On November 2, 2021, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) proposed adding general-season elk permits to the big game drawing this year. In previous years, if you had a hunting license you could purchase these permits online and over-the-counter.
The proposal comes amidst increased public interest in elk hunting which has created a potential overload on permit sales system. By offering permits in the big game drawing, the DWR hopes to decrease pressure on the system and offer hunters more opportunities to hunt elk.
Increased Interest in Elk Hunting
Over the past three years, Utah has seen a major increase in the demand to buy permits to hunt big game. General-season bull elk permits and spike bull elk permits have seen the biggest increase.
In 2019, it only took 11 days for all 15,000 adult and youth hunting permits to sell out. 2020 was a record year for the DWR, with the same number of permits selling out within 8 hours. This year, in 2021, 17,500 permits sold out within 10 hours of online, over-the-counter, and retail location availability.
The DWR Wildlife Licensing Coordinator, Lindy Varney, stated that the increased demand is overloading the permit system. Hunters are frustrated with slow processing times caused by “sales days” when elk permits become available.
As the DWR works with the system’s contractor to solve the problems, they have proposed adding general-season spike elk and bull elk permits to the big game drawing this year as a trial solution.
By adding these permits to the drawing for the trial period, the DWR hopes to assess the pros and cons of the old system vs. adding the permits to the drawing. The goal is to reduce pressure on the system while determining a long-term solution for the 2022 season.
Proposal Feedback
The DWR encourages public feedback on this proposal and a handful of additional proposals related to upcoming hunting seasons. DWR meetings are available to the public through the DWR YouTube channel or attending in person. Online comments are accepted from November 2 until specified deadlines for each meeting. Details are available at the DWR public meeting website.
