All bobcat permits and most fall turkey permits to be sold online only, due to COVID-19

Salt Lake City — If you are interested in hunting turkeys or bobcats this fall, be aware that the permits will only be sold online during their respective opening sales days this year, due to COVID-19 concerns. Specifically, the first two weeks of fall turkey permit sales — and all of the bobcat permit sales — will be online only.

The online-only sales dates are as follows:

• Sept. 3–17 for fall general-season turkey permits
• Oct. 1–31 (or as long as permits last) for bobcat

From Sept. 18 until Feb. 28, 2021, any remaining fall general-season turkey permits will be available for purchase online or in person at a DWR office or from a retail license agent.

Bobcat permits will not be available for purchase at DWR offices or from license agents, and will only be available on the DWR website. The goal of this change is to reduce in-person crowding at DWR offices, which complies with the state's COVID-19 directives.

Permits will be available for purchase online, starting at 8 a.m. on the respective sales days. An online queue will help manage increased traffic and ensure website stability. Permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and if the queue is activated by high traffic, it's best to wait for access and then quickly complete your transaction. Have your customer information ready beforehand. You must have a valid hunting license or combination license to purchase a permit, and you must have a valid furbearer license as well to purchase a bobcat permit.

Fall turkey permits and seasons vary by region

Fall turkey hunting permits are unlimited in the northern and central hunting units in Utah. There are 500 turkey permits for the hunting units in the southern part of the state and 50 for the southeastern part of the state. Of those, 15% are exclusively for youth hunters, age 17 or younger.

The fall general-season turkey hunts run from Oct. 1 to Feb. 28, 2021 in the northern, central and southeastern parts of the state, and from Nov. 1 to Feb. 16, 2021 in the southern part of the state. During the fall, hunters can harvest up to three turkeys of either sex, but they must have a separate permit for each bird harvested.

Important: Only specified areas within each of the regions will be open to turkey hunting during the fall. A permit allows you to hunt all of the specified areas within a region. These hunt areas consist of all or largely private property. If you want to hunt on private land — an agricultural field, for example — you must obtain written permission from the landowner in advance. To see the fall turkey hunt boundary maps, visit the Utah Hunt Planner.

You can find tips for hunting turkeys on the DWR website. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the 2020–21 Utah Upland Game and Turkey Guidebook before you start scouting and planning your hunt for the fall.

Bobcat permits are limited

There are 6,460 bobcat permits available statewide, and an individual can obtain up to four permits. Bobcat permit numbers were approved Thursday during the Utah Wildlife Board meeting. The bobcat hunting season runs from Nov. 25 to March 1, 2021.

For more information about bobcat hunting and trapping, review the Utah Furbearer Guidebook.