Prepare now for Utah’s archery hunts
Archery elk and deer hunts aren’t that far away
It’s time to prepare for Utah’s archery elk and deer hunts.
Both hunts start Aug. 18. That day might sound like it’s a long way off. But if you want to have a fun and successful hunt, you need to start preparing now.
All of the permits to hunt during Utah’s archery buck deer hunt have been taken. But archery elk permits, which go on sale July 17, are unlimited in number, so there’s no problem getting one.
“This fall might be the perfect time to start archery hunting,” says Scott Root.
In addition to serving as a regional conservation outreach manager for the Division of Wildlife Resources, Root is an avid archery hunter.
“Archery hunting is extremely enjoyable,” he says, “if you’re prepared.”
Root provides eight tips to help you prepare for this fall’s hunts:
Tip 1 – Shoot, shoot, shoot
Similar to rifle hunting, you have to shoot accurately to take an animal during the archery hunt. But unlike a rifle hunter, an archer must use stealth and patience to sneak within at least 50 yards of his or her prized target.
“Just like with golf,” Root says, “a lot of frustration can result if you haven’t honed your skills. You need to practice shooting until you’re as accurate as you can be.”
Root says right now is a great time to start practicing for the August opener. “If and when a big game animal presents itself,” Root says, “you want to make sure you make an accurate shot.”
Tip 2 – Scout, scout, scout
Another tip is to start scouting your hunting area as soon as you can. Root says scouting is vital because habitat and water conditions change every year. “You need to find the animals, their water sources and the trails they’re using,” he says. “If you do, the chance you take a deer or an elk this season goes way up.”
Because of the hot, dry conditions, Root says a finding water source is the key to finding success this year. “Just about every available water source out there is being used by animals on a regular basis this summer,” he says.
Also, if you’re going to hunt on private property, don’t wait until a few days before the hunt starts to try to get written permission from the landowner. “Get written permission now,” Root says.
Tip 3 – Make a hunting checklist
Even after you’ve honed your shooting skills and scouted your hunting area, you can still make mistakes. Many of those mistakes happen when hunters forget some of their equipment and try to make due without it.
“Most hunters have left their release mechanism, their range finder or appropriate clothing at home at least once in their life,” Root says. “Almost any archer can share at least one frustrating story about leaving something at home.”
Having an archery hunt checklist—a list that shows all of the items you need to take on your hunt—is the key to not making this mistake.
You can create your own list. Or, you can type ‘Archery Hunt Checklist’ in an online search engine to access checklists available on the Internet.
Tip 4 – Keep the bugs away
It’s not uncommon to encounter plenty of mosquitoes, biting deer flies and biting horse flies during the archery hunt. “Insect netting and clothes that are designed to resist insects are good options,” he says. “But they can be pricey.”
Root says insect repellant may leave you with more odor than a stealthy hunter wants to have. “If it keeps the bugs off, though,” he says, “smelling like bug spray might be worth it.”
Tip 5 – Caring for harvested game
Hot temperatures are another challenge archery hunters face. During the archery hunt, temperatures can climb into the 90s. Some hunters aren’t prepared to properly process a big game animal once they’ve taken it.
“The meat needs to be taken care of quickly,” Root says, “or it will spoil.”
If you’re not sure how to clean game quickly, Root says YouTube and other websites offer free video clips that will teach you how to take care of harvested game quickly and properly. The DWR also offers some big game processing seminars each year, so watch for those to be announced.
Tip 6 – Trail cameras, tree stands and ATVs
- If you want to learn more about the wildlife in your hunting area, placing a trail camera or two is a great idea. “It’s a very enjoyable hobby and a very effective way to monitor big game movements and habits,” Root says. “Check with the land managing agency or the landowner for rules pertaining to trail camera use.”
- Tree stands are a popular tool for patient archery hunters. But please remember that you cannot build a permanent tree stand on a national forest.
(Permanent tree stands damage trees, and the trees often have to be removed. There’s a risk that someone who cuts into the tree with a chainsaw might be hurt by hidden nails and other hardware.)
Temporary tree stands—the type you climb up the tree with—are legal to use.
- Please remember that you may not take an all-terrain vehicle off-road to retrieve game.
Tip 7 – Learn the rules
The 2018 Utah Big Game Field Regulation Guidebook is the place to go to learn the rules for Utah’s archery hunts.
Equipment rules for the hunt (minimum pull of 30 pounds at the bow’s draw or peak; arrows must be at least 20 inches long, from the tip of the arrowhead to the tip of the nock; and arrowheads must have two or more sharp-cutting edges that cannot pass through a 7/8-inch ring) are found on page 45 of the guidebook.
Pages 23 – 24 also provide deer and elk hunting information.
The free guidebook is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks and from DWR offices and hunting license agents across Utah.
Tip 8 – Take Utah’s Bowhunter Education course
Taking the DWR’s Bowhunter Education course is another great way to prepare for the upcoming season. The course teaches the basics of archery hunting. It’s for youth and adults alike. You can take the course at https://bit.ly/2L47xgU.
Other sources
Utah also has many archery clubs, archery shops and sporting goods stores with helpful staff who can get you prepared for the upcoming hunts by helping you get the right equipment.
Extended archery areas
Even when the general archery elk and deer hunts wrap up in September, archery hunting will continue in extended archery areas in various parts of Utah. The extended archery areas for deer are listed on page 19 of the 2018 Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook. Page 25 lists areas for elk. You can get the free guidebook at www.wildlife.utah.gov/utah-big-game-field-regulations.html.
To hunt any of the extended archery areas, you must complete the DWR’s Archery Ethics Course and then carry your certificate of completion with you while you’re hunting.
The course will be available soon at https://bit.ly/2KgErvf. Once it’s available, visit the web page and click on “Begin the course” to get started.
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DWR recommends slight increase in cougar hunting permits
Cougars are doing well in Utah. So well, in fact, that a few more hunters might be allowed to hunt them this fall.
This past season, hunters were given the opportunity to take 581 cougars in the state. For the upcoming season, biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources are recommending that hunters be allowed to take 653.
The number of cougars that are taken will actually be lower than 653, though. For example, 456 cougars were taken this past season, even though hunters were allowed to take 581.
“Cougars are tough to hunt,” says Darren DeBloois, game mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. “Not every hunter who gets a permit will take one.”
Bobcat recommendations, for Utah’s upcoming season, will also be discussed at an upcoming series of public meetings.
Learn more, share your ideas
Starting July 16, all of the biologists’ cougar and bobcat hunting recommendations should be available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings. After you’ve reviewed the ideas, you can let your Regional Advisory Council members know your thoughts by attending your upcoming RAC meeting or by sending an email to them.
RAC chairmen will share the input they receive with members of the Utah Wildlife Board. The board will meet in Salt Lake City on Aug. 30 to approve cougar and bobcat hunting recommendations for Utah’s 2018 - 2019 seasons.
Dates, times and locations for the RAC meetings are as follows:
Northern Region
July 25
6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N. 300 W.
Brigham City
Central Region
July 26
6:30 p.m.
Springville Library
45 S. Main St.
Springville
Southern Region
July 31
7 p.m.
Sevier School District Office, Training Lab
180 E. 600 N.
Richfield
Southeastern Region
Aug. 1
6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E. Main St.
Green River
Northeastern Region
Aug. 2
6:30 p.m.
DWR Northeastern Region Office
318 N. Vernal Ave.
Vernal
You can also provide your comments to your RAC via email. Email addresses for your RAC members are available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/rac-members.html.
The group each RAC member represents (sportsman, non-consumptive, etc.) is listed under each person’s email address. You should direct your email to the people on the RAC who represent your interest.
Cougar population
DeBloois says Utah’s cougar population is doing well, with lots of the big cats found across the state. He appreciates the role cougar hunters play, both in helping protect deer, bighorn sheep and livestock from cougars and providing wildlife biologists with valuable information that helps them manage the population.
DeBloois says those who take a cougar must bring the animal to a DWR biologist or a conservation officer. “The first thing we do is examine the animal to see if it’s a male or a female,” he says. “Next, we determine the animal’s age by removing and analyzing one of its teeth.”
DeBloois says the number of females and the number of adults in a cougar population are the key factors in keeping the population healthy and strong.
“A male cougar will breed with several females,” he says, “so keeping plenty of females in the population is important. The number of adults is also important. A healthy population will have plenty of adults. If the number of adults starts to decline, we know the overall number of cougars in the population is declining too.”
Utah’s Cougar Management Plan provides guidelines that help ensure the state has a healthy and stable cougar population. The two major guidelines are the number of female cougars hunters take—compared to the number of males—and the number of cougars taken that are five years of age or older.
The plan says not more than 40 percent of the cougars hunters take can be females. And at least 15 percent of the cougars taken must be five years of age or older.
During the 2017 – 2018 season, only 32 percent of the cougars taken were females. And 16 percent of the cougars taken were five years of age or older.
“Utah’s cougar population has plenty of females in it,” DeBloois says, “and plenty of adults too. For those reasons, we’re recommending a slight permit increase for the 2018 – 2019 season.”
If you have questions about the upcoming meetings, call the nearest DWR office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at 801-538-4700.
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Fishing reports - available at http://wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots .
