Permits to hunt bull elk with a rifle or a muzzleloader are going fast.

Permits are still available to hunt bull elk in Utah this fall. But the permits are going fast.

Photo by Lynn Chamberlain

If you'd like to hunt during one of Utah's extended archery hunts, though, you'll have no problem getting a permit — general archery elk permits aren't limited in number in Utah.

Rifle and muzzleloader permits

The general rifle bull elk hunt starts Oct. 8. Last fall, permits sold out before the hunt started.

If you want to hunt bull elk with a rifle or a muzzleloader, Judi Tutorow, wildlife licensing coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says you should get a permit now. "If you know you're going to hunt," she says, "don't wait to get a permit. If you wait too long, you might be out of luck." Elk permits are sold on a first come, first served basis until they are gone.

Archery elk permits

The situation is different with general archery elk permits — an unlimited supply is available, so there's no problem getting one.

The general archery elk hunt runs until Sept. 9 on spike only units in Utah. On any bull units, where you can take a bull of any size, the hunt runs until Sept. 16.

Once the general archery elk hunt ends, though, the fun isn't over. If you have a general archery elk permit, you can continue hunting into December on three different extended archery areas — the Wasatch Front, the Uintah Basin and the Sanpete Valley.

More information about hunting the extended archery areas, including information about the DWR's free Archery Ethics course, is available on pages 13 and 14 of the 2011 Utah Big Game Field Regulations guidebook.

The free guidebook is available at wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks.

Where can I get a permit?

Buying an elk hunting permit at wildlife.utah.gov is the easiest way to get one. But if you buy a permit at wildlife.utah.gov, please know that the document you print after paying for your permit is only a receipt — it's not a hunting permit, so you can't hunt with it.

You'll receive your hunting permit through the mail. Your permit should arrive within 10 days of buying it.

If you don't want to wait up to 10 days to hunt, you can buy a permit at a DWR office or from more than 300 hunting license agents across Utah.

Once you have your permit, you can start hunting.

More information

More information about Utah's general bull elk hunts is available on pages 12–15 of the 2011 Utah Big Game Field Regulations guidebook (wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks).

You can also call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office, or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at 801-538-4700, for more information.