Apply for a grouse permit

Big change awaits Utah's sage-grouse and sharp-tailed grouse hunters

Sage-grouse and sharp-tailed grouse hunting permits will be available through a draw this year.

A 2008 photo of a sharp-tailed grouse.

Photo by Phil Douglass

That's a big change for Utah's grouse hunters. In the past, the permits were available on a first-come, first-served basis.

"More and more hunters want to hunt grouse in Utah," says Judi Tutorow, wildlife licensing coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "Making the permits available through a draw is the best way to give everyone an equal chance to get one."

Sandhill crane permits too

You can apply for a sage-grouse, a sharp-tailed grouse or a sandhill crane permit starting June 25. Your application must be received through www.wildlife.utah.gov no later than 11 p.m. on July 9 to be included in the draw for permits.

You can also apply over-the-phone by calling any DWR office no later than 6 p.m. on July 9.

If you won't be hunting grouse or cranes this year, you can still apply for a preference point. Hunters with preference points have the best chance at obtaining a permit in 2010.

If you apply for a permit, you'll know by July 30 whether you drew one.

Sandhill crane tips

If you draw sandhill a crane permit, you can expect a good hunt, says Tom Aldrich, migratory game bird coordinator for the DWR.

"About 60 percent of those who draw a permit and go afield to hunt cranes usually take one," he says.

Aldrich says scouting before the hunt is the key to success. "If you spend time watching sandhill cranes in the mornings and the evenings, when they fly between their roosting and feeding areas, and then get permission from a landowner to set-up in a field where they're feeding, you'll usually be successful," he says.

You can also find success pass shooting birds as they fly between roosting and feeding areas.

"Hunting success is pretty consistent from year-to-year," Aldrich says. "Weather and other factors don't affect the success rate much."

Reminder

Aldrich reminds you that some areas in Box Elder and Cache counties are closed to sandhill crane hunting.

In Box Elder County, the western half of the county is closed. The Harold Crane, Public Shooting Grounds and Salt Creek waterfowl management areas, and the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, are also closed to crane hunting.

In Cache County, a 1-mile by 11-mile area in and around Mendon is closed.

For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.