New Or Noteworthy For This Year

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Utah's Elk Breakdown

Utah's Antelope Breakdown

UTAH'S 2024 ELK AND ANTELOPE APPLICATION OVERVIEW

Note: The application timeframe for all Utah species is March 21 to April 25, 2024 at 11 p.m. MT. Applicants wishing to purchase preference and/or bonus points can do so prior to the April 25 deadline or, if they miss that deadline, they can apply for points only during the antlerless application timeframe from June 5 to 19, 2024. You may apply online here.

Insider Features

HUNT PLANNER

To aid in your research and planning efforts, we created a brand new tool for Insiders called Hunt Planner. This tool will help you be more efficient at planning for hunts and also keeps all your research data organized. No more notepads getting lost or headaches when trying to remember what units caught your eye during your research! Everything you need is always in one place at GOHUNT.

What can you do in Hunt Planner?

POINT TRACKER

Point Tracker allows you to enter the number of points you have for each state and species and, as you research through Filtering and Draw Odds, your point total will automatically be highlighted.

State Information

To view important information and an overview of Utah’s rules/regulations, the draw system and bonus points, tag and license fees and an interactive boundary line map, check out our State Profile. You can also view the Utah Elk Profile and Antelope Profile to access historical and statistical data to help you find trophy areas.

IMPORTANT DATES AND INFORMATION

Note: Applicants need to buy either a hunting license or combination hunting/fishing license to apply. Applicants will not be charged the cost of the permit unless they are successful in the draw.

The Utah Draw System

HUNTING LICENSE TO APPLY

Every applicant will need to have a valid hunting license to apply for hunts or even bonus points only. That hunting license is valid for 365 days from the date of purchase. Applicants can buy one hunting license every two years and apply if they time it correctly. For example, if you purchase a hunting license and apply on the last day of this application period and then apply early in next year's application period, you could apply for two years on one hunting license. You do not need a valid hunting license to actually hunt; you only need it to apply in the draw.

PERMIT SPLIT/ALLOCATION

The permit split offers 90% to residents and 10% to nonresidents. For limited entry elk units with three weapon types, permits are allocated in the following percentages: 25% for archery, 15% for muzzleloader and 60% for any legal weapon. Within the any legal weapon elk season, percentages of permits will be recommended as 10% for the early any weapon season, 30% for the mid any weapon season, 17% for the late any weapon season and 3% for the multi-season.

Important notice: The percentages of permits allocated for each season changed in 2023 from previous years with the new statewide elk plan. This change reduced the number of permits primarily for the early rifle (any weapon) season. The application period was moved back to give applicants a chance to review tag allocations for the hunts they plan to apply for. UDWR will release the number of recommended permits for each hunt the first week of April. When you evaluate the odds of the hunts you are planning to apply for it is imperative to review the detailed draw odds pages for those hunts and compare the number of permits that were allocated at each point level. The mid-October seasons have the best odds for rifle hunters. The new late season archery hunts have the best archery season odds; however, be cautious as those are late season spot and stalk hunts that will have lower harvest success rates. 

BONUS POINTS 

Utah has a hybrid draw system for limited entry elk and antelope permits where they guarantee 50% of the permits for each hunt to the applicants with the most bonus points and 50% are randomly allocated. 

Bonus points are given for each year an applicant applies for a limited entry or once-in-a-lifetime species and is unsuccessful in the draw. Applicants can also apply for bonus points only until the April 25 deadline. Applicants who miss the deadline can apply for bonus points only during the antlerless application timeframe from June 5 to 19. Bonus points are species specific, meaning you cannot apply bonus points for limited entry elk that an applicant has accrued toward a limited entry deer or antelope hunt.

The random draw takes into consideration the number of points each applicant has, meaning you get more chances in the random draw with each point you have. For example, if I have zero points, I get one chance, but if I have 10 points, I get 11 chances (one for each point I have and one for this year’s application). If there is an odd number of permits (for example, three), the bulk go to high point holders and only one will be randomly allocated. If there is one permit only, it will be randomly drawn.

GROUP APPLICATIONS

Applicants can apply as a group for limited entry elk and antelope. Up to four applicants can apply on a group application. Group applicants will have their bonus points totaled and averaged and rounded down to the whole number. For example, if a group of three applies with three, five and nine bonus points, that application will go into the draw with five points (3+5+9=17/3=5.666 rounded to 5). Residents and nonresidents can apply as a group together on the same application. 

A group application is treated as a single application in the draw, meaning that if an application is successful in the draw, all applicants on that application will receive permits. Be aware that Utah will not over allocate their permit quotas to satisfy a group application. For example, if there is one permit remaining for any given hunt and a group application of two is drawn, they will bypass that application and move to the next single applicant. For resident/nonresident combo group applications, there must be enough nonresident permits to cover the nonresident applicants on the application. If there was an application with two nonresidents and two resident applicants and there was only one nonresident permit available for the hunt they applied for, that application has no chance at being successful in the draw. 

HUNT CHOICES

Applicants can select two hunt choices when applying for limited entry hunts. Every single applicant's first choice is considered before moving to any applicant's second choice. Essentially, it is very rare for a limited entry permit to be drawn as a second choice. To draw a hunt as a second choice, it would mean that there were permits remaining after every single applicant's first choice was considered. Be aware that if you draw a permit as a second choice you will lose any accumulated bonus points.

Draw order

Utah’s draw goes in the following order from first to last:

Utah does not allow applicants to draw multiple limited entry tags in the same draw/year. You also cannot draw a limited entry and a once-in-a-lifetime (moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat or bison) permit in the same year. In the rare case that an applicant has enough points to draw both a limited entry permit and a once-in-a-lifetime permit, they should decide which hunt they want to pursue. With the order of the draw, they would draw the limited entry hunt and their once-in-a-lifetime species application will not be considered in the draw.

PERMIT RETURN

Successful applicants who wish to return a permit that they have drawn can do so 30 days prior to the start of their hunt. In this case, they can have their bonus points reinstated; however, they would not earn one for that year's application. The cost of the limited entry permit will be refunded as long as it is returned 30 days prior to the hunt. If applicants drew a permit as part of a group, all members of the group must surrender their permits in order to have all of the applicants’ bonus points reinstated. Hunting licenses and application fees are nonrefundable.

SNOWPACK AND DROUGHT IN UTAH

The research going into this portion of the application strategy has become one of the most interesting pieces for me in the past several years and here is why. The longer I have been hunting, the more clear the picture has become for me that antler growth and development in the more southern states like Utah, Arizona and New Mexico is very tightly tied to snowpack and moisture. The winter of 2022/2023 broke the all time snowpack record for the state and while it definitely took its toll on the northern end of the state in terms of mortality for mule deer, the moisture was much needed following a few years of severe drought. New plant growth in the spring of 2023 was delayed due to the long winter and, although there were some very good bulls taken in the fall, it did seem that in much of the state bulls got a late start on new antler growth and it showed. Overall, antler growth was good in 2023, but certainly not ideal. 

Fast forward to the present winter of 2023/2024 and Utah is primed for a phenomenal year in my opinion. Bulls went into the winter months in great body condition and, although the fall months were somewhat dry, winter came early in the new year with several snow and rain storms. The snow in the new year was also mostly wet heavy snow followed by warming temperatures, which provided animals the ability to feed without having to work all that hard to access it. In reviewing the current snow water equivalent map and conditions, the entire state is over 100% of normal or very close to it. The timing and type of moisture Utah has received this winter is ideal for ungulates to be at peak body condition and, ultimately, allow them to get a great start on antler growth. Additionally, as another piece of the puzzle, we know that bulls born on a good water year to healthy mothers will also produce larger antlers over their lifetime. A bull elk, studies suggest, reaches his potential around the age of seven. Looking back, the winter of 2016/2017 was also a nearly perfect water/snow year with every portion of the state being 120% plus of normal moisture. My opinion is that this fall will truly be a phenomenal year for antler growth in Utah. 

Antelope shed their shealth/horn in mid-November. Before they shed the horn, a new horn will have begun to grow from beneath it from the bone core. From the time bucks shed the sheath until late March, the bucks will be putting growth into the prong and upper portion of the horn. From early April to July, the growth is added below the prong and mass is added near the base of the skull. By late July and into early August, the horn will have finished growing and bucks will begin to rut from as early as mid-August to late September. The time from December to the end of March is critical for prong length and height in general. The months of April to July are critical for mass and length below the prong. With that, it is understandable that more mild conditions from the months of November to April are beneficial for antelope horn growth. Generally speaking, this winter has been mild and wet and I believe it will also be a great growth year for antelope. Personally, I’m encouraged at the range conditions and the good that it will provide Utah’s wildlife.

2024

2023

2022

2021

Elk herds in Utah are currently managed under a combination of general season over-the-counter (OTC) spike and any bull, limited entry and antlerless hunting. The any bull units are located primarily in northern Utah and are generally on units with large amounts of private land, large wilderness areas or units with low elk populations. OTC spike elk hunting is used on most limited entry units and is intended to reduce bull:cow ratios while still allowing for quality bulls available to those who draw limited entry permits. 

Utah takes a unique approach to bull elk management on limited entry units. They manage each unit for a desired age class objective of harvested bulls. There is a strong correlation between age and antler size in bull elk to a certain age. Large data sets suggest that most bulls have achieved 96% of their antler growth potential by 6.5 years old. Because of these studies, in 2023, UDWR made the decision to lower the age class objectives in some units across the state in order to harvest bulls in their prime, which also allowed them to increase the number of permits offered. The increased number of permits also came with a shift in the percentage of permits that are offered for each weapon/season. Some new hunts were also created and the early rifle hunt dates were shortened. The overall objective of the new management plan is focused on creating more opportunity, thus moving more applicants through the draw system, while still providing a high quality hunt. Time will paint a better picture, but last fall's hunts would suggest that the strategy is sound. Utah was able to allocate 40 more nonresident limited entry bull elk permits than they did in 2022. I would suggest that this year’s allocation will be similar. 

Below are the age class structures for 2024 for each unit and the previous ages prior. This is the most recently published data.

Statewide, the elk population is estimated at 82,960 (as of 2022) with an objective of 78,990.

Limited entry elk seasons

In an attempt to move more applicants through the draw system, Utah has recently lowered the age class on several units and added a couple additional limited entry seasons, including a mid season October rifle hunt and a late season archery hunt. The additional hunts have offered better draw odds and, personally, I think that lowering the age class and adding hunts is a good thing that is giving more people the chance to hunt. In 2023, there were still some incredible bulls taken throughout the state, but time will tell if the top end quality will begin to dip some due to the increase in permit numbers. Utah is attempting to offer more permits while still maintaining the age class that can offer hunters a chance at a big bull; however, in order to do so they had to lower the age class and also create new, tougher hunts that are likely to have lower harvest success. Overall, Utah is still an incredible elk state and I think it’s worth applying for. 

The early archery season dates were adjusted last year to offer dates that run further into the month of September, which gives bowhunters a better chance to hunt bulls that are actively rutting. This fall, the early archery dates will run from Aug. 21 to Sept. 17. The August start dates offer hunters the opportunity to scout throughout the summer months and target bulls for the most part before they have begun to transition into areas where they will eventually rut. Every year, a few of the biggest bulls in the state are taken within that first week of the archery hunt where bowhunters are able to scout during the summer and target them via spot and stalk or sitting water. The September dates are good and, with the Sept. 17 end date, every tag holder should have the chance to hunt bugling bulls. I anticipate some of the best bulls in the state to be taken during the early archery season this year. 

The early rifle hunt was shortened in 2023 to five days and, once again, it will be only five days in 2024. The dates are prime for bugling bulls and data suggests that 80% of permit holders are harvesting a bull within the first three days. Harvest success is still very high, ranging mostly in the 60% to 100% range. The early rifle season is still the best rifle hunt on most units, but preseason scouting is going to make the difference with the shortened season. The only downfall for the early rifle hunt is that the odds of drawing are generally the worst of all seasons offered. It’s very tough to draw a permit for the early rifle season.

The muzzleloader hunt has fantastic dates (Sept. 23 to Oct. 4) and, many years, this offers the best rut hunt where the bulls are most vocal. The most intriguing thing about the 2024 muzzleloader hunt is that Utah has banned the use of magnified scopes — only 1x scopes and open sights will be allowed. The change is likely to cause a number of applicants who have been applying for the muzzleloader hunts to transition into applying for rifle hunts where harvest success is higher. In saying that, harvest success for muzzleloader hunts has traditionally been high regardless of the use of scopes and, if you have been chasing an early rifle hunt, I would highly suggest applicants consider the muzzleloader hunts, which can be drawn often a year or two earlier. I anticipate the draw odds for muzzleloader hunts to be slightly better this year. 

The mid-season October rifle hunt was new in 2023 to limited entry elk areas and those will continue into 2024. The season dates will run Oct 5 to 17. A few factors worth noting are that these dates occur along with the general season rifle spike elk hunt, which has the same dates. The October limited entry hunt has better odds than both the early rifle, muzzleloader and, often, the late rifle hunts; however, hunters will be sharing the field with potentially hundreds and even thousands of general season spike hunters. The added hunting pressure will move elk around and it will be challenging to continue to find a target bull day after day. Harvest success was still what I consider high for this hunt, but the quality of bulls available is lower given that it occurs after three other hunts and bulls may be transitioning away from cow/calf herds. 

The late limited entry rifle hunts run Nov. 9 to 17. During this timeframe, the bigger bulls will have transitioned away from cow/calf herds to find remote, secluded feeding and bedding pockets to attempt to put weight on before winter. The best late rifle hunt areas have been areas where bigger bulls can avoid hunters during the early seasons and may move out into lower elevation open terrain during the late season to feed. These types of areas are usually heavily vegetated, making it tough to hunt and kill bigger bulls during the early hunts, but offer decent glassing opportunities during the late seasons. Areas that are more remote and rugged also offer some seclusion and allow some of those bigger bulls to survive to the late seasons. The late hunts traditionally require a few less points to draw; however, be aware that they can be challenging with cold weather and finding a target bull that isn’t somewhat broken up is tough. 

In 2023, for the first time, Utah offered late season archery permits on each unit. This hunt will continue in 2024 with dates running from Nov. 30 to Dec. 15. The primary benefit of the late archery permits are that they require far fewer points to draw and the random odds are very good. In saying that, the hunt is very tough and harvest success results for the first year reflected that. Statewide there were only 14 bulls killed out of the 87 permits issued. Similar to the late rifle hunts, the bulls will have migrated into winter range and are focused on recouping body condition that was depleted during the rut. Bigger bulls can be hard to find and are even harder to kill where the primary method is spot and stalk. Spot and stalk bull elk with a bow during the late season is a tough task given that the weather is regularly cold, snow can be crunchy and loud, and bulls are often in thick mahogany, oak and pinyon juniper terrain. I still think that the late archery hunt is a great opportunity for the die hard bowhunter with very few bonus points. Just keep your expectations in check. As with every late season hunt, scouting is going to help immensely.

*Random odds vary by the number of bonus points. Review the odds within your Insider account. 

*New season permit quotas are likely to impact maximum point draw odds. Review the proposed 2024 permit numbers and compare them to the number of permits allocated in 2023 to further evaluate chances of drawing.

SEPTEMBER ARCHERY AND HAMS HUNTS (handgun, archery, muzzleloader, shotgun)

In 2021, Utah began offering some new hunts on the Cache/North, Plateau/Barney Top/Kaiparowits, Southwest Desert/North and West Desert/DeepCreek. The archery hunts in these units run Sept. 1 to 30. These same units also offered a HAMS hunt Nov. 9 to 30. These hunts are included in the table above. 

Looking at the draw odds, those hunts have required close to the same number of bonus points of other limited entry, mid-tier archery hunts. Something to ponder when considering the archery hunts in these units is that the harvest success for the Southwest Desert, North and West Desert, Deep Creek units has been very high. The quality and number of bulls is not what you would typically find on the best units in the state, but it’s on par with mid-tier options and, for the bowhunter, you have the entire month of September to hunt. The HAMS and archery hunts on these units are intriguing, but they may not be a good fit for everyone. Weapons are limited to handgun, archery, primitive muzzleloader or shotgun. For applicants who are looking for a unique hunt where pressure is limited, these may be worth considering.

OTC ELK HUNT OPTIONS

One of the primary goals of Utah’s elk plan was to increase elk hunting opportunities. Utah offers OTC elk hunts under two different categories: general any bull and general spike elk. There are archery, rifle and muzzleloader permits. 

The general archery permits are not specific to a unit and hunters who purchase a general season elk permit can hunt either spike elk units and/or any bull units. Archery hunters can harvest a spike or cow elk on almost every spike elk unit or they can harvest any bull or a cow elk on any bull units. The number of archery general season permits is unlimited. The OTC archery elk permit is a great opportunity for a hunter to harvest an elk and, with more states like Idaho and Colorado making their OTC hunts harder to come by, it’s one of the best guarantees to hunt elk.

Rifle and muzzleloader hunters must choose between buying a spike elk permit or any bull permit. Rifle hunters or muzzleloader hunters who buy a general spike tag can harvest a spike only on any of the open spike elk units. The general any bull elk rifle or muzzleloader permits are only valid for bull elk in general any bull units. In 2024, there will once again be an early rifle any bull hunt and a late rifle any bull hunt. There is a 15,000 permit cap that is shared between the early rifle any bull hunt and the any bull muzzleloader hunt. The 15,000 permits will sell out quickly. The late any bull rifle hunt is unlimited in the number of permits that can be sold.

The rifle spike bull and muzzleloader spike bull permits have a shared cap of 15,000 permits. Out of those 15,000 permits, 4,500 can be sold as multi-season permits. Once again, these permits will sell out quickly. Hunters should plan on buying permits the day they go on sale in order to have the best chance at getting a permit. 

The following table breaks down hunt dates and the dates that permits go on sale.

Insiders can explore the general season any bull and spike elk hunts in Utah by selecting Utah under Filtering. They can then select Elk, Any Bull or Elk, Spike to research the units, harvest success, season dates and public land percentages to help them finetune their search for an OTC elk hunt opportunity.

In the table below are the top general season rifle spike units with the most current harvest data from 2022. The muzzleloader and archery hunts reflect a similar pattern in the top units for those hunts as well. If you are considering an OTC spike elk hunt, consider one of these areas.

Below are the top general season any bull elk units based on the most recent harvest success from 2022. Please refer to your Insider account or UDWR booklet or website for boundary descriptions.

Managing elk points and expectations

2024 maximum bonus points for elk: 31

Most nonresident applicants are buying a hunting license to be able to apply for deer, elk and once-in-a-lifetime species and may not consider antelope. I highly suggest nonresidents also apply for antelope for the minimal application fee. With half of the permits randomly allocated, you have a chance in the draw and antelope hunting is good in Utah.

Resident applicants have to pick the limited entry species that they apply for. They cannot apply for limited entry deer, elk and antelope in the same year. In my opinion, I recommend resident applicants pick either limited entry elk or deer until they draw and only apply for limited entry antelope in the years where they are on a waiting period for the other species. Of course, there are those of you who are just antelope enthusiasts and, in that case, apply for antelope!

Utah is not what I would consider a trophy destination for antelope, but most years there are a number of 80”+ bucks taken throughout the state and, given the good weather year that Utah is experiencing, I would anticipate that 2024 will be a good growth year. In recent years, UDWR has begun to offer more permits in the draw based on studies that suggest that bucks achieve growth potential at a younger age than previously thought. Utah offers archery, muzzleloader and rifle hunts and manages for high harvest success rates. Hunts occur from early August to September, meaning that every hunter will have the opportunity to hunt during the rut. It’s worth noting that the archery hunt success is generally very good across the board and the odds of drawing those hunts is much better. If you are a bowhunter and have the free time to hunt in mid to late August then I would suggest that you consider archery hunts.

*There are several more hunts that applicants can apply for that are not within the table above. The Vernal archery hunt had 100% odds with 6 points, the West Desert/Snake Valley archery hunt had 100% odds with 8 points and the Diamond Mtn/Bonanza archery hunt had 100% odds with 10 points.

Managing antelope points and expectations

2024 maximum bonus points for antelope: 25

Conclusion

Utah is a great elk state and, although the draw odds are tough, I still believe that, for the cost of the hunting license and the ability to apply for all species as a nonresident, it’s worth it. Utah is not the trophy state it was in the mid 2000s, but it still represents one of the best opportunities for hunters to kill a 330”+ bull. Also, I never thought I would be writing this, but Utah has one of the better truly OTC elk options in the West currently. In terms of OTC quality and numbers of elk, it does not rank with Colorado or Idaho, but the OTC permits are available to most anyone who does some research and plans to purchase on the first day that they go on sale. Overall, Utah is a great elk and antelope state and, if you draw a permit for either species, you are in for a really good hunt. Plan on applying in Utah in 2024 and good luck in the draw!