The Northeastern Region Advisory Council on Aug. 7 voted unanimously to recommend Division proposals amending R657‑41 (sportsman draw) and R657‑62 (group applications) to the Utah Wildlife Board.

Division staff told the RAC the changes would permit a hunter who wins a statewide sportsman permit to purchase a preference point for a species they are otherwise ineligible to apply for in the big‑game drawing, clarify that statewide permits have set start dates with built‑in Sunday adjustments, and allow group applications for management buck deer hunts where permit counts make group applications feasible.

On the sportsman permit, staff explained that the rule currently prevents a successful applicant from buying a point for a species they are temporarily ineligible to apply for because of that permit. The proposed change would let those successful applicants purchase a point (but not apply for the hunt itself) so they do not lose progress toward a preference tier they have been building. Division staff compared this change to existing exceptions the Division already gives to conservation permit holders and other statewide permit winners.

To avoid starting hunts on Sundays, the Division proposed placing fixed start dates in rule and specifying alternate start dates when a scheduled date falls on a Sunday: if Sept. 1 falls on a Sunday, start the hunt Aug. 31; if Aug. 1 falls on a Sunday, start Aug. 2 (the Division prefers Aug. 2 rather than July 31 to avoid a July start); and if April 1 falls on a Sunday, start March 31.

The Division also proposed clarifying that applicants may only draw one species in the sportsman drawing. For management buck deer hunts, staff proposed allowing group applications because the number of permits issued now supports offering group slots without the earlier risk of skipping group applicants.

RAC members discussed retroactive adjustments and decided against retroactive fixes because the Division said establishing a fair cutoff date would be complex and could affect many applicants. The RAC moved to accept the proposed changes and voted unanimously to recommend the edits to the wildlife board.

Next steps: the Division will forward the RAC recommendation to the wildlife board for rule consideration and subsequent rule filing if the board approves the proposals.