Salt Lake City, UT -(AmmoLand.com)- The number of cougars and bobcats taken during Utah’s upcoming hunting and trapping seasons should be similar to the number taken this past season.
Starting July 22, all of the Division of Wildlife Resources’ cougar and furbearer recommendations should be available online. DWR biologists will also present the recommendations at an upcoming series of public Regional Advisory Council meetings.
Learn more, share your ideas
After you’ve reviewed the ideas online, you can let your Regional Advisory Council members know your thoughts by attending your upcoming RAC meeting or by sending an email to them.
RAC chairmen will share the input they receive with members of the Utah Wildlife Board. The board will meet in Salt Lake City on Aug. 27 to approve rules for Utah’s 2015–2016 cougar and furbearer hunting and trapping seasons.
Dates, times and locations for the RAC meetings are as follows:
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Northern Region
July 28, 6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N 300 W, Brigham City -
Central Region
July 29, 6:30 p.m.
Springville Civic Center
110 S. Main St., Springville -
Southern Region
Aug. 4, 7 p.m.
Beaver High School
195 E. Center St., Beaver -
Southeastern Region
Aug. 5, 6:30 p.m.
Jogn Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E. Main St., Green River -
Northeastern Region
Aug. 6, 6:30 p.m.
DWR Northeastern Region Office
318 N Vernal Ave, Vernal
You can also provide your comments to your RAC via e-mail. E-mail addresses for your RAC members are available at wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings.
The group each RAC member represents (sportsman, non-consumptive, etc.) is listed under each person’s e-mail address. You should direct your e-mail to the people on the RAC who represent your interest.
Cougar and bobcat proposals
Based on data collected from hunters and trappers, it looks like cougars and bobcats are doing well in Utah. Because the populations are doing well, DWR biologists are recommending hunting and trapping rules that are similar to last season.
Leslie McFarlane, game mammals coordinator for the DWR, says hunters took 330 cougars during the state’s 2014–2015 season. For the 2015–2016 season, biologists are recommending a slight decrease in the number of permits offered for limited-entry cougar units. They’re also proposing a slight increase in the number of cougars to be taken on harvest-objective units.
“If our proposals are approved,” she says, “the number of cougars taken should be very similar to the number taken this past season.”
The bobcat rules biologists are recommending are identical to last season. Each trapper and hunter would be limited to not more than six permits. Utah’s bobcat hunting and trapping season would run from Nov. 18, 2015 to Feb. 7, 2016.
During the 2014–2015 season, trappers and hunters took a total of 2,919 bobcats in Utah.
About the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR)
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is part of the Utah Department of Natural Resources (DNR). In addition to managing and protecting Utah’s wildlife, we manage hunting and fishing opportunities within the state.
For more information, visit www.wildlife.utah.gov.