Taking aim: hot spots for the Utah hunt.

• Author: Haraldsen, Tom
• Position: Executive Getaways

Ask most Utahns about hunting season and they'll probably focus on the annual mid-October deer hunt. Families plan vacations around it, and brides and grooms their nuptials, even school districts have found ways through the years to give "fall breaks" so that children could join their families in the mountains during the two weekends it usually involves.

But hunting season in Utah is much more than simply looking for the prize-winning buck, and it actually runs over several months, depending on the game that hunters are after.

"We really see hunters coming in all year round," says Dave Cristaudo, who assists many hunters with their equipment and weapon needs at Sportsman's Warehouse in Midvale. "With the general archery deer season starting in August, we begin to see hunters coming in as early as springtime, gearing up for the fall and winter seasons. Lots of guys start early and prepare all summer for the hunt."

Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) regulates the state's hunts, which range from big game like deer elk and antlerless deer to upland game that includes pheasants, quail, partridge, grouse, cottontail rabbits and several migratory game birds.

"We want to assure that hunting is done safely and responsibly," says Mark Hadley, a DWR spokesperson who creates and sends out weekly e-mails to sportsmen and the media about all fishing and hunting opportunities in the state. The biggest question he's asked each year: where do you go to find the state's hottest hunting spots?

The answer for those who can afford it lies with the Cooperative Wildlife Management Units (CWMU) program. Landowners maintain their private ranges and forested areas as a habitat for wildlife, rather than developing them. In turn, hunters draw permits to hunt on those private lands. The landowners are paid by the hunters coming onto their properties, thus, have the financial incentive to keep their land as a great place for big game. This year, more than 3,100 CWMU permits were issued for bucks and bulls.

"We estimate that 60 percent of the land that big game animals rely on in the winter is on these private land areas," says Hadley. "That's one reason the CWMU program was established. We limit the number of permits, and it's a win-win for both the landowners and the hunters. They're generally a great place to go." He adds, though, there is still no guarantee of a "harvest."

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With more than 2 million acres of Utah's land comprised of...