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Wildlife board approves revised Utah black-bear management plan, amid livestock and deer concerns
Summary
The Utah Wildlife Board approved revisions to Rule R657-33 on black-bear management after extensive public comment from livestock producers and sportsmen. The division kept most recommendations but agreed to several clarifications and to add an action item to study baiting on private land.
The Utah Wildlife Board on Jan. 9 approved revisions to the Utah black-bear management plan and related rule (R657-33), endorsing the Division of Wildlife Resources’ mix of permit allocations and hunting strategies but adding follow-up work requested by several board members and public commenters.
The board approved the division’s package after discussion about permit numbers, harvest strategies on specific units, and the use of metal barrels for baiting. The division also agreed to pursue an action item to examine allowing baiting on private lands in limited cases and to look at implementing targeted opportunities that assist landowners coping with livestock depredation.
Why it matters: Producers and outdoor recreationists told the board they are seeing more bears, and some lambing and fawn losses were attributed to predation. The debate highlighted trade-offs the division balances: reducing conflict with livestock and neonate predation on mule deer while avoiding overharvesting bears in some areas.
Division recommendation and board action - The division recommended unit-by-unit adjustments driven by three criteria: presence of domestic-sheep allotments and depredations, documented human conflicts or property/campground issues, and evidence of bear impacts on neonate mule deer. The plan also clarifies baiting rules on U.S. Forest Service lands and fixes a permit-table typo (NEVO permits should be 36, not 26). - The Board adopted the division’s proposal as amended during the meeting, and approved several ancillary motions from advisory councils, including adding three multi‑season permits to the Cache-Ogden unit to increase opportunity where forest gates delay spring access. The board also directed staff to add to the action log a study of baiting on private land and how public access might be incorporated with landowner permission.
Public comments and stakeholder concerns Ranchers and wool growers from multiple regions told the board they are experiencing increased losses and scattered herds after bear encounters; several said losses have economic impacts and urged more aggressive removal in depredation areas. Producers described recent events in which multiple bears were confirmed taking livestock in single drainages.
Sportsmen’s groups said targeted hunting and adjustments in permits can manage bear densities and benefit mule deer; some urged close tracking of neonate predation. The Safari Club International supported the division’s recommendations and specifically backed use of metal containers for baiting when permitted.
Division response and safeguards Division staff said they are not seeking to eradicate black bears but to reduce conflicts and protect deer where scientific evidence shows local impacts. Biologists noted neonate predation can be density dependent—higher bear densities can mean larger impacts on fawns—and that solutions vary by unit. The division said it will continue to use monitoring data and to work with administrative partners, including the U.S. Forest Service, when baiting or containers are used on federal lands.
Next steps The board asked staff to draft the private‑land baiting action item for future consideration and to return with implementation details. Staff will also finalize rule language clarifications and correct the NEVO permit table number.
