Remaining 2023 deer, elk permits to be sold beginning July 11

“If you happened to miss the big game drawing or were unsuccessful, this is your last opportunity for a chance to hunt big game in Utah this fall,” DWR Wildlife Licensing Coordinator Lindy Varney said. Photo: courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

SALT LAKE CITY — If you didn’t draw a buck deer or bull elk permit during the hunt drawing earlier this year — and you’re still interested in hunting deer or elk this fall — your last chance to obtain a permit begins next week.

The permits are first come, first served, and you must have a valid hunting or combination license to purchase a permit.

The sales dates for the permits are as follows:

Elk permits

• General-season archery elk permits — for adults and youth — will be available beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 11. The general-season archery elk permits are unlimited.

• Youth general-season elk permits will be available beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 11. New this year, the youth permits will allow any youth — 17 years old or younger on July 31 — to hunt all of the general-season elk hunts, including archery, muzzleloader and both any legal weapon seasons in both spike and any bull hunting units. The hunter will just need to use the applicable weapon and harvest the applicable animal for that hunting unit. These permits are unlimited and will be available for purchase from July 11 until the last day of the last general-season elk hunt.

• General-season any bull elk permits — for adults — will be available beginning at 8 a.m. on Thursday, July 13. New this year, the general-season bull elk hunt is split into two seasons. The early-season hunt will be held Oct. 7-13 and offers 15,000 permits. (The youth permits will not come out of that total and are unlimited.) The late-season hunt will be held Oct. 14-20 and has an unlimited number of permits. The muzzleloader hunt will be held Nov. 1-9 and is part of the 15,000 permit total. There are no longer multi-season permits available for any bull elk hunts.

• General-season spike bull elk permits — for adults and youth — will be available beginning at 8 a.m. on Thursday, July 20 for the any-legal weapon, muzzleloader and multi-season hunts. There are a combined 15,000 permits available, with a cap of 4,500 on the multi-season permits.

Deer permits

• The general-season buck deer permits that remain after the big game drawing will be available beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 18. There are a total of 76 permits remaining.

• Youth general-season archery deer permits will also become available at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 18. These permits are not left over from any type of drawing — they are set aside specifically for youth hunters each year. You can find the total number of permits available and the applicable units listed on the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources website.

Bison and limited-entry deer and pronghorn permits

• Limited-entry buck deer, pronghorn and over-the-counter bison permits will all be available beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 11. There are only two limited-entry buck deer and two limited-entry pronghorn permits available, but the Nine Mile hunting unit bison permits are unlimited. (You must complete an online orientation course before you can purchase one of the bison permits.)

You can get more details about the permits (including which hunting units they are for and how many are available for each unit) on the DWR website. While the web page isn’t actively updated after the permits go on sale, you can see the total remaining number of permits prior to the start of the sales days.

How do I buy one of these permits?

People interested in buying a permit can purchase it online, at a DWR office or from any available license agent. However, because these permits go on sale beginning at 8 a.m., be sure to check the hours of your nearest available agent before traveling there. You can find all the license agents on the DWR website. 

There will also be a virtual waiting room for those buying online, to better manage the pressure of the high volume of people wanting to buy permits. If a customer refreshes or navigates away from the queue page, they may lose their spot in line and have to start over.

“If you happened to miss the big game drawing or were unsuccessful, this is your last opportunity for a chance to hunt big game in Utah this fall,” DWR Wildlife Licensing Coordinator Lindy Varney said. “Don’t forget that you can mentor a youth during these hunts, making it a great opportunity to pass on your love of the outdoors to the next generation.”

Make sure to familiarize yourself with the 2023 Utah Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook before you start scouting and planning your hunt for the fall. It can be found online, along with the 2023 Big Game Application Guidebook and information about the 2023 antlerless hunts.