Utah Wildlife Board approves changes to waterfowl, bear hunting in Utah and other items

Salt Lake City — The Utah Wildlife Board approved a few updates to waterfowl hunting in Utah, as well as the harvest rules for bears, cougars and furbearer species, and a few other items during a public meeting on Thursday.

Waterfowl hunting and falconry updates

To simplify information and to streamline processes, the Utah Wildlife Board approved combining migratory upland game bird species with migratory waterfowl species into one guidebook. The board also voted to classify all of those bird species as "migratory game birds" in administrative rule. The updated rule for migratory game bird species now includes:

• Waterfowl
• Snipe
• Coot
• American crow
• Band-tailed pigeon
• Mourning dove
• White-winged dove
• Sandhill crane

In addition, the board approved a three-year guidebook cycle for presenting hunting regulations for these migratory game birds.

"These bird species are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the regulations, season dates and bag limits are ultimately set by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in conjunction with the harvest strategies of multiple states located within the Pacific Flyway," Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Migratory Bird and Falconry Coordinator Jason Jones said. "As such, changes to waterfowl frameworks tend to be small, and the regulations are tightly controlled, so a three-year cycle provides more consistency."

The board also approved the season dates and bag limits for the newly classified species for the next three years — within the federal limits — as well as a few other rule changes, including:

• Incorporating the applicable migratory game birds and waterfowl hunting rules for the new Provo River Delta Wildlife Management Area and the new Blackhawk Waterfowl Management Area. The Provo River Delta opened to the public in October and will be open to fishing and hunting on certain parts of the property. The new Blackhawk WMA is located near the Great Salt Lake, but due to current access issues, it is not currently open to the public and will open at a future date.
• Clarifying that tundra swan permit holders must present any harvested swan or its head for measurement — along with harvest details — to the DWR within three days of harvest. If a trumpeter swan is illegally harvested, the entire bird must be presented to the DWR.

The wildlife board also approved the season dates and bag limits for falconry species, along with rule updates to streamline reporting requirements, including only requiring falconers to submit federally required 3-186 forms to the federal database, eliminating the need for separate state reporting.

Black bear, cougar and furbearer updates

2025 is the first year of the next three-year bear management cycle, so the wildlife board also voted on the permit numbers and season dates for the 2025-27 black bear hunting and pursuit seasons. In addition, the board also approved the following rule changes:

• Allowing the use of a metal container to hold bait during seasons where bait is legal. The maximum size of the container cannot exceed 55 gallons and may not be used in areas designated as wilderness by federal land-management agencies. The container must also be removed within 72 hours of harvest or the end of the season.
• Allowing anyone who draws a multiseason bear permit to hunt any open harvest objective seasons on the unit they draw, in addition to the limited-entry seasons. The board also voted to not have the multiseason permits count against the harvest-objective quotas if a permit holder harvests during the harvest-objective season.

The board also asked the DWR to look at the possibility of allowing bear baiting during harvest-objective seasons on private lands only, including opportunities for the public.

During Thursday's meeting, the wildlife board also approved the season dates and permits for the 2025-26 furbearer species, including for bobcat, beaver, mink, marten, badger, gray fox, kit fox, ringtail, spotted skunk and weasel. They also voted to close three areas to beaver harvest (in places where beavers were relocated to help with habitat projects) and to reopen two other areas to beaver trapping.

A few rule updates were also approved for cougar hunting in Utah, including:

• Allowing the sale of "green" cougar pelts, meaning that the hide does not need to be tanned first before selling it, and the sale of claws if they are still attached to the hide.
• Allowing the use of rimfire cartridges and ammunition to harvest cougars caught in traps. This change will not allow the use of these firearms and ammunition to harvest cougars that are not constrained in traps.

Updates to the Predator Control Program

In 2012, the Utah Legislature passed two predator-related bills. As a result, the Predator Control Program was created to control populations of predatory animals that endanger the health of Utah's nonpredatory wildlife. Under this program, the DWR provides incentives to hunters to help control coyote populations by offering $50 for each documented harvested coyote. Coyotes primarily kill deer fawns and can produce more than six pups per year. They have high reproductive potential and can be difficult to hunt.

During Thursday's meeting, the wildlife board voted to increase the incentive for coyote removal from $50 to $100 in areas classified as crucial and substantial mule deer habitat. Coyote harvest in other areas will still remain a $50 incentive. In order to allow hunters to maintain the quality of the pelt, the board also approved removing the ear and pelt check-in requirement, allowing for alternative ways to prevent duplicate submissions of coyotes, such as removing both premolar teeth or keeping the jaw.

Shed antler gathering

In May 2024, the DWR made recommendations regarding shed antler gathering in Utah, including establishing a nonresident shed hunting season that begins May 1, while not implementing season dates for residents. The Utah Wildlife Board did not approve the recommendation and asked the shed antler gathering committee to revisit the issue. The committee met again and voted to not set a shed hunting season for Utah residents, and could not reach a consensus on a strategy for nonresidents coming to Utah to gather shed antlers.

The DWR provided this update in Thursday's board meeting, and the board again voted to not set a shed hunting season in Utah for residents or nonresidents. The DWR will continue to track resident and nonresident shed hunting participation in Utah and will evaluate trends. The DWR will also continue to follow emergency closure protocols for shed hunting during extreme winter weather conditions that impact deer and other big game populations.

Other items

During Thursday's meeting, the wildlife board voted to approve a few other items, including:

• Approving some updates to the deer and elk unit management plans for the West Desert Complex.
• Clarifying the restricted muzzleloader definition in rule. The updated rule definition for restricted muzzleloaders clarifies that the ignition system is limited to traditional flintlock, wheellock, matchlock, musket cap or percussion cap (all other ignition systems, including 209 primers, are prohibited). A restricted muzzleloader can also contain only open sights or peep sights. This definition applies only to a handful of specific hunts that require "restricted muzzleloaders" and does not apply to units with standard muzzleloader hunts.
• Approving prohibited species variance requests for two local private businesses — one requested to possess western diamondback rattlesnakes for dog rattlesnake aversion training, and the other requested to possess copperheads, cottonmouths and beaded lizards for conservation education purposes.

You can watch the full meeting on the Utah Department of Natural Resources YouTube channel.