Utah
(Note: This overview was extracted from the December 2007 issue of The Huntin' Fool) 
Utah has an online application system where applicants will only need to submit the non-refundable hunting license fee and the $10 per species application fee. Utah has an early application deadline which is usually in the first couple weeks of February. It looks like this year it might even be the last part of January.
Applicants may apply for limited entry deer, elk, or antelope and then they can also choose one of the “once-in-a-lifetime” species including Rocky Mountain sheep, Desert sheep, moose, goat, or bison in Utah. By limiting what people can apply for, theoretically the drawing odds will be better than if hunters were able to apply for all species. We recommend applying for the same species year after year until you draw and then adjust which species to apply for.
Utah has a bonus point system where 50% of the coveted big game tags are issued to the applicants with the most points and the remaining are awarded through the random draw. The general deer tags that were once issued over-the-counter are now awarded through a preference point system where the applicant with the most points receives the general deer tag. General deer tags are not near the quality of a tag as is the limited entry deer tags which are very limited and offer Utah’s best Mule deer opportunities.
Non-residents are allocated approximately 10% of the Utah tags in a given hunt code unless the tags are less than 10, then there will not be any non-residents drawn. Overall, if you add up the total number limited entry tags for a particular species and divide them by the number of non-resident allocated tags you will come up with approximately 6% - 10% of the tags going to non-residents.
The once-in-a-lifetime species available in Utah offer some great opportunities! The Desert and Rocky Mountain sheep are not the biggest sheep in the West but offer some rewarding hunts. The moose and goat hunts are great with some huge bulls and some great billies roaming the hills. The bison hunts on the Henry Mountains are incredible, consisting of free roaming hunts on an isolated, 11,500' mountain range in the middle of the desert. Be prepared to hunt hard if you decide to tackle a Utah buffalo hunt.
Utah has produced more big elk than any other state in recent years. Rut hunts with all three weapon types explains 80% of the elk hunting that occurs in the “Beehive” state. The upside to rut hunts is obvious, when you get a tag it will most likely be the best experience of your elk hunting career. The downside to maintaining giant bulls with rut hunts is that tag numbers are extremely limited and it may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Excellent hunts with giant bulls sums up elk hunting in Utah.
Utah has a few great limited entry Mule deer units. We will cover those units in depth in the next issue of The Huntin’ Fool magazine. The Mule deer hunting in Utah pales in comparison to what it once was, but such is the case in most western states. If you draw one of the top three units, you will have an incredible hunt and see a lot of bucks!
There are only 50 or so non-resident Utah antelope tags issued annually, these tags produce some good scoring antelope bucks each year with southeastern Utah being the best. They are Utah’s forgotten species as hunters must choose deer, elk, or antelope when applying. Utah does have some good hunting, apply and build points and invest in your hunting future. All serious hunters should be applying in Utah!