Outdoor notes

ELK HUNT PERMITS AVAILABLE

The state's general archery elk season starts Aug. 15, and permits are still available.

Permits to hunt buck deer in Utah this fall sold out on June 13.

"All of the state's deer permits are gone, but plenty of general bull elk permits are still available," said Judi Tutorow, wildlife licensing coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "This should be a great year to hunt elk."

General archery elk permits are unlimited.

Elk permits are available at the DWR's Web site at wildlife.utah.gov, from more than 300 license agents across Utah and at any DWR office.

Anis Aoude, big-game coordinator for the DWR, says the two Uinta Mountains units — the North Slope unit and the South Slope unit — are hunters' best bets if they're looking for mature bulls on an any-bull unit.

"Even though the map on Pages 80 and 81 of the 2009 Utah Big Game Guidebook shows a lot of any-bull elk units in the state, many of these units are covered by private land, or they're units that don't have a lot of elk on them," Aoude says.

For information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake office at 801-538-4700.

OPERATION DRY WATER SCHEDULED

PAGE, Ariz. — Utah State Parks boating rangers, in partnership with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and U.S. Coast Guard, is sponsoring a boating under the influence checkpoint Saturday at Halls Crossing Marina area on Lake Powell.

Other local enforcement agencies will be assisting in the efforts.

Operation Dry Water is a coordinated, national weekend of BUI detection and enforcement aimed at reducing the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities and fostering a stronger and more visible deterrent to alcohol use on the water.

Curbing the number of alcohol-related accidents and fatalities is a key to achieving safer and more enjoyable recreational boating. In 2007, U.S. Coast Guard statistics indicate that 21 percent of all boating fatalities were a result of alcohol use. This continues an upward trend in the percentage of fatalities where alcohol was the primary cause of the accident.

For information on boating in Utah, visit stateparks.utah.gov or call 801-538-BOAT.