The second new hunt is a completely new archery hunt that will be conducted December 2-17. This opened up 14 additional rifle hunts for non-residents to apply for in 2023. The “new’’ is in the fact that all limited-entry units will now have a mid-season rifle hunt. The first new hunt is not necessarily new as the lower tier managed units have already had this “mid-season” rifle hunt that overlaps the general rifle spike-only hunt. Implications of adjusting these age class objectives will be mostly in the form of increased permits in the immediate future across all weapon types, but with the new added hunts as part of this plan, we may not see increased permits in specific hunts because the added hunts gobbled up the permit increases. The lowest tier age class objective management of 5.5-6 was not changed as this management objective was the sweet spot for quantity of tags and quality of bulls. This background will hopefully give our members some context to the decision that was made by the state and hunters across Utah to give more opportunity to hunters to harvest the excess bulls in units that it is warranted in. Basically, after age 6, antler size has more to do with habitat than age. This is often due to quality of feed, severe or mild winters, and changes in habitat. Then, minimal antler growth can happen as the male ages, but similarly, the male can have decreased antler growth as well. Research has been ongoing in multiple states across the West, which has been funneled through Brigham Young University, and it shows that 85%-90% of antler growth in elk happens by age 6.

Inevitably, this will decrease quality across the board, but it most likely won’t be to the level that most doom and gloomers think. All units that were managed for 6.5 to 7-year-old bulls dropped to 6 to 6.5-year-old age objectives. All units that were managed for 7.5 to 8-year-old bulls dropped to 6.5 to 7-year-old age objectives. The biggest change is lowering the age class objectives for the top two tiers that were previously in place. This was the reason for the big changes across the state on this new elk management plan. The end result is a 1:1 bull to cow ratio that puts the elk herd in a tough spot and sets them up for big declines in future years. Therefore, the only thing they can do is issue cow permits to bring the population down. This will bring that average age objective down under the level of increasing permit numbers, and before you know it, that herd of elk is backed into a corner of trying to maintain elk numbers within the population level while not being able to increase bull permits. The impacts are obvious, especially in units where low numbers of permits are issued (which in Utah’s case is about 65% of them) and you have a few hunters harvesting 4-5 year old bulls. One hunter might be happy with any bull, and another is looking for the largest bull they can find. Hunting in general is different for everyone and trying to manage toward a certain age class is tough when age is a difficult thing to judge on the hoof. However, this style of management is not without fault. This allows them to monitor the age of each animal harvested and increase or decrease tags if the average age is under or over the age management goal for that specific unit. Utah has mandatory harvest reporting on all limited-entry big game species across the weapon types.

Go on More Hunts with Better Information, Join Huntin' Fool Today! One thing is for certain, with these new changes and new hunts for elk, applicants are going to want to pay attention this year as these changes could and will impact draws across the board. This new elk management plan shook things up quite a bit with new hunts, added hunts, additional opportunities, shifting season dates, and shifting age class objectives in most units across the state. Utah renews each big game species management plan periodically, around every five to seven years, and 2023 marks the beginning of the new elk management plan. If there is one thing that has remained the same in Utah throughout the years, it is change.

Cow elk tag utah