Hunters could be allowed to use electronic tags on hunting trips this fall

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is considering whether to allow hunters to use an electronic tag instead of a physical tag.

All hunters in the state of Utah are required to have a hunting license similar to a driving license that allows them to hunt. Then, hunters have to apply for a permit before they go hunting and, depending on the animal they’re hunting, they need to tag it if they kill one.

In an online presentation on the DWR’s YouTube page, Wildlife Licensing Coordinator Lindy Varney said they are looking to create a new rule that would allow e-tagging as an option for tagging animal carcasses.

 

“The nice thing about e-tagging is this does fulfill the required harvest survey,” Varney said,” so you won’t need to go online and fill that out.”

Varney says the DWR is not trying to get rid of physical tags. Rather, she said they’re trying to give hunters another option to make hunting trips more convenient.

“The beauty about this e-tag is if you’re out in the field and you don’t have service, you can still submit an e-tag and it will save that data. Then once you get into service and open the app back up, it will download all of your information into our database.”

Officials are hopeful to roll out e-tags in the fall on the DWR’s Hunting and Fishing app. The DWR is open to public feedback on this and other proposals for the next few weeks.

Related: Officials remind hunters about consequences of residence fraud when applying for big game permits