The Northeastern Region Advisory Council on Aug. 7 recommended changes to a new consolidated tagging regulation, R657-73, that would let hunters either use a physical tag or an electronic tag through the Utah Hunt & Fish mobile app and would standardize tagging rules across species.

The rule change matters because it centralizes tagging requirements now scattered across species-specific rules, adds an electronic (e‑tag) option tied to the Division’s mobile app, and clarifies enforcement and reporting expectations for hunters and staff.

Division staff presented a draft that keeps the hunter’s choice between a physical and an electronic tag; it does not make e‑tagging mandatory. Under the proposed rule, hunters who choose e‑tagging must: complete the digital “notch” in the app when the animal is taken, provide required harvest information in the app (including photos), retain the electronic harvest code (screenshot or saved in the app), and enable location services so the app can capture the harvest location. Hunters who choose physical tags must still detach and notch the paper permit and attach the tag to the carcass as required by current rules.

Division staff said the app harvest form will replicate the existing mandatory harvest survey; completing the e‑tag will satisfy the harvest‑reporting requirement at the time of tagging. The draft specifies three photos for a big‑game harvest (right side, left side, front) and requires the hunter to keep the e‑tag code in their possession while transporting the carcass. If cellular service is unavailable, the app will store the submission locally and upload to the Division’s database when the hunter next has a connection.

Council members sought and received clarifications about how location data will be handled. The Division said location and other harvest data will be stored in the Division database and will be accessible to biologists and law enforcement for their jobs. Division staff described the data as private under Utah law (the transcript references GRAMA/confidentiality rules) and said internal policies restrict who may use exact locations; staff emphasized that locations are collected to give biologists better, more consistent harvest‑location information than the current free‑text harvest survey allows.

The RAC discussed enforcement scenarios — for example, an animal tagged late at night and retrieved the next day — and the Division said officers will continue to work case by case with hunters and that the IT and law‑enforcement systems are being developed to allow officers to verify electronic tags in the field. The Division also told the council the rule change will not be in effect for the current archery season because the wildlife board must still consider the rule (the Division expects a board meeting Aug. 21) and there is an internal rule‑filing and app‑release period. Staff said they expect to roll out e‑tagging later this fall if the board approves the rule.

The RAC voted unanimously to recommend the proposed R657‑73 changes to the wildlife board. Members discussed privacy concerns and the option for hunters who prefer not to use e‑tags to continue using paper tags.

Implementation questions the Division acknowledged and will continue to refine include the exact app workflow for officers in the field, how the database will reconcile simultaneous paper and electronic tagging for a single hunter or family device, and whether future iterations might allow hunters to choose the tagging method at application time. The RAC recommended approval and asked staff to continue clarifying data‑access policies and public communications before statewide rollout.

Next steps: the Division will present the rule to the wildlife board; if approved, staff will complete app updates and public guidance with an anticipated rollout later in the fall.