SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Wildlife Board approved some updates to wildlife and waterfowl management area rules to align with recent legislative changes. The board also approved an experimental introduction of white sturgeon into two Utah waterbodies, as well as a few other rule changes during Thursday's public meeting.
Rule changes for WMA access
A law passed by the Utah Legislature in 2025 required anyone 18 years old or older to possess a hunting, fishing or combination license to access a wildlife management area or waterfowl management area in Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties. Under new legislation passed during the 2026 legislative session, individuals who do not have a hunting, fishing or combination license can instead watch an educational video about wildlife management areas to obtain a free digital access permit to access WMAs in Utah. The new law will apply to all counties in Utah over a three-year period.
The previous exemptions for the license or digital access permit requirement will still be in effect, along with a few new exemptions. Under this new legislation, individuals will also have the option to donate funding toward conservation or habitat projects on a specific WMA in Utah.
"Wildlife management areas and waterfowl management areas are primarily funded by the sale of Utah hunting and fishing licenses and permits," DWR Wildlife Lands Coordinator Chelsea Duke said. "These properties are uniquely important because they are the only public state lands in Utah whose sole purpose is enhancing and protecting wildlife resources. These lands conserve critical wildlife habitat, reduce conflicts between wildlife and private landowners, and give Utahns dedicated places to participate in hunting, fishing and other wildlife-based recreation."
The new legislation will take effect on July 1, 2026, but the WMA requirements will only apply to WMAs in class one and class two counties — Davis, Salt Lake, Utah and Weber counties — in 2026. Then, starting July 1, 2027, the WMA requirements will be in effect for first-, second-, third- and fourth-class counties. By July 1, 2028, the WMA requirements will be in effect for all WMAs in Utah.
The Utah Wildlife Board approved a few rule updates to align with the latest legislation, including:
- Clarifying specifics for the content and delivery of the new educational video about WMAs that people must watch to receive the free digital access permit. The video and digital access permit will be available on the DWR website on July 1.
- Providing additional guidance on the issuance of the new digital access permit.
- Clarifying trails that begin and end outside of a WMA.
- Identifying circumstances when the division director may exempt individuals from the requirements to access a WMA.
- Establishing a process for accepting contributions and donations.
- Adding additional clarifying language to the rule.
White sturgeon introduction and regulations
The board also approved the introduction of white sturgeon — a new sportfish species in Utah — into two Utah waterbodies: Hobbs Reservoir in Davis County and Grantsville Reservoir in Tooele County.
"We're exploring the use of white sturgeon to increase species diversity in Utah's fisheries, thereby enhancing the fishing experience for anglers who prefer waterbodies with multiple fish species," DWR Aquatics Assistant Section Chief Craig Walker said. "These proposed introductions are part of an effort to find new ways to manage fisheries amid changing water conditions, while simultaneously creating new fishing opportunities."
A total of 100 white sturgeon will be stocked in the spring of 2027, with approximately 50 of the fish being stocked into each of the proposed waterbodies. Fishing for white sturgeon will be catch-and-release only at both Hobbs Reservoir and Grantsville Reservoir.
Furbearer harvest and trapping
In 2023, the Utah Legislature passed a law to allow year-round hunting of cougars with just a hunting or combination license and to also allow trapping of cougars. The DWR proposed restricting the use of lethal trap sets on public land for targeted cougar harvest. The wildlife board unanimously rejected the proposed change to trapping rules during Thursday's meeting.
Approved upland game and turkey rule changes
During the meeting, the board approved a few updates for upland game and turkey hunting rules. The changes include:
- Requiring mandatory harvest reporting for wild turkey, as well as the associated late fee and other penalties for noncompliance.
- Increasing the number of control permits for turkey from two to five.
- Removing language that prohibits selling vouchers or charging access fees for control permit vouchers.
- Allowing multiple landowners to hunt each other's adjacent properties with control permits and vouchers. (They must apply for these — the vouchers will include the boundaries of all affected landowners, once approved.)
- Offering "nuisance hunter pool hunts" for turkeys, in addition to the existing turkey depredation hunts.
- Removing the requirement for a .25-mile buffer between commercial hunting areas and wildlife/waterfowl management areas.
- Adding turkey to the urban deer rule to provide municipalities with additional options for trapping nuisance turkeys in urban areas.
- Paying qualifying landowners monetary compensation for turkey damage to haystacks, silage and seed.
CWMU rule amendments
The DWR oversees the Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit program, which allocates hunting permits to private landowners who then provide hunting opportunities to public and private hunters for a variety of wildlife species. The CWMU program in Utah has opened more than 2 million acres of private land to the public for hunting.
For 2026, there were 23 applications from CWMUs requesting the inclusion of public land, and three CWMUs requested season variances. The board approved all of the CWMU applications and variance requests, along with a rule update for CWMUs on hunting units that exceed population objectives. The rule change will allow the DWR director to waive the requirement that a CWMU report to the CWMU Advisory Committee if there are extenuating circumstances or if it is determined that the CWMU has made reasonable efforts to reach objectives.
Other rule updates
The board also approved a few other rule updates during Thursday's meeting, including:
- Clarifying and updating the compensation for damages resulting from depredation from mountain lions, bears, eagles or wolves.
- Creating a new rule — in alignment with recent legislation — regarding the consultation process for utility-scale renewable energy facilities to decrease potential impacts on wildlife and wildlife habitats.
You can watch the full Utah Wildlife Board meeting on the Utah Department of Natural Resources YouTube channel.