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RAC approves sportsman-draw changes, group applications and date adjustments for statewide permits
Summary
The council supported changes to allow successful Sportsman draw applicants to purchase once-in-a-lifetime points for other species, clarified sportsman's application limits, proposed group applications for management buck hunts, and adjusted start dates when fixed-rule dates fall on Sundays; the recommendation passed with one dissenting vote.
Green River, Utah — The Southeastern Region Advisory Council recommended several changes to the sportsman draw and statewide permit schedule, approving provisions to let successful sportsman-draw recipients purchase once-in-a-lifetime points for other species, clarifying that applicants may draw for only one sport species in the sportsman's application, proposing group applications for management buck hunts, and adjusting rule dates when statutory start dates fall on a Sunday.
Division staff Lindy summarized the recommendations. Under the proposal, a hunter who draws a once‑in‑a‑lifetime permit in the sportsman draw could still purchase a once‑in‑a‑lifetime point for a different species (for example, purchase a moose point after drawing a bison permit) so the hunter does not lose progression on other species’ point timelines. The division also recommended that statewide permits with start dates tied to fixed calendar dates be bumped when those dates fall on a Sunday — for example, moving a Sept. 1 start to Aug. 31 when Sept. 1 is a Sunday — and similar adjustments for bison and turkey start dates to avoid July start dates.
Lindy also recommended permitting group applications for the management buck deer hunts, a change the division said is feasible now that allocations have increased since those hunts were created. The RAC debated the date adjustments; Daniel Luke cast the sole “no” vote during the roll call. A motion to approve the division’s recommendations was made by Brad Richmond and seconded by Charlie Fisher; the motion passed with one dissenting vote.
RAC members raised a public-question concern that allowing sportsman and conservation permit holders to start a day earlier could affect archers pursuing the same animals on a weekend; the division said the number of such permits is small and the start-date adjustments have been used before in the seven‑year calendar cycle.
Next steps: the Division will incorporate the RAC recommendations into the proposed rule language and submit the package for further review and Board consideration.
