Application Strategy

General deer is a preference draw in which permits are awarded to the max preference point-holders among those who applied. The draw is conducted in the following sequence: limited-entry deer, limited-entry elk, limited-entry antelope, once-in-a-lifetime species (sheep, moose, mountain goat, and bison), youth general-season deer, general-season deer, and youth any bull elk. Understanding the order of the draw is critical. Due to the order in which permits are drawn, you won’t be included in the drawing for a once-in-a-lifetime permit if you draw any of the following: limited-entry buck deer, limited-entry bull elk, or limited-entry buck antelope. The reason for this is that Utah does not allow you to possess two limited-entry draw tags during the same year. Additionally, you cannot draw both a limited-entry deer tag and a general-season deer tag. If you draw a limited-entry deer tag, your general-season deer application will not be considered, but you will still receive a preference point.

Draw results will be emailed out on or before May 31, 2026. You can also find your draw results by logging into your account at utahdraws.com where you applied or by calling 855-883-7297.

Utah has a preference point system for general-season deer. You are awarded a point for every year you apply and are unsuccessful in the draw, or you may purchase points only. This is a true preference point system where the applicants with the most points get the permits. If you draw any of your hunt choices, first through fifth, you will lose your preference points. In addition, the Division will only evaluate the first choice of max point holders before moving to applicants with the next highest point levels and so on. After everyone’s first choice is considered, they will move to the second choice and will continue in this manner all the way through the fifth choice.

Group applicants will have their points totaled, averaged, and rounded down to the whole number. A group application will be evaluated as a single application in the drawing. It is imperative that you take notice of the number of tags available for a hunt and/or the bonus point minimums (the draw odds) before applying. If the draw has only one or two tags available, do not apply with three or four individuals, as you will have no chance of drawing.

The point totals listed for each draw are based on 2025 data. They include all applicants who participated in the 2025 draw or purchased a point for that species. We have subtracted all successful applicants from their respective point field and moved those who were unsuccessful and those who purchased a point up to the next point level to give Huntin’ Fool members an accurate account of how many applicants are at each point level going into the 2026 draw. This does not consider any successful applicants who turned their tag back in and had their points reinstated.

Utah has an extensive conservation permit program. Last year, over 300 conservation permits for a variety of species and hunts were auctioned off to the highest bidders by various conservation organizations. UDWR also offers Statewide Conservation Permit, otherwise known as a “Governor’s Tag,” for each of Utah’s game species. Conservation permits are available to residents and non-residents. It’s anticipated that a similar amount will be available this year. For details on which organizations will have what permits and where they will be auctioned, visit our website at www.huntinfool.com/resources/statewide-permits.

Utah raffled off Expo Permits at the Western Hunting Expo in Salt Lake City. There were 200 permits available this year. Raffle permits can be applied for by going to huntexpo.com/permits. Each hunt application costs $5 and in-person validation is required. The Expo dates for 2026 are February 11 through 14, 2027.

Utah has two systems through which they issue landowner tags. The first of these is the Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit (CWMU) program, which gives landowners deer, elk, antelope, and moose tags for their property only. Landowners are granted liberal seasons and can transfer these tags as desired. In exchange for these tags, landowners must let a certain number of resident hunters selected through the draw hunt on their land. In Utah’s regulations, there is a list of CWMU operators and their respective phone numbers. Residents and non-residents are eligible to purchase hunts from CWMU operators, but only residents may draw a tag on a CWMU. Check out www.huntfinder.com for several Endorsed Outfitters who offer CWMU hunts.

The second landowner tag system issues landowner permits to landowners that are good for the entire unit during the prescribed season. Similar to CWMU tags, these permits are transferable. To obtain information regarding landowner permits, visit our website at www.huntinfool.com/adventures/landowner.

Any remaining limited-entry, general-season, or youth archery deer permits will go on sale online or at any UDWR office at 8:00 a.m. MDT on July 7. Keep in mind that if you purchase any general-season buck deer permit, you will lose all accrued preference points for general-season buck deer.

If you turn in a poacher and the case goes to trial or leads to a conviction, you may receive a tag on that unit for that species the next year, depending on the case.

In our March 2026 issue, we covered hunts in Utah that are allocated through the draw. This article will cover over-the-counter opportunity permits that are available. For information on Utah’s rules and regulations, refer to our March issue or the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) 2026 Big Game Field Regulations.

PERMIT SALES

General-season spike-only and any-bull elk permits may be obtained at wildlife.utah.gov or from license agents and UDWR offices. General-season archery elk permits will go on sale on July 7, 2026. General-season any-bull permits will go on sale on July 9, 2026. General-season spike-only permits will go on sale on July 16, 2026. Archery elk permits are unlimited. Rifle and muzzleloader tags are allocated from the same quota pool. The any-bull rifle permits are split into two seven-day seasons. The first season will have a 15,000-permit quota that will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The second hunt has an unlimited quota. General muzzleloader permits will also be counted toward the 15,000-permit early-rifle quota. There will also be 15,000 spike permits for the 2026 rifle and muzzleloader seasons as well as unlimited youth general elk permits good for any-bull and spike-only units.

Youth may hunt all seasons with a youth general elk permit. Permits are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Utah issues multi-season elk permits for spike-only hunts. This permit allows the hunter to hunt during the general archery, rifle, and muzzleloader hunts until they have harvested an animal. During the archery season, you can hunt spike-only and any-bull units, but you are limited to spike-only units during the rifle and muzzleloader seasons. These permits come out of the general elk quota for rifle and muzzleloader hunts.

YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES

If you meet Utah’s hunter education requirements and are seventeen years old or younger on July 31, 2026, you may purchase one of the youth archery deer permits over the counter. They will be available for purchase at 8 a.m. on July 7, 2026. They are limited in quantity by unit. For detailed information, go to https://wildlife.utah.gov/remainingpermits. This is a great opportunity for youth hunters who were unsuccessful in the general-season drawing. General any-bull and spike rifle or muzzleloader elk permits are unlimited for youth hunters.

TRIAL HUNTING PROGRAM

Utah has made it possible for potential hunters to try hunting before they complete a hunter education course. Anyone who is interested in hunting can enroll in the program and take an online orientation course and exam to receive an authorization number that can be used to purchase a variety of small game, general deer, and elk permits. Enrolled hunters must be accompanied by a licensed adult over the age of twenty-one while in the field. The only age restriction is that the enrolled hunter must be twelve years or older at the time of the hunt. After a hunter has enrolled, they can take advantage of the program for three years. For more information, go to https://wildlife.utah.gov/trialhunting.

UTAH OVER-THE-COUNTER ELK HUNTS

Utah divides general-season elk opportunities into two categories: spike-only and any-bull. Bowhunters may harvest a spike bull or a cow on a spike unit with the archer’s choice elk permit. Any-bull units may be archery hunted with the archer’s choice elk permit, and hunters can harvest any bull or cow. The any-bull archery season runs twelve days longer than the spike-only season. The any-bull archery hunt will overlap the any-bull youth hunt from September 12 through 16. Rifle and muzzleloader hunters may only harvest spikes in spike units. Any-bull firearm permits are valid in all any-bull units. Spike-only firearm permits are valid in all spike-only units. Obviously, the spike-only units produce mostly yearling bulls, but the any-bull units produce mostly young, immature bulls as well. We’ve included tables for each season (archery, muzzleloader, and rifle) so hunters can get a better idea of harvest statistics for each season as well as how many hunters they will be sharing the field with. We’ve only listed five units in the “Over-the-Counter Any-Bull Muzzleloader Elk Hunts” table, as most of the units that have enough public land to hunt are hit or miss for harvest success.

There are two seven-day rifle hunts on the any-bull units that occur back-to-back in October. The first rifle hunt will run October 3 through 9, and the second hunt will run October 10 through 16. The first rifle hunt will have a shared 15,000-permit quota with the muzzleloader hunt that will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis starting on July 9 at 8 a.m. The second rifle hunt has an unlimited permit quota. Utah has multi-season spike-only permits available for purchase, with a cap of 4,500. There are no multi-season any-bull permits available.

Almost all of Utah’s limited-entry bull elk units have a spike-only hunt on them. These limited-entry units have the best and highest-density populations of elk and give hunters the greatest opportunity for success. Hunting pressure is high on most of these units, and spike elk can be difficult to find once the shooting starts, but these are the best over-the-counter opportunities for hunters to fill their freezers. Keep in mind that all spike units will have a limited-entry mid-season bull hunt during the same season (October 3 through 15).

For the most part, any-bull units either have a large amount of private land and are very difficult to manage as a limited-entry unit or are being managed for lower elk populations. Those units that largely consist of public land get hunted hard, and mature bulls are very difficult to find. Except for the Uinta Mountains, any-bull units in Northern Utah are primarily private land. Some of these units have better hunting for mature bulls, but it is highly dependent on the private land. There will always be a few big, mature bulls taken in almost all of these any-bull units, but most of them will be bulls that either come off of private land or wander off a neighboring limited-entry unit.

NORTHERN UTAH EXTENDED ARCHERY DEER AND ELK HUNTS

One benefit of having an archery elk or archery deer permit in Utah is the fact that, if you do not harvest an elk or deer during the regular season, you can use your unfilled permit to hunt the extended archery season. There are multiple hunt areas with different season dates depending on what species you are hunting. Box Elder/West Bear River, Herriman South Valley, Ogden, Uintah Basin, Utah Lake, Wasatch Front, and West Cache deer hunts have September 12 through November 30 dates. Nine Mile/Green River, Sanpete Valley, and South Wasatch deer hunts run September 12 through October 15. The Uintah Basin and Wasatch Front extended archery elk season is August 15 through December 15. The West Cache extended archery elk season is August 15, 2026, through January 31, 2027. These hunts have become very popular among locals and non-residents alike, so you can expect heavy hunting pressure. However, some nice bucks and bulls get harvested on these hunts every year.

Hunters will need to take an online ethics course before they can hunt one of the extended-archery areas. To take the course, visit wildlife.utah.gov/extendedarchery. Most of these areas consist of low elevation zones close to towns or agricultural fields where animal-human conflicts are a problem. The primary purpose of this hunt is to eliminate or push deer and elk into the foothills and away from population centers. Deer hunters can find some nice bucks on these hunts in the 140 to 160”+ range. Elk hunters will have a tough time finding many bulls over three years old without some local knowledge of the area. This can be a very physically demanding hunt for both species, as this is very steep country in most units.

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