Hunting in Utah: 4 Animals to Hunt in the Spring

Spring hunting in Utah offers animals that have been hunted in some cases since the fall and winter seasons.

In Utah, each category of animal offered is featured in its own state-issued guidebook that can be downloaded for free from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) website. There are guidebooks for big game, big game field regulations, fishing, antlerless hunting, upland game and turkey hunting, waterfowl, black bear, and cougar. Also offered are guidebooks for furbearers, falconry and one for amphibians and reptiles, and the rules about collection and transportation of animals.

The trick to navigating these books is knowing what you want to hunt and under which category it falls. Here are four animals that can legally be taken in the spring.

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1. Cougars
If you want to go after the big cats, the harvesting of cougars legally opens in March, but pursuit season begins the second week of November and ends in the spring at the end of May. Applying for cougar hunting permits begins in September and the draw is announced in late October or November. Keep in mind a pursuit permit does not allow a cougar to be killed. Cougar may be taken or pursued only during open seasons and open hours, using only the methods listed in the guidebook. You may use dogs to take or pursue cougar only during the open seasons and hours listed in the guidebook. Limited-entry hunts typically run from mid-November to the end of May on specific hunting units, but split-unit hunts end in February. Harvest objective hunts only last a few days in November.

2. Wild Turkeys
If you are looking for a gobbler, wild turkeys can be hunted in the spring from April 11 to April 30. Youth may hunt them from May 1 to 3. General season for taking turkey in 2015 was the month of May.

3. Bears
Bear hunting can be popular, but spring limited hunts for black bear are unit and region specific. Generally speaking you can begin hunting bear in early April but must stop after the first week of June on most units. Bear hunting can take many forms, including pursuit with dogs. It is highly regulated with different permits and rules that go with various types of hunting in different seasons. It would be prudent to understand the rules by reading the state's guidebook.

4. Mink
Mink can be trapped in Utah from late September to the first week of April with no bag limits, but there are trapping device restrictions.

This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.

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