A group of Utah's elk hunters will be able to spend more days in the field in 2008.

In its last session, the Utah Wildlife Board voted to return the spike bull season back to a 13-day hunt. Several years ago it was cut back to a 9-day hunt.

The board also added five days to Utah's limited entry archery bull elk hunt.

The board chose not to return the general rifle season for deer in the southern and southeastern regions back to nine days. Both will remain five-day hunts in 2008.

Utah's any-bull elk hunt had been 13 days, but the spike hunt had been cut to 9 days. Now, both seasons will run from Oct. 4-16 in 2008.

"The length of the spike bull elk hunt was shortened a few years ago when the age objective for bulls taken on limited entry units was lowered on most of the units," said Anis Aoude, big game coordinator for the DWR.

"Lowering the objective allows more permits to be issued and more bulls to be taken. The idea behind shortening the season was to save more spike bulls so they could grow into mature bulls."

In recent years the age objective on most of the elk units has been raised. Raising the objective means fewer bulls will be taken.

But, even if there was a need to protect spike bulls, keeping the season at 9 days wouldn't make much of a difference.

"The elk situation is the same as the deer situation," he said. "Even though the season has been lengthened by four days, most hunters won't take advantage of the extra days."

Studies show that hunters who hunt nine-day elk seasons in Utah hunt an average of five days. That number increases to five-and-a-half days when the season is 13 days long.

The board voted to start the general archery elk hunt five days earlier. In 2008, it will begin Aug. 16, which is the same day the general archery buck deer hunt begins.

Starting the general archery elk hunt five days earlier means it will end five days earlier.

Those extra five days will be given to limited entry archery elk hunters. That will increase the length of the limited entry archery elk hunt to 28 days without taking any days away from general archery elk hunters.

Yet to be decided will be the Utah's bear hunt. The DWR will try to take a three-pronged approach to reducing problems with bears in 2008.

When the next board meeting is held, the DWR will be recommending more permits be made available to hunters in problem areas.

Filling permits in areas where bears and people come into conflict every year is part of a three-pronged approach the DWR is taking to try and reduce the chance of those conflicts.

The other prongs involve the public and those who run campgrounds. DWR staff will continue to educate people about how to avoid attracting bears. They will also encourage the use of bear-proof garbage containers in campgrounds.