Administrative rule R657-51

Poaching-reported reward permits

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R657-51-1. Purpose and Authority.

(1) Under authority of Sections 23A-2-304 and 23A-2-305, the Wildlife Board has established this rule describing procedures the division may use in issuing permits to individuals who report unlawful taking of protected wildlife in Utah.

(2) The division may deviate from this rule when granting a poaching-reported reward permit to protect an individual's identity as requested by the division's Chief of Law Enforcement.

(a) Deviations may include:

(i) authorizing a permit on a near or similar unit;

(ii) authorizing a permit for a different species;

(iii) authorizing a premium limited-entry or once-in-a-lifetime permit if a recipient is eligible for multiple poaching-reported reward permits; or

(iv) authorizing a voucher that may only be redeemed by the recipient's immediate family member.

R657-51-2. Definitions.

(1) Terms used in this rule are defined in Section 23A-1-101 and Rule R657-62.

(2) In addition:

(a) "Immediate Family" means a recipient's spouse, children, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, stepchildren, and grandchildren.

(b) "Poaching-Reported Reward Permit" means a permit obtained for a specific hunt area published in the hunt tables of the guidebook of the Wildlife Board for taking big game, turkey, or bear as established in Rule R657-51.

(c) "Successful Prosecution" means:

(i) the issuance of a Class B misdemeanor citation for a wildlife violation under Section 23A-5-311;

(ii) the filing of criminal charges eligible for a Class A or Class B misdemeanor or any felony under Section 23A-5-311; or

(iii) the issuance of a citation or filing of criminal charges of a Class B misdemeanor for a violation of Section 23A-5-309 involving a trophy animal.

(d) "Qualifying Individual" means:

(i) an individual who provides accurate and credible information concerning a wildlife violation in Utah;

(ii) the division uses that information in securing a Successful Prosecution; and

(iii) the individual fully cooperates and supports the division throughout the prosecution process.

R657-51-3. General Permit Availability and Eligibility Provisions.

(1)(a) A poaching-reported reward permit may only be issued on a unit having 10 or more public draw permits issued in the upcoming season.

(b) If a poaching-reported reward permit is unavailable on a given unit, an alternative permit may be issued using the process identified in each species-specific section of this rule.

(c) The division may determine that a permit is unavailable on a unit if:

(i) less than 10 public draw permits will be issued for a given unit in the upcoming season;

(ii) the illegally harvested animal was taken outside of established unit boundaries; or

(iii) issuing a poaching-reported reward permit would exceed 10% of the total number of permits issued on that unit.

(2) A Qualifying Individual remains eligible to receive a poaching-reported reward permit, regardless of any applicable waiting periods they may otherwise be subject to.

(3) A Qualifying Individual receiving a poaching-reported reward permit will not:

(a) forfeit bonus points or preference points accumulated; or

(b) incur a waiting period, except as described in Subsection (4).

(4) A Qualifying Individual receiving a poaching-reported reward permit for a once-in-a-lifetime species is ineligible to apply for or obtain another once-in-a-lifetime permit for the same species and sex through the division's big game drawing.

(5)(a) The division may only issue one poaching-reported reward permit for any one animal illegally taken.

(b) No more than one poaching-reported reward permit may be issued to any one person per Successful Prosecution.

(c) No more than one poaching-reported reward permit per species shall be issued to any one person in any single calendar year.

(d) Nothing in this rule authorizes an individual to use or possess more than one permit for an antlered or horned animal of the same species in a single hunt year.

(e) The Qualifying Individual may choose the weapon type for the permit, so long as a permit for that weapon type is available.

(f) The Qualifying Individual may choose the season for the permit if different seasons are offered, except that multi-season permits may not be issued through the poaching-reported reward permit program.

(6)(a) Poaching-reported reward permits may only be issued to the individual who provides the most pertinent information leading to a Successful Prosecution, unless granted under Subsection R657-51-1(2)(a)(iv).

(b) If information is received from more than one individual, the director of the division shall make a determination based on the facts of the case as to which individual is eligible to receive the permit.

(7) Poaching-reported reward permits are non-transferable, unless granted under Subsection R657-51-1(2)(a)(iv).

(8) Any person who receives a poaching-reported reward permit must possess or obtain a Utah hunting or combination license and otherwise be eligible to hunt the species for which the permit is issued for.

(9) The division may determine whether to offer monetary rewards in lieu of issuing a poaching-reported reward permit for a Qualifying Individual.

(10) If a poaching-reported reward permit is authorized for transfer under Subsection R657-51-1(2)(a)(iv), a person may not purchase, sell, offer, barter, exchange, or trade the voucher.

R657-51-4. Big Game Poaching-Reported Reward Permits.

(1) Successful Prosecutions for the illegal take of bull moose, desert bighorn ram, rocky mountain bighorn ram, rocky mountain goat, bison, bull elk, buck deer, and buck pronghorn may be eligible to receive a poaching-reported reward permit.

(2)(a) Poaching-reported reward permits for desert bighorn ram, rocky mountain bighorn ram, bull moose, Rocky Mountain goat, and bison may be issued on units or hunts meeting the general permit availability requirements as follows:

(i) a permit may be issued for a male animal of the same species and on the same unit as the animal illegally taken;

(ii) if a permit described in Subsection (a) is unavailable, a permit may be issued for a male animal of the same species on an alternative unit that is closest in proximity to where the animal was illegally taken;

(iii) if a permit described in Subsections (a) and (b) is unavailable, a permit may be issued for a male animal of another once-in-a-lifetime species on a unit that is closest in proximity to the unit where the animal was illegally taken; or

(iv) if a permit described in Subsections (a), (b), and (c) is unavailable, a permit may be issued for a male animal of a limited entry species on an alternative unit selected by the division.

(b) The division may issue a hunter's choice permit in lieu of a permit for a male animal for bison and Rocky mountain goat poaching-reported reward permits.

(3) Poaching-reported reward permits for premium limited entry deer may be issued on units or hunts meeting the general permit availability requirements as follows:

(a) a permit may be issued for a buck deer on the same premium limited entry unit as the animal illegally taken;

(b) if a permit described in Subsection (a) is unavailable, a permit may be issued for a buck deer on an alternative premium limited entry unit that is closest in proximity to where the animal was illegally taken; or

(c) if a permit described in Subsections (a) and (b) is unavailable, a permit may be issued for a buck deer on an alternative limited entry unit closest in proximity to where the animal was illegally taken.

(4) Poaching-reported reward permits for limited entry buck deer, bull elk, and buck pronghorn may be issued on units or hunts meeting the general permit availability requirements as follows:

(a) a permit may be issued for a male animal of the same species and on the same unit as the animal illegally taken; or

(b) if a permit described in Subsection (a) is unavailable, a permit may be issued for a male animal of the same species as the animal taken on an alternative limited entry unit for that species that is closest in proximity to where the animal was illegally taken.

(5) Poaching-reported reward permits for general season buck deer and bull elk may be issued on units or hunts meeting the general permit availability requirements as follows:

(a) a permit may be issued for a male animal of the same species and on the same unit as the animal illegally taken; or

(b) if a permit described in Subsection (a) is unavailable, a permit may be issued for a male animal of the same species as the animal taken on an alternative general season unit for that species that is closest in proximity to where the animal was illegally taken.

(6) If a violation occurs at a location having both general season and limited entry opportunities for the species illegally taken, the division may issue a limited entry permit for that species using the parameters identified in Subsection (4).

R657-51-5. Bear Poaching-Reported Reward Permits.

(1) Limited-entry and harvest objective bear units are eligible for poaching-reported reward permits.

(2) Only one poaching-reported reward permit may be issued for each limited-entry bear unit per year.

(3) Poaching-reported reward permits for bear may be issued on units or hunts meeting the general permit availability requirements as follows:

(a) if the animal was illegally taken on a harvest objective unit, a permit may be issued for a limited-entry unit closest in proximity to that harvest objective unit;

(b) if the animal was illegally taken on a limited-entry unit, a permit may be issued on the same limited-entry unit; or

(c) if a permit described in Subsections (a) and (b) is unavailable, a permit may be issued on the limited-entry unit that is closest in proximity to where the animal was illegally taken.

R657-51-6. Turkey Poaching-Reported Reward Permits.

(1) General season and limited-entry turkey units are eligible for poaching-reported reward permits.

(2) Poaching-reported reward permits for turkey may be issued on units or hunts meeting the general permit availability requirements as follows:

(a) a permit may be issued on the same unit as the animal that was illegally taken; or

(b) if a permit described in Subsection (a) is unavailable on that unit, a permit may be issued on a limited-entry or general season unit selected by the division.