Due to the current extreme drought conditions in Utah — and a pneumonia outbreak in a Book Cliffs bison herd — the Utah Wildlife Board approved some additional antlerless elk permits and bison hunt changes during a public meeting on Thursday.
Additional drought permits
In an effort to prevent habitat damage to the limited feed available in certain areas with over-objective elk populations, the Utah Wildlife Board approved 450 additional antlerless elk permits on the following hunting units for the 2026 hunting season:
Southern Utah
- Panguitch Lake
- Mt. Dutton
- Monroe
- Fishlake
- Boulder
Northeastern Utah
- North Slope, Three Corners
Central Utah
- Nebo
- Wasatch
"Ongoing drought conditions have reduced the available amount of feed for wildlife in these areas," DWR Big Game Coordinator Mike Wardle said. "Issuing additional antlerless permits will help redistribute the elk in these areas, which will reduce the pressure and possible competition for limited forage."
These permits will be distributed to hunters through an alternate draw list generated for each individual hunt.
Changes to bison hunt
During the end of July and the beginning of August, bison in the Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek area experienced a significant die off. Test results from several of the carcasses revealed it was due to pneumonia. After additional surveys, the DWR confirmed the recent deaths reduced the adult bison population in that area by almost 40%.
As a result, the Utah Wildlife Board approved a few changes to accommodate hunters with bison permits for various hunts in the Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek bison unit, including:
- The hunter's choice (either sex) any-legal-weapon hunts from Sept. 12-20 and Oct. 3-15: The 30-day surrender requirement will be waived and hunters will have the choice to retain or surrender their permits. If a permit is surrendered, the hunter's bonus points will be reinstated, they will receive one additional point for the current year, they will receive a refund (minus the $25 processing fee) and the once-in-a-lifetime waiting period will be waived.
- The cow-only any-legal-weapon hunt from Nov. 14-29: For this hunt, the 30-day surrender requirement will also be waived. Hunters will be given the choice to retain their permits — with a modified hunt boundary of the Book Cliffs, Little Creek/South unit — or to surrender their permits. If a permit is surrendered, the hunter's bonus points will be reinstated, they will receive one additional point for the current year, they will receive a refund (minus the $25 processing fee) and the once-in-a-lifetime waiting period will be waived.
- The Utah Wildlife Board voted to cancel the cow-only any-legal-weapon bison hunt in this area for 2027, in order to grow the herd.
Hunters with permits for the hunter's choice archery bison hunt on that unit were notified of the die-off event, but because the hunt is already underway, no additional changes were made.
The herd that experienced the die off is relatively close to another bison population, located in the Book Cliffs, Little Creek/South hunting unit. Because of this proximity, the DWR will continue to monitor bison in the Book Cliffs, Little Creek/South unit for indications of disease spread. The board also approved the DWR's ability to make similar adjustments and accommodations for hunters on that unit, if necessary.
"In 20 years of GPS collaring bison in the Book Cliffs area, this kind of die-off event has never occurred in Utah," DWR Once-in-a-lifetime Species Coordinator Rusty Robinson said. "Bison have had incredible survival rates since we began researching and monitoring them, and this kind of event is unlike anything our state biologists have ever witnessed."
Wildfire permit relief
The DWR also provided some information about the current permit relief options being offered to hunters for various hunts impacted by the wildfires. Relief options for an entire hunting unit may only be authorized by the DWR director and only when both of the following conditions are met:
- More than 50% of hunting opportunities within the unit are unavailable
- Access to more than 50% of the public land within the unit is closed through state or federal administrative action
The DWR will continue to monitor public access and habitat conditions throughout the fire season. Additional relief may be considered for hunts occurring later this fall, if conditions warrant.
You can watch the full meeting on the Utah Department of Natural Resources YouTube channel.