Big game applications due by Jan. 31

Don't wait until the last day to apply

If you're going to apply for a permit to hunt big game in Utah this fall, a Division of Wildlife Resources official has some advice—apply before the final day of the application period.

Applications will be accepted at wildlife.utah.gov until 11 p.m. on Jan. 31. You can also phone your application in at (801) 538-4700.

Phone-in applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Jan. 31.

Applying on the Web

"When you apply depends a lot on how much patience you have," says Judi Tutorow, wildlife licensing coordinator for the DWR.

"If you apply before Jan. 31, you should get your application in fast," she says. "If you wait until Jan. 31, it could take longer. Thousands of hunters wait until the last day to apply, and that really slows the Web site down."

Tutorow says if you do wait until Jan. 31 to apply, make sure you start applying before 11 p.m. "Even if you haven't finished your application by 11 p.m., the system will still let you complete your application as long as you don't log out before it's completed," she says. "If you log out after 11 p.m., and then try and get back into the system, you'll be out of luck."

Applying over the phone

DWR staff have received hundreds of calls from hunters this month. They're doing everything they can to get hunters through the phone-in application process as fast as possible, but the large number of hunters who are calling to apply, or to ask questions, has slowed the process down. "And it's only going to get worse as Jan. 31 gets closer," Tutorow says.

You can phone your application into the DWR's Salt Lake City office, or any of the DWR's five regional offices, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. The offices will be closed on Monday, Jan. 21, for Martin Luther King Day.

For more information, call the Utah Wildlife Administrative Services office at 1-800-221-0659, the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.