Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Press Release
Looking for that perfect gift for the angler or hunter on your Christmas list? If so, a Utah fishing or hunting license might be the answer. These licenses make great Christmas gifts and they are easy to buy.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources licensing coordinator Judi Tutorow said that winter is a great time to give a license as a gift. “It won’t be long before some of the state’s waters start to ice over,” she stated. “When that happens, another ice fishing season will be underway.”
There is still a chance to get out and hunt. “Several hunting seasons, including the cottontail rabbit, chukar partridge and snowshoe hare seasons, run through most of the winter,” Tutorow explained.
The easiest way to buy a fishing or hunting license is at the DWR’s website (wildlife.utah.gov). The licenses are also available at DWR offices and from 320 fishing and hunting license agents across Utah.
Combination licenses, which allow the license holder to fish and hunt small game, are also available at the same locations and at the website.
If you buy a license at the website (wildlife.utah.gov), you can have it mailed to you (so you can wrap it and give it as a gift). Or, you can have the license mailed directly to the person you’re buying it for.
It usually takes about five days for the license to arrive in the mail.
Utah resident license and permit costs are as follows:
Combination license (age 14-17) $20
Combination license (age 18-64) $38
Combination license (age 65+) $29
Fishing license (age 12-13) $5
Fishing license (14-17) $16
Fishing license (18-64) $34
Fishing license (age 65+) $25
Hunting license (age 13 and under) $11
Hunting license (age 14-17) $16
Hunting license (age 18-64) $34
Hunting license (age 65+) $25
In addition to enjoying the outdoors in 2015, the person you give the license to will receive an added bonus: they won’t have to wait until Jan. 1 to use it. The license is valid starting the day you buy it. So, the person for whom you buy the license can start using it the day they receive it.
Licenses for those 17 years of age or younger are 365-day licenses. That means they’re good for 365 days from the day you buy one.
If you’re buying a license for someone 18 years of age or older, you have several options. You can buy a 365-day license or you can buy a license that’s valid for two, three, four or even five years.
Another option is extending the period of time when a person’s current license is valid. For example, if you know someone who has a license that will expire next April, you can buy a license extension for them now. The extension will keep their license valid for one, two, three, four or five years from the day the license was supposed to expire.
Please note that you can buy a license extension only for licenses that will expire within six months from the day you buy the extension. For example, if a license doesn’t expire until November 2015, the soonest you can buy an extension for it is June 2015, six months before it expires.
(One note: hunting and combination licenses do not include a deer or elk permit and do not allow someone to hunt deer or elk. Hunters can apply for a 2015 general buck deer permit in January. General elk permits will be available by mid summer on a first-come, first-served basis.)
Tutorow said buying a license for someone is easy. “The only information you need to provide is the person’s name, height, weight, eye color, hair color, date of birth, address and phone number,” she stated.
For more information about Utah fishing and hunting licenses, call the nearest DWR office.