Advice on taking time off for UT hunting?

1

I’ve only lived in Utah for a few years and never seem to successfully coordinate the time I take off to hunt, which I have to schedule now in January, with the tags I get, if any, to hunt in UT.

I always get skunked on the first round for hunting, which are desirable areas with low percentage chances of getting a tag. I have gotten tags in the second round but it seems like the available areas are distant, low probability empty desert, or blazing hot summer bow hunts or just don’t work out time wise

I have some weeks in September and October I can put in for. I’d just have to hope I pull a tag for the week or two I have free.

I am going to take a week beginning of rifle in NY, where there are deer to shoot, although transporting meat back seems hard or impossible. I have a lifetime NY tag.

I guess if the timing is bad I could throw in the towel and hunt longer in NY or go somewhere else. I was going to moose hunt in Newfoundland a few years ago but couldn’t go. That seems like a difficult fly in hunt and would be many days there and back in a truck.

I might go to Hawaii with the family over Christmas. I might be able to sneak off for a deer or goat hunt.

2

A few options.

1 Put in for dedicated hunter tags. When you draw the tag, it guarantees you’ll get the same tag for three years, so you can learn the unit and know exactly when your hunt will be for the next three years. You can only kill 2 out of the 3 years, so just use this as a scouting year but you’ll know for next year what to take off.

2 Do a landowner tag that you can purchase and know it’ll be set.

3 Do an OTC hunt like the general spike hunt.

4 Other states or hunts like aoudad in Texas.

3

Thanks, you’re a big help. I did find the proposed date. https://wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings/rac_minutes/2024-11-recommended-big-game-hunt-season-dates.pdf