Salt Lake City — If you are interested in trying hunting for the first time this fall — or if you want to apply for a permit in the upcoming big game application period for the first time — you’ll need to either take a hunter education class or participate in Utah’s Trial Hunting Program. If you want to learn more about how to get into trapping, there is a required course to take for that, as well.
While the fall general-season big game hunts seem far away, this is a good time for anyone interested in trying hunting for the first time to begin preparations. Many big game permits in Utah are allocated through a drawing held in April, and you must complete hunter education before you can apply for a permit. (The 2026 big game application period runs from March 19–April 23.) However, if you don’t complete the course in time or you don’t obtain a permit during the application, there are also elk permits you can purchase over the counter, any time from July through the hunting season.
“Hunting is a great way to obtain your own local meat while getting outdoors and exploring our beautiful state,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Hunter Education Program Manager RaLynne Takeda said. “It provides an opportunity to spend time together and make memories as a family. Hunting is also an excellent way to support and fund wildlife conservation, since the majority of the funding from hunting licenses goes directly back to paying for wildlife habitat and restoration efforts. Hunting is an important tool in managing healthy wildlife populations.”
To hunt in Utah, everyone born after Dec. 31, 1965 must complete a state-approved hunter education class or participate in the Trial Hunting Program. Here’s what you need to know to enroll in either:
How to take a hunter education course
To complete hunter education in Utah, you have the option of taking a traditional in-person class led by an instructor or an online course followed by an in-person field day. Both options include a final written test and the “field day,” which includes hands-on skills demonstration and a live-fire shooting exercise at the end. Prior to taking either course option, you need to buy a hunter education registration certificate online or from a license agent. The certificate costs $12 for residents and $17 for nonresidents, and it is required before you can do the in-person field day.
Both the in-person and online courses will teach you about firearm safety, hunter responsibility and ethics. The online course can be taken at your own pace, while the in-person course typically has scheduled meeting times and locations. The online course costs $25, and you can register for it on the Utah Hunter Education webpage.
“If you have a young child who’s taking the course online, you can help them understand what they’re learning by sitting with them and discussing the course material as they go through it,” Takeda said. “Your child can also take the online course at their own speed, and they can go back and review the material as often as they’d like. An online course with a field day is also a great option for first-time adult hunters with busy schedules to complete hunter education.”
The instructor will provide additional details about the in-person field day after you register for an available course. Once you finish the online portion of the course, you’ll print your proof-of-completion document.
Trial Hunting Program
Utah’s Trial Hunting Program is another way to get into the field this fall. The program gives you a chance to try hunting with an experienced hunter and see if it is something you’d like to pursue. You are not required to take hunter education to participate in this program.
You must be at least 12 years old to join the program, and you need to be accompanied by a licensed hunter who is 21 years old or older. To participate, you must complete a brief online orientation course, which can be found on the DWR website. You also need to buy a hunting license and the permit for the species you’d like to hunt. In this program, you are eligible to obtain the following licenses and permits:
- Combination or hunting licenses (good for hunting all small game, including upland game and waterfowl)
- General-season deer and elk permits
- Permits to hunt bear, greater sage-grouse, sandhill crane, sharp-tailed grouse, tundra swan and turkey
You can learn more about the program on the DWR website.
How to take a furharvester education course
To trap wildlife in Utah, residents born after Dec. 31, 1984 must complete a state-offered furharvester education course and in-person field day. The furharvester education course provides instructions on the following:
- Safe, responsible and ethical trapping methods
- How to use trapping devices
- Trapping laws, trapping ethics, techniques in safely releasing nontarget animals
- Firearm safety
- Wildlife management
- Proper catch handling
To participate, you must purchase a registration certificate before taking the course. The registration certificate is $7 and can be purchased online, at a DWR office or from any available license agent. You can either take an in-person instructor-led course or an online course paired with an in-person field day. (You will need to present the online course-completion document when attending your field day exercise.) At the end of either course option, participants will then take a final written exam.
