Details: Last Updated: Friday, February 6, 2026, 11:47 am

Big game animals

Information about hunting big game species in Utah

Big Game Application Guidebook

Download the Utah Big Game Application Guidebook to learn more about applying for a Utah big game permit.

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Previous editions

Big Game Field Regulations

Download the Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook to learn more about the rules for hunting big game in Utah.

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Previous editions

View field regulation updates
— Important changes and corrections made after the guidebook was printed.

Corrections

Page 29: In the list of Salt Lake County restrictions, the bullet point referring to hunting on the Red Butte Research Natural Area was deleted. That area remains closed to public access. (Dec. 1, 2025)

Page 33: The sentence stating you may not donate big game in the field was struck from the guidebook to align with rule language regarding donations.

Page 38: The dates for the restricted muzzleloader and restricted rifle deer hunts were interchanged in the printed edition of the guidebook. The correct dates are:

Restricted muzzleloader deer hunts: Sept. 24-Oct. 2, 2025
Restricted rifle deer hunts: Oct. 18-26, 2025

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

Updates

The Utah Legislature recodified all Chapter 10 code citations as follows, effective May 7, 2025:

List of old and new Utah Chapter 10 code citations
Previous	New
76-10-502	76-11-102
76-10-503	76-11-302
76-10-504	53-5a-3
76-10-505	76-11-204
76-10-508	76-11-208
76-10-512	76-11-303
76-10-523	53-5a-108
76-10-528	76-11-217

The digital editions of all Utah hunting guidebooks have been updated with the new code citations throughout. (Nov. 13, 2025)

Page 19: In the table listing youth-only elk permits, a row was added to note when youth can hunt with a Uinta Basin private-lands-only permit. To accommodate this addition, the table and footnotes were reorganized to fit in the guidebook layout.

Page 70: The definition of "Restricted muzzleloader equipment" was updated to include a bullet point clarifying that equipment must meet the requirements for muzzleloaders detailed in Utah Admin Rule subsections R657-5-10(1) and (2).

The online edition of this guidebook has been updated with these clarifications and corrections.

Pages 25-26: The italicized text below was removed from Utah Admin. Rule R657-5-11 in the past and was inadvertently included in the printed 2025-26 guidebook. The online edition of the guidebook has been updated to remove the following text:

You may not possess or be in control of a rifle, shotgun, airgun, muzzleloader, crossbow or draw-lock while in the field during an archery hunt. For the purposes of this section, "field" means a location where you are likely to find the species listed on your permit. (You are not considered to be in the field if you are in an established camping area or traveling in a fully enclosed automobile or truck.)

This restriction does not apply to the following people:

Hunters who are lawfully hunting upland game or waterfowl
Hunters who are licensed to hunt big game species, bear or cougar during rifle or muzzleloader hunts that coincide with the big game archery hunt
Livestock owners who are protecting their livestock
Individuals who are carrying a concealed weapon (You may not use your concealed firearm to hunt or take protected wildlife.)

Antlerless Application

View online resources for the antlerless hunt to learn more about applying for a Utah antlerless permit.

Previous editions

Mule deer

Supporting Utah's mule deer — a look at deer management, habitat and migration in Utah

Hunt planner

View online, interactive hunt unit maps for big game hunts. Read boundary descriptions, biologist notes, population and harvest statistics, management objectives and more.
Search for a hunt by species, weapon or number
Antlerless elk-control permits

Hunt drawing results and drawing odds

View your big game drawing results
View past big game drawing odds and point purchases (since 2026)
View historical drawing odds and point results (prior to 2026)

Important dates

See our wildlife calendar for season dates and application deadlines.

Antler gathering ethics course

From Jan. 1 through May 31, shed antler and horn gatherers must possess an antler-gathering certificate. Learn more, take the online course, then print your completion certificate.

Landowner associations and permits

Depredation hunts

Dedicated Hunter Program

Requirements, projects and contact information

Bison orientation course

Management buck deer orientation course

Take the management buck deer online orientation course

Mountain goat orientation course

Extended archery seasons and ethics course

Bow hunters planning to hunt the extended hunts must complete an online course covering the special considerations of hunting in these high-use areas.