It is generally agreed that Utah has a good elk management program.

A study by a 15-person Elk Management Plan Advisory Committee concluded it could be better. Last week, the Utah Wildlife Board agreed.

Sweeping changes will take place with respect to the elk hunting program here in Utah that will, ultimately, increase hunting opportunity, increase chances on special hunts and increase the number of trophy bulls within the state's boundaries.

"The committee worked hard to find ways to allow more people to hunt bull elk on limited entry units without negatively affecting the bull elk population we have," said Jim Karpowitz, big game coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "The committee came up with some great recommendations, and the Division of Wildlife Resources supported those recommendations
The recommendations approved by the board are:

-- The hunter cap on spike bull units has been reduced from 19,000 to 11,000 permits, and the general season on spike units has been shortened from 13 to nine days.

"This will reduce the take of spike bulls and allow more of them to grow into mature animals. Also, by shortening the spike-bull hunt, there will be about 10 percent fewer elk killed. These elk will carryover and be old, more mature bulls for the following hunt," Karpowitz said. "Almost 13,000 hunters participated in the spike bull hunt in 2004."

-- Bull elk on limited entry units are managed under three age class objectives. The board accepted the committee's recommendations to change the age classes.

It voted to keep the 3- to 4-year age class, but changed the middle and highest categories.

Units managed under the middle category, which had been 5 to 6 years, will be managed for 4- to 5-year-old bulls, while units managed under the highest category, which had been 7 to 8 years, will be managed for 5- to 6-year-old bulls.

"Lowering these age categories will still allow hunters a chance for a very nice bull but because we'll be managing for a slightly younger animal, we can offer more permits," Karpowitz said. "There are plenty of bulls on these units, so offering more permits should not affect bull numbers or the quality of the animals much."

-- A late season rifle elk hunting opportunity will be available away from the rut. The late season hunt will run Nov. 12 to 18 in 2005. To accommodate the late season hunt, the general muzzleloader elk season will start and end three days earlier than it did this year. About 30 percent of the limited entry rifle permits for 2005 will be used for the late season hunt.

"Fewer elk should be taken (during the November hunt) because this hunt will be held outside of the rut," he said. "The benefit to hunters is the chance to hunt elk when virtually no one else is afield. The long-term benefit should be more elk and more limited entry permits for hunters in the future."

Karpowitz said the committee looked at the way Arizona, considered to be a model for elk-hunt programs, issued permits.

"There is no general season. Everything is limited entry," he responded. "Everything goes into a draw. The only hunt during the rut is the archery hunt. Everything else, about 90 percent of the tags, are for the late-season (November) hunt."

Utah's season currently falls during the rut in early October.

Despite some objections, the board also approved a Legislature- approved premium elk tag. Last session, the Legislature voted for a more expensive premium tag but did not make implementation mandatory.

Five percent of the limited entry tags will be sold as premium tags. The cost will be $508, as compared to $280 currently charged for a limited entry tag, and will allow the purchaser to hunt all three elk seasons -- archery, muzzleloader and general rifle.

Karpowitz also believes this will increase chances for drawing out for a regular limited entry permit because some of those who would typically apply will now shift to the premium draw.

"Changing the spike regulations and having a late-November hunt are both long-term fixes," he continued. "Lowering the age classifications in our elk-management plan will have immediate effect.

"Not changing the age classes could result in fewer hunting opportunities in the future, not more."

This past year there were 7,000 new applications submitted for limited-entry hunts. With some changes in the regulations to offer more hunting permits in the future, "someday, if we continue to get more applications, the chances of getting a limited entry elk permit will be astronomical. Currently, hunters have a one-in-30 chance of drawing a permit."

In other action, the board approved two deer hunting recommendations requested by the Southern and Southeastern citizen regional advisory councils.

The five-day general rifle buck deer hunt will continue in the Southeastern Region. In the Southern Region, the general rifle buck deer hunt has been reduced from nine to five days across the region. The 2005 general rifle buck deer hunt in the two regions will run Oct. 22 through 26.