Hey guys, I am thinking about applying for Utahs dedicated hunter program next year and was wondering if any of you have experience with the program. When applying for the program can you still apply for the general season tag in case you don't draw? How difficult is it to find projects to get your volunteer hours taken care of? Can you hunt the muzzleloader season with a bow? Thanks for any info!
Dedicated Hunter Program
- Thread starter bugle13
- Start date
provoflyfisher
New Member
Hello Bugle13,
I have been part of the dedicated hunter program for the past 10 years. It is a fantastic program and I would highly recommend joining. There are many folks that complain about the program on the forums and I have ran into several in the hills that dislike it. The main reasons why they do not like it is 1) you should not be able to hunt all three seasons and 2) the service projects that are required do not directly help the deer herds. But you get to hunt all three seasons at a cost, you pay to hunt three seasons ($180), but can only harvest two deer during the three year program. This equals money for the DWR and reduced pressure/harvest on the herd. As for service hours, there are many, many options to choose from. Some are directly involved in helping wildlife, fixing fences and removing juniper/pinyon or noxious weeds from winter grounds, while other hours help teach kids how to fish. Only you can decide if the 32 hours of service is worth entry into the program and if hunting all three seasons is worth the cost and restriction of two deer in three years.
You can apply for the DH program, limited entry, general season tags. The order in which they draw tags will determine what tag you receive (order of draw is LE, DH, Gen). Lastly, you can not hunt with your bow during the muzzleloader season. You can hunt with your bow during the rifle or "any weapon" season. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Burt
I have been part of the dedicated hunter program for the past 10 years. It is a fantastic program and I would highly recommend joining. There are many folks that complain about the program on the forums and I have ran into several in the hills that dislike it. The main reasons why they do not like it is 1) you should not be able to hunt all three seasons and 2) the service projects that are required do not directly help the deer herds. But you get to hunt all three seasons at a cost, you pay to hunt three seasons ($180), but can only harvest two deer during the three year program. This equals money for the DWR and reduced pressure/harvest on the herd. As for service hours, there are many, many options to choose from. Some are directly involved in helping wildlife, fixing fences and removing juniper/pinyon or noxious weeds from winter grounds, while other hours help teach kids how to fish. Only you can decide if the 32 hours of service is worth entry into the program and if hunting all three seasons is worth the cost and restriction of two deer in three years.
You can apply for the DH program, limited entry, general season tags. The order in which they draw tags will determine what tag you receive (order of draw is LE, DH, Gen). Lastly, you can not hunt with your bow during the muzzleloader season. You can hunt with your bow during the rifle or "any weapon" season. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Burt
Thanks for the info Burt! You gave me all the answers i was looking for. I think i'm going to apply next year, mostly because i like the idea of hunting all three seasons. Although i guess i'll have to pick me up a muzzleloader since i cant hunt with my bow. Thanks again for the info.