Utah Draw & Points questions

[unfazed]

I’m a Utah resident (St. George) and new to hunting. I’ll be only rifle hunting. I’m trying to learn all I can about the draw, preference points, bonus points etc. I want to hunt deer & elk. From what I’m reading it seems since this coming season will be my first year and obviously with 0 points, my odds of hunting deer are practically zero. Realistically how many years will it be before I can get out? Is it smart to apply for dedicated hunter? It also seems like there are over the counter elk tags so I’ll atleast be able to hunt elk each year?

Appreciate all you veterans helping a new guy learn!

 

[realunlucky]

It depends on the unit you want to hunt. Utah put a new deer management plan in place so some new hunt restricted units are anyone's guess.

You have to now choose between putting in for general season deer or dedicated hunter. You can't earn points in both every year so dedicated hunter program draw odds going forward are also unknown.

Learn a general season elk unit and enjoy the process. You can only build limited entry points in either deer, elk, or antelope. Pick one species and stay committed until you draw your tag. It can take multiple decades to draw depending on unit and weapon choice.

Preference points= all tags go to highest point holders

Bonus points= half of tags reserved for those with most points, and half go into a random draw

 

[unfazed]

It depends on the unit you want to hunt. Utah put a new deer management plan in place so some new hunt restricted units are anyone's guess.

You have to now choose between putting in for general season deer or dedicated hunter. You can't earn points in both every year so dedicated hunter program draw odds going forward are also unknown.

Learn a general season elk unit and enjoy the process. You can only build limited entry points in either deer, elk, or antelope. Pick one species and stay committed until you draw your tag. It can take multiple decades to draw depending on unit and weapon choice.

Preference points= all tags go to highest point holders

Bonus points= half of tags reserved for those with most points, and half go into a random draw

Appreciate all the info! Unfortunately the areas around me (Pine valley, Zion, Beaver) are either dry or lots of private land so I’m sure I’ll migrate north for a unit. The lawsuit to remove blm land in play currently has me a bit worried about public land access in the future also

 

[realunlucky]

Appreciate all the info! Unfortunately the areas around me (Pine valley, Zion, Beaver) are either dry or lots of private land so I’m sure I’ll migrate north for a unit. The lawsuit to remove blm land in play currently has me a bit worried about public land access in the future also

Look at the draw odds on the DWR site that'll give you an idea of how many tags are in each unit. Pine Valley gives out a bunch of tags i won't discount it without more research. Hunting close to home has huge value to routine success

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[Soj51hopeful]

Appreciate all the info! Unfortunately the areas around me (Pine valley, Zion, Beaver) are either dry or lots of private land so I’m sure I’ll migrate north for a unit. The lawsuit to remove blm land in play currently has me a bit worried about public land access in the future also

Do not discount pine valley.

 

[robby denning]

Do not discount pine valley.

never heard of the place.

 

[roadhntr]

never heard of the place.

Probably because it's overrated.

 

[roadhntr]

Appreciate all the info! Unfortunately the areas around me (Pine valley, Zion, Beaver) are either dry or lots of private land so I’m sure I’ll migrate north for a unit. The lawsuit to remove blm land in play currently has me a bit worried about public land access in the future also

Good grief, don't get caught up on that scare tactic as about loosing our public lands. Nothing is going to come of it. The private lands in southern Utah are not really an issue either. Send me a pm when you're able and I can discuss a few of your questions with you.

 

[khunter]

Good grief, don't get caught up on that scare tactic as about loosing our public lands. Nothing is going to come of it.

100%

 

[Andrew12gauge]

Good grief, don't get caught up on that scare tactic as about loosing our public lands. Nothing is going to come of it. The private lands in southern Utah are not really an issue either. Send me a pm when you're able and I can discuss a few of your questions with you.

I would’ve said the same about roe v wade and abortion rights up until the moment it happened if Utahs suit makes it to the current version of the Supreme Court I would be a little worried about losing our public lands


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[roadhntr]

I would’ve said the same about roe v wade and abortion rights up until the moment it happened if Utahs suit makes it to the current version of the Supreme Court I would be a little worried about losing our public lands


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We won't be loosing public lands.