|
If you want to hunt cougars in Utah this season, but you didn't draw a limited entry permit earlier this fall, mark Nov. 7 on your calendar.
That's the day permits to hunt cougars on harvest objective units go on sale.
Permits to pursue cougars also go on sale Nov. 7.
What's a harvest objective unit?
"Harvest objective units differ from limited entry units in three major ways," says Judi Tutorow, wildlife licensing coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.
"First of all, there is no limit on the number of harvest objective permits that can be sold. And you can buy them on the Internet and over-the-counter," she says. "The hunt on a harvest objective unit can close before the season ends, however, if hunters take the number of cougars biologists want taken.
"For example, if the harvest objective on a unit is 10 cougars, the hunt on the unit will close when 10 cougars are taken, even if the date the season is supposed to end hasn't arrived yet."
That shouldn't be a big challenge for you, though. Harvest objective hunting is allowed on 32 units in Utah. If the unit you want to hunt closes, you can still hunt on any harvest objective unit that's open to hunting.
Reminders
Utah's 2007–2008 cougar harvest objective season begins Nov. 21, 2007 on some units and Feb. 16, 2008 on others. "The dates for each unit are available on pages 25, 26 and 27 of the 2007–2008 Utah Cougar Proclamation," Tutorow says.
The proclamation is available at wildlife.utah.gov/proclamations and from hunting and fishing license agents and DWR offices statewide.
Tutorow reminds you that you may not buy a harvest objective permit if you've already obtained a limited entry cougar permit for the 2007–2008 season.
Before each hunting trip, you must call toll-free 1-888-668-LION (5466), or visit the DWR's Web site, to verify that the unit you'd like to hunt the next day is still open to hunting. The phone line and the Web site are updated by noon with information for the following day.
For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.
|
