OGDEN -- Utah wildlife officials are proposing changes to elk hunting that could result in greater chances for trophy bull hunters and more opportunities for those who just want to take an elk.
Advisory councils to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will hold public meetings throughout the state over the next two weeks to discuss two significant changes to Utah's elk management plan.
The first proposal would essentially mean fewer chances to hunt bull elk in limited-entry areas in the future. It would raise age objectives to encourage hunters who draw limited-entry permits to take older bulls, allowing younger bulls to grow larger antlers before they are hunted.
Current age objectives range from three to seven years, depending on what part of the state the elk are located. The proposal on the table now would raise the age range to between four-and-a-half and eight years old.
"Taking a bull with large antlers is very important to limited-entry hunters," said Anis Aoude, big game coordinator for the DWR.
The number of limited-entry permits issued each year is tied to the average age of the bulls taken. Since many bulls are already above the newly proposed objectives, permit numbers would likely increase until the average age falls to the objective. Once that happens, however, the number of permits would likely be reduced.
"If too many bulls are taken, the average age of the animals will fall below the new, higher age objective," Aoude said.
The second proposed change is to raise the number of annual spike bull permits for the general elk hunt from 12,500 to 13,750. If fewer than 20 percent of spike hunters were to take a bull during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, the permit cap would be raised to 15,000 for the following three years.
Raising the number of spike bull permits would accomplish two things, Aoude said.
"First, it would provide more elk hunters with a chance to hunt," he said. "Second, it would benefit the elk herds by reducing the overall number of bulls. Right now, the number of bulls per 100 cows is higher than it should be."
A public hearing on the proposals is scheduled for 6 p.m. March 24 at the Brigham City Community Center, located at 24 N. 300 West in Brigham City. Those interested can also submit e-mail comments to DWR regional advisory committee members.
A list of council members' e-mail addresses, as well as other information, is available online at http://wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings.
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