Sportsman permit applications open in one week

If you draw the permit for buck deer, you'll have plenty of days and plenty of places to find the animal of your dreams. Photo: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

SALT LAKE CITY — Sportsman permits, issued by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), are some of the state’s most prized hunting permits.

Utahs can begin applying for 2022 sportsman permits on October 20.

You can apply for permits on the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources website or over the phone by calling the nearest DWR regional office. To be included in the permit drawing, you must submit your phone application by 5 p.m. or online application no later than 11 p.m. on Nov. 10.

“If you draw a sportsman permit, you can hunt on almost every unit in Utah that’s open to hunting the species you drew a permit for,” said DWR Wildlife Licensing Coordinator Lindy Varney. “Also, the season dates are much longer, so you’ll have more time to scout different places to harvest an animal. It’s the hunt of a lifetime.”

Utahns may apply for as many species as they’d like, but only one sportsman permit is offered for each of the following species:

• Bison

• Black bear

• Buck deer

• Buck pronghorn

• Bull elk

• Bull moose

• Desert bighorn sheep

• Mountain goat

• Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep

• Wild turkey

This year, two sportsman permits will be offered for cougars — one for the 2021-22 season and one for the 2022-23 season. Utahns may apply for and draw both cougar permits.

There’s a non-refundable $10 application fee to apply for each species (including each of the two cougar permits). If you successfully draw a permit, the permit fees range from $35 to $513. Visit the DWR website to see the cost of each permit.

Applicants cannot earn or use bonus points in the sportsman drawing, and only Utah residents may apply for sportsman permits. (See the Utah residency requirements on the DWR website.)

In order to apply for a sportsman permit, you must turn 12 by the end of the year in which the permit is issued. You must be 12 years old to hunt all big game species. There are no age restrictions for hunting turkey. A valid Utah hunting or combination license is also required to apply for any of the sportsman permits.

Applicants will be notified about the drawing results on or before Nov. 17. You’ll be notified by email, but you can also get the drawing results online or by calling 1-800-221-0659.

For more information about Utah’s sportsman permits, visit the DWR website.