Want the chance to hunt big game in Utah in 2025? The application period opens March 20

Salt Lake City — If you're interested in the opportunity to harvest your own deer or elk meat this fall, be sure to take note of the upcoming application period and apply for a permit before the deadline.

As in recent years, the application period for Utah's big game hunts will again be held in March and April, so hunters can see the proposed permit numbers prior to applying. The application period opens on March 20 at 8 a.m. MDT, and it runs until 11 p.m. MDT on April 24. To be included in the drawing for the hunts, you can apply online or over the phone by calling the nearest Utah Division of Wildlife Resources regional office.

The results of the drawing will be released on May 15. You'll be notified by email, but you can also get the drawing results online or by calling 800-221-0659.

Big game hunts are held in Utah for the following species:

• Bighorn sheep (desert and Rocky Mountain)
• Bison
• Elk
• Moose
• Mountain goat
• Mule deer
• Pronghorn

"We don't have the data from the winter big game captures, the previous fall hunt harvest rates, and other big game surveys until March each year," DWR Wildlife Licensing Coordinator Lindy Varney said. "After we receive that data, we put together the permit recommendations for the upcoming fall big game hunting seasons. In 2023, due to public request, we shifted the application dates from January to March so that hunters will have information about the proposed permit numbers prior to applying. Hunters can access the proposed permit numbers for each hunt unit beginning in April on the Utah Hunt Planner. The final permit numbers will be approved by the Utah Wildlife Board during their public board meeting on May 1."

Starting March 20, applications will be accepted for most of Utah's 2025 big game hunts. However, there are a few exceptions — permits for the state's general-season bull elk hunts won't be available until July. Permits for the general-season archery bull elk hunt go on sale July 8, the any-bull elk permits go on sale July 10 and the spike bull elk permits go on sale July 17. Those elk permits will be sold online, at all DWR offices and at license agent locations.

Changes to hunting units

In December 2024, the Utah Wildlife Board approved some new hunting strategies on four deer hunting units as part of a multiyear research study. As a result, hunters should be aware of some important changes when applying for deer permits on the following units, beginning this year and remaining in effect until 2028:

• There will be restricted muzzleloader and restricted rifle general-season buck deer hunts on the Beaver, West; Boulder/Kaiparowits and Cache hunting units. For restricted muzzleloader, the ignition system is limited to traditional flintlock, wheellock, matchlock, musket cap or percussion cap. (All other ignition systems, including 209 primers, are prohibited.) And it contains only open sights or peep sights. For restricted rifle, it contains only open sights or peep sights, and cannot be semiautomatic. Archery would not be restricted, and the restrictions would not apply to limited-entry late muzzleloader hunts.
• There will be restricted archery, restricted muzzleloader and restricted rifle limited-entry buck deer hunts on the Thousand Lakes hunting unit. For restricted muzzleloader, the ignition system is limited to traditional flintlock, wheellock, matchlock, musket cap or percussion cap. (All other ignition systems, including 209 primers, are prohibited.) And it contains only open sights or peep sights. For restricted rifle, it contains only open sights or peep sights, and cannot be semiautomatic. For restricted archery, it must be a single stringed long bow or recurve bow with no cables, pulleys or cams, it has no sights, and it has a draw weight of 40 pounds or more.

Join the Dedicated Hunter program

If you want a chance to hunt all of the weapon seasons for a particular hunting unit, you should consider applying for Utah's Dedicated Hunter program. You can learn more about the program, and how to join it, on the DWR website.

Utah Hunt Planner

If you're thinking about hunting in a new area — or going after a species you've never hunted before — you will likely have a lot of questions. The Utah Hunt Planner is an interactive, online map that provides valuable information from DWR biologists to help answer a lot of those questions.

The Hunt Planner provides in-depth, hunter-focused information about all of Utah's hunts. Use it when you're researching hunts you want to apply for or use it after you draw a permit for a particular hunt. You can learn the best spots to find animals, see what the terrain is like, identify blocks of public land in the unit and locate the primary access points.

Visit the DWR website for more information about how to use the Utah Hunt Planner.

Applying for a bonus point or a preference point

If you're not planning to hunt big game in 2025, you can still apply for a bonus point or a preference point. Earning a point increases the chance you'll draw a permit the next time you apply. Your application for a point must be received no later than 11 p.m. MDT on April 24. However, you will also have an opportunity to apply for a bonus or preference point during the antlerless application period from June 4-18. You must have a hunting license or a combination license to apply for a bonus/preference point or a big game hunting permit.

Visit the DWR website for more information about bonus and preference points.

For more information about applying for a 2025 Utah big game hunting permit, see the 2025 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook or contact the nearest DWR office.