Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wants the public to be aware of changes the Wildlife Board has approved for cougar and bobcat permits. The current management plan was established in 2015 and is set to expire in 2025. It was determined that because cougar populations are meeting the established guidelines that an increase in the number of permits this 2019-2020 season were proposed and approved. This year there will be 690 permits which is an additional 46 hunts. Just because there are more permits does not mean there will be less cougars in Utah. “ougars are tough to hunt,” shares DWR game mammals program coordinator Darren DeBloois. “Not every hunter who gets a permit will harvest one.” New rules include a weapons rule amendment and a requirement that hunters provide the location where the cougar was killed. Bobcat permits on the other hand will see a decrease since there has been a decline in bobcat population, due to a lower number of rabbits in the state. The permits are capped at 80% of last year’s total putting the maximum amount of permits at 6,460. The new bobcat rule is there will be one week less to the hunting season (from November 20th to March 1st 2020). The number of permits per person will be lowered from six to five. The board has approved a three-year management cycle for both hunts, which means that current permit numbers will stand unless biological concerns demand immediate action.
