Utah Hunting & Fishing Guidebooks
Female angler holding a fish

Rules & regulations

These guidebooks contain the information you must know to hunt or fish in Utah. We highly recommend that you either download electronic versions or pick up printed copies. We distribute free printed guidebooks at Division offices and licensing agents.

Utah Fishing Guidebook

Fishing Guidebook

The Utah Fishing Guidebook summarizes the laws and rules that govern fishing in Utah.

Download PDF

Guía en español

Emergency changes

Fall Creek and its tributaries, including Phinney and Anderson lakes (Duchesne County)

  • 16 trout, any species

The Division will be treating Fall Creek and its tributaries, including Phinney and Anderson lakes, with rotenone in summer 2025. This will be done to remove non-native fish to assist with cutthroat trout restoration efforts. This emergency change will allow the public to harvest more fish from the drainage in advance of the treatment.

All other rules established in the 2024 and 2025 Utah Fishing Guidebooks remain in effect.

Panguitch Lake (Garfield County)

  • Open to fishing

Effective April 22, 2024: Panguitch Lake has reopened to fishing, effective April 22. However, the Garfield County Sheriff's Office is still requesting that people stay away from the dam area of the lake.

All other rules established in the 2024 Utah Fishing Guidebook remain in effect.

Mayor's Pond (Box Elder County)

The daily fish limit for Mayor’s Pond has been updated to eight fish per person through Jan. 31, 2024. Mayor's Pond is listed in the "Community fishing waters" information box on page 28. This emergency change will allow the public to harvest more fish in advance of the pond being dredged.

This change is effective Dec. 20, 2023 and will remain in effect until January 31, 2024. All other rules established in the 2024 Utah Fishing Guidebook remain in effect.

Big Game Application Guidebook

Big Game Application Guidebook

The Utah Big Game Application Guidebook provides information and instructions hunters need to know to apply for bucks, bulls and once-in-a-lifetime hunts.

Download PDF

Corrections

Page 70: In the CWMU buck deer hunt table, one Little Red Creek (DB1258) public permit was listed in error. There is no public permit available on that CWMU for 2024, and that hunt has been deleted in the online edition of this guidebook.

Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook cover

Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook

The Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook summarizes the laws and rules that govern big game hunting in Utah.

Download PDF

Updates

Page 28: An update to the wildlife management and waterfowl management areas that will be closed to the general public (including big game hunting) for sponsored youth and beginner pheasant hunts was made after the printed guidebook was distributed.

The 2024 closures are:

  • Oct. 26 — Huntington Game Farm (until 3 p.m.)
  • Nov. 9 — Annabella, Pahvant, Pine Canyon (also known as Carr Fork) WMAs and part of the Ogden Bay WMA

The online edition of the guidebook has been edited to reflect this update.

Corrections

Page 19: The footnote in the "What seasons can youth hunt?" table indicated an incorrect page number for reference. The footnote has been updated to refer to page 38 (instead of page 43). The online edition of this guidebook has been updated with this correction.

Page 54: The Hunter Mentoring Program no longer requires participating youth to be Utah residents. The word "resident" has been deleted from the information box. The online edition of this guidebook has been updated with this correction.

Pages 3 and 24: In the description of the new muzzleloader regulations, the guidebook language as printed was unclear about how those rules apply to HAMSS hunts. Those descriptions have been edited to reiterate that no scopes of any kind are allowed on HAMSS hunts. The online edition of the guidebook has been edited to reflect these updates.

Page 32: Minor corrections were made to the section describing the use of trail cameras on private land to align more closely with Utah Code § 23A-5-307: A trail camera using internal data storage and not capable of transmitting data is permitted for use on private lands for the purposes of taking protected wildlife. The online edition of the guidebook has been edited to reflect these changes.

Page 43: An incorrect end date for the general-season archery elk hunt was printed in the guidebook. Utah's general season archery spike elk hunt runs from Aug. 17—Sept. 6, 2024 (not Sept. 5, as was indicated in the print edition). The online edition of this guidebook has been updated with this correction.

Utah Antlerless Application

Antlerless Application

Are you interested in hunting an antlerless big game animal? Here's the information you'll need in order to apply for a permit.

Read more

Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook cover

Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook

The Utah Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook summarizes the laws and rules that govern upland game and turkey hunting in Utah.

Download PDF

Guía en español

Corrections

Page 31: The Hunter Mentoring Program no longer requires participating youth to be Utah residents. The word "resident" has been deleted from the information box. The online edition of this guidebook has been updated with this correction.

Page 40: An incorrect end date for the gray (Hungarian) partridge season was printed in the guidebook. The correct season dates are Sept. 28, 2024–Feb. 15, 2025 (not Feb. 15, 2024, as was indicated in the print edition). The online edition of this guidebook has been updated with this correction.

Waterfowl cover

Waterfowl Guidebook

The Utah Waterfowl Guidebook summarizes the laws and rules that govern waterfowl hunting in Utah.

Download PDF

Guía en español

Updates

Pages 4, 16 and 30:
Due to limited staffing, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge has modified the swan check station hours to Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m.–noon and 2–7 p.m. only.

The online edition of this guidebook has been updated with this information.

Black bear guidebook cover

Black Bear Guidebook

The Utah Black Bear Guidebook summarizes the laws and rules that govern black bear hunting in Utah.

Download PDF

Corrections

Page 18: The Hunter Mentoring Program no longer requires participating youth to be Utah residents. The word "resident" has been deleted from the information box. The online edition of this guidebook has been updated with this correction.

Utah Cougar Hunting Guidebook

Cougar Guidebook

The Utah Cougar Guidebook summarizes the laws and rules that govern hunting and pursuing cougars in Utah.

Download PDF

Corrections

Page 14: A section of the guidebook pertaining to prohibited weapons as referenced in the big game rule (R657-5-7) was deleted. Under the current cougar rule, legal weapons are subject to Utah Administrative Rules 657-5-8 through -11, which remain in the guidebook as published. The online edition of the guidebook has been updated with this change.

Utah Furbearer Guidebook

Furbearer Guidebook

Taking, possessing, selling and purchasing furbearing animals, including bobcats and martens.

Download PDF


DWR administrative rule governing falconry in Utah

View rule R657-20

Collection, importation & possession of amphibians & reptiles

More information

Collection, importation & possession of fish, mollusks & crustaceans

More information

Collection, importation, transportation & possession of animals

View rule R657-3a

Quick links
Harvest reporting: Submit your harvest survey
» Report your harvest
Lee Kay and Cache Valley Shooting Centers
» Shooting centers
Wildlife Blog: Views from DWR employees
» Wildlife Blog
Report poachers — 1-800-662-3337
» Report poachers
Wildlife dates
» Important dates
Hunter, angler mobile app
Hunter Education: Sign up for classes
» Hunter education