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Utah Hunting Alert for 2023
By Dan Pickar
On top of the extreme winter Utah experienced, DWR has made some rule changes during this year’s legislative session that need to be noted before hunting season starts, so let’s jump right in.
Utah has been in the realm of extremes the last few years. Extreme drought in 2020 and 2021 all to be followed by the most extreme year for snowpack in 2022 and 2023. Elk fared ok mostly but mule deer took a beating in much of the north half of the state. There are approximately 335,000 deer left in Utah which is down 50,000 from just a couple years ago. The southern portion of the state did well actually with excellent antler growth and fawn recruitment so if you have a tag in the southern part of the state, you made the right decision!
Elk fared much better in Utah with objective goals being met right around 80,000. There is an abundance of water this year so animals are going to be spread out more compared to past years. Elk are in good shape and the season is set to be a good one with an anticipated high success rate.
Some changes with rules are trail cameras. A trail camera can be used on private land for hunting purposes as long as it’s not capable of transmitting live images to the owner. There is now a mandatory harvest reporting rule for antlerless hunts. Any animal that isn’t reported within 30 days of the season ending will be subject to a $50 fine.
Another rule change addresses game retrieval and meat salvage requirements. Utah has made a rule that the shooter must physically check the area where they shot at an animal to see if the animal was killed or wounded before leaving the hunting area. For that to even need to be a rule boggles my mind but it sounds like it’s directed at the long range shooters out there. So yeah, don’t be an idiot! Meat salvage requirements are four quarters, loins, inner and outer. I also take neck meat and encourage everyone to also do so.
The Pausaugant unit changed from limited-entry elk to any bull elk unit and they removed the archery portion from the “any bull” seasons. Hunters may still hunt the any-legal weapon and muzzleloading hunting season dates with “any bull” permit.
Lastly, there was a change in technology requirements for weapons which states that any attached electronic to a weapon is illegal except illuminated reticles. Check out the Field regulation guidebook for details.
- What are the Utah hunting conditions this year?
- What are the hunting rules in Utah?
- When should I hunt Utah?
- Where to hunt elk in Utah?
- How are the deer doing in Utah?
