Big-game permits likely to jump

Utah hunters might have more elk, pronghorn and bison permits to draw for this year.

The Division of Wildlife Resources is recommending raising permit numbers for all of Utah's big-game animals. Permits for elk, pronghorn and bison would increase the most.

The DWR is also recommending adding an additional 1,000 general season buck deer permits to the Northeastern Region.

Interested persons can learn more about the recommendations and share suggestions at a series of upcoming meetings. Recommendations will be presented to the Utah Wildlife Board when it meets April 5 in Salt Lake City to approve big-game hunting permits for this fall's hunts.

Meeting dates, times and locations are as follows:

March 13 — Southern Region at 7 p.m. at Beaver High School, 195 E. Center, in Beaver.

March 14 — Southeastern Region at 6:30 p.m. at John Wesley Powell Museum, 885 E. Main, in Green River.

March 15 — Northeastern Region at 6:30 p.m. at Western Park, Room 2, 302 E. 200 South, in Vernal.

March 20 — Central Region at 6:30 p.m. at Springville Junior High School, 165 S. 700 East, in Springville.

March 21 — Northern Region at 6 p.m. at Brigham City Community Center, 24 N. 300 West, in Brigham City.

Some record-size bull elk have been taken in Utah over the past few years, but there are still plenty of big bulls out there for hunters to take. Biologists manage each of Utah's limited entry bull elk units so the average age of the bulls taken by hunters falls within a certain age category.

The bulls that hunters took on 24 of Utah's 28 units last year was higher than the age objective for those units. That means the animals were older than what the objective for those units calls for.

The age of the bulls taken on four units was at the objective for those units. None of Utah's limited entry units was under the age objective.

"This means we can allow more hunters in the field and still leave plenty of big bulls for hunters to take in years to come," said Craig McLaughlin, wildlife section chief for the DWR.

The DWR is recommending 2,190 limited entry bull elk permits for this fall's hunts. A total of 79 of those permits would be management bull elk permits. These permits allow hunters to take bull elk that have five or less antler points on at least one side.