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Northern RAC approves splitting Dolores Triangle from LaSalle Mountain, adds 10 bear permits
Summary
The Northern Regional Advisory Council unanimously approved a DWR recommendation to carve the Dolores Triangle out of the LaSalle Mountain bear unit and add 10 permits (2 spring, 6 summer, 2 fall); the RAC also asked the wildlife board to study allowing up to two bear tags per licensee.
The Northern Regional Advisory Council voted unanimously Dec. 10 to accept a Division of Wildlife Resources proposal to create a separate Dolores Triangle bear unit by carving it out of the LaSalle Mountain unit and to add 10 permits to that new unit — two spring, six summer and two fall permits.
The recommendation, presented by DWR staff, keeps the existing LaSalle Mountain unit permit totals unchanged while directing additional permits to the Dolores Triangle area to better focus harvest where animals are available. Hunter Stallings moved to accept the recommendations; Brandon Zendel seconded the motion and the council approved it by unanimous voice/roll-call voting.
Why it matters: RAC members said the change aims to better distribute hunting pressure and address localized population differences. Public commenters were largely supportive but requested clarity on where the new tags would be drawn from. Shay Downs of the Utah Houndsman Association asked that "the 10 tags come from LaSalle unit, not additional 10 tags." Kevin Norman of the Wild Sheep Foundation and Sierra Nelson (Utah Wool Growers Association/Utah Waters Association) both voiced support for the division's recommendation.
In a separate, unanimous motion the RAC asked the wildlife board to add an action-log item directing staff to study whether licensees should be able to hold up to two bear tags per year (a policy analogous to two-cow elk tag structures). RAC members said the referral would allow staff to analyze potential effects before any regulatory change.
The council’s votes were unanimous. The council adjourned after completing the agenda.
