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Show Page 8 The Ogden Valley News Volume XXX Issue IX July 15, 2023 Want The Chance to Hunt Big Game How to Avoid Conflicts with Bison at This Fall? Remaining 2023 Deer, Elk Antelope Island State Park With summer in full swing, with wildlife, it’s usually because the person many Utahns are heading to the got too close.” Permits to Be Sold Beginning July 11 outdoors for recreation. While you Here are a few tips for how to avoid making If you didn’t draw a buck deer or bull elk permit during the hunt drawing earlier this year—and you’re still interested in hunting deer or elk this fall—your last chance to obtain a permit begins next week. The permits are first come, first served, and you must have a valid hunting or combination license to purchase a permit. The sales dates for the permits are as follows: Elk Permits • General-season archery elk permits—for adults and youth—will be available beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 11. The generalseason archery elk permits are unlimited. • Youth general-season elk permits will be available beginning at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 11. New this year, the youth permits will allow any youth—17 years old or younger on July 31—to hunt all of the general-season elk hunts, including archery, muzzleloader and both any legal weapon seasons in both spike and any bull hunting units. The hunter will just need to use the applicable weapon and harvest the applicable animal for that hunting unit. These permits are unlimited and will be available for purchase from July 11 until the last day of the last general-season elk hunt. • General-season any bull elk permits—for adults—will be available beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 13. New this year, the general-season bull elk hunt is split into two seasons. The early-season hunt will be held Oct. 7-13 and o昀昀ers 15,000 permits. (The youth permits will not come out of that total and are unlimited.) The late-season hunt will be held Oct. 14-20 and has an unlimited number of permits. The muzzleloader hunt will be held Nov. 1-9 and is part of the 15,000-permit total. There are no longer multi-season permits available for any bull elk hunts. • General-season spike bull elk permits— for adults and youth—will be available beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 20 for the any-legal weapon, muzzleloader, and multi-season hunts. There are a combined 15,000 permits available, with a cap of 4,500 on the multi-season permits. Deer Permits • The general season buck deer permits that remain after the big game drawing will be available beginning at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 18. There are a total of 76 permits remaining. • Youth general-season archery deer permits will also become available at 8:00 are hiking or camping this year, a.m. Tuesday, July 18. These permits are not particularly on Antelope Island, left over from any type of drawing—they are there are some important safety set aside speci昀椀cally for youth hunters each tips you should keep in mind if you year. You can 昀椀nd the total number of permits encounter a bison. available and the applicable units listed on the Antelope Island State Park is a popular Utah Division of Wildlife Resources website. recreational destination for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, camping, birdwatching, and boating on the Great Salt Lake. The island is Bison & Limited-entry Deer & Pronghorn also home to many wildlife species, including Permits • Limited-entry buck deer, pronghorn and mule deer, pronghorn, and bison. Antelope Island is where you’ll find one over-the-counter bison permits will all be available beginning at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, of the nation’s largest and oldest public bison July 11. There are only two limited-entry herds. Due to the large population of bison livbuck deer and two limited-entry pronghorn ing on the island, it is quite common to see one permits available, but the Nine Mile hunting of the animals. In the winter months, there are unit bison permits are unlimited. (You must about 515 bison on the island. After the female have their calves in the spring, it brings complete an online orientation course before bison the total to over 700 animals. Bison can also be you can purchase one of the bison permits.) found in the Henry Mountains in southern Utah You can get more details about the permits and in the Book Cliffs in eastern Utah. (including which hunting units they are for and During the last few years, there have been how many are available for each unit) on the several instances when visitors to Antelope DWR website. While the web page isn’t active- Island were charged and injured by bison. ly updated after the permits go on sale, you can While these incidents are quite rare, people see the total remaining number of permits prior should still be aware of what to do if they encounter a bison. to the start of the sales days. “People usually get too close,” Antelope How Do I Buy One of These Permits? People interested in buying a permit can pur- Island Park Manager Jeremy Shaw said. “They chase it online, at a DWR office or from any always want to get closer and closer for photos. available license agent. However, because these And any time there is a dangerous interaction permits go on sale beginning at 8:00 a.m., be sure to check the hours of your nearest avail- OGDEN CANYON cont. from page 1 able agent before traveling there. You can find all the license agents on the DWR website. be enforced in construction zones. There will also be a virtual waiting room Stay informed of updates by visiting the for those buying online, to better manage the project website for the latest information or pressure of the high volume of people wanting to buy permits. If a customer refreshes or navigates away from the queue page, they may lose their spot in line and have to start over. “If you happened to miss the big game drawing or were unsuccessful, this is your last opportunity for a chance to hunt big game in Utah this fall,” DWR Wildlife Licensing Coordinator Lindy Varney said. “Don’t forget that you can mentor a youth during these hunts, making it a great opportunity to pass on your love of the outdoors to the next generation.” Make sure to familiarize yourself with the 2023 Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook before you start scouting and planning your hunt for the fall. It can be found online, along with the 2023 Big Game Application Guidebook and information about the 2023 antlerless hunts. a bison aggressive if you encounter one: • If you see a bison and it stops what it is doing and starts paying attention to you, you are too close and should slowly back away. • If a bison is in the middle of the road, wait for it to pass. Do not get out of your vehicle. • If a bison is on the side of the road, feel free to slowly drive past it. But again, stay inside your vehicle. • If you see a bison in the distance, do not walk across the rangeland to get closer to it. Take your photos from a safe distance. • If you are hiking and a bison is close to you or on the trail, you should either back away and return the way you came or leave the trail and give the animal a very wide berth when passing it. It is OK to go o昀昀 the trail if your safety is at risk. “We’ve got trail restrictions on Antelope Island in the backcountry, but safety trumps those rules,” Shaw said. “If you are in the backcountry hiking and you come across any wildlife that’s in your path, we urge you to travel around it. Whatever distance you think you should remain from the animal, double it—that’s how far back you should stay.” These safety tips also apply to other species of wildlife. For specifics on what to do when encountering different types of animals in the wild, visit the Wild Aware Utah website. send us an email with “SR-39 Paving Updates” in the subject line for periodic email updates. Email us at sr39Paving@utah.gov or call our hotline at 435-990-1050. |