you'll be among the 18 percent who take a spike bull this year."

The most important reminder Aoude has for elk hunters is for those using off-highway vehicles to obtain an OHV riding map for the area they are going to hunt.

These maps are available from the DWR, the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management, which manages the land.

Aoude said the DWR is receiving more and more complaints every year about OHVs being taken into areas where it's not legal to take them.

"Taking OHVs into these areas damages the habitat that the elk rely on, disturbs and scatters the animals, and ruins the hunting experience for other hunters," he noted.

He also encourages hunters to do some preseason scouting and to check the boundary descriptions for the areas they will be hunting.

Boundary descriptions are found in the 2007 Utah Big Game Proclamation.

The proclamation is available at the DWR Web site — www.wildlife.utah.gov — and from DWR offices and hunting license agents across Utah.

For more information, call the nearest DWR office or the main office at 801-538-4700.