Utah Hunting Laws

What makes land legally posted in Utah?

Land is 'properly posted' when no-trespassing signs or bright yellow, bright orange or fluorescent paint are clearly displayed at the corners, on fishing streams crossing property lines, and on roads, gates and rights-of-way entering the land, or in a way a person in the area would reasonably be expected to see. Hunters need permission to enter land that is posted or cultivated. They also may not enter or stay on any private land after being told not to by the owner or an agent, or when it is fenced to exclude intruders.

Posting land you do not own or legally control is prohibited.

Source: Utah Code § 23A-5-317 · official source

Does Utah have a purple paint law?

No. Utah's wildlife trespass law recognizes bright yellow, bright orange or fluorescent paint as posting, not purple.

Source: Utah Code § 23A-5-317(1) · official source

Do you need written permission to hunt private land in Utah?

Yes, for posted or cultivated private land. 'Permission' means documented authorization from the owner or person in charge, including their signature, the name of the person given permission, the dates, and a general description of the property. The DWR provides free 'hunting by permission' cards and tells hunters to get documented permission before hunting any private land.

Download a permission card at wildlife.utah.gov/permissioncard.html.

Source: Utah Code § 23A-5-317(1)(b) · official source

Can you retrieve a deer or a hunting dog from posted land in Utah?

No retrieval exception. Utah's trespass rule applies "while taking wildlife or engaging in wildlife related activities," and the only exception the statute lists is for peace and natural resources officers on duty, so entering cultivated or properly posted private land to recover game or a dog requires the owner's permission. You may use one leashed blood-trailing dog to track wounded big game within 72 hours of the shot, but only where you are allowed to be.

On cultivated or properly posted land, "permission" must be documented: signed by the owner, naming the hunter, with dates and a property description.

Source: Utah Code § 23A-5-317(2), (5); Utah Admin. Code R657-5-15 · official source

What is the penalty for hunting trespass in Utah?

Entering posted or cultivated private land without permission while hunting is a class B misdemeanor. A hearing officer may revoke the license or permit involved, and a second conviction within five years can bar new licenses for up to five years. Violators may also owe the landowner civil damages of three times the actual damages or $500, whichever is greater, plus up to $250 in attorney fees and court costs.

Source: Utah Code §§ 23A-5-317, 23A-5-301, 23A-5-310 · official source

How close to a house can you hunt in Utah?

You may not discharge a firearm or other dangerous weapon within 600 feet of a house, dwelling or any other building, or of any structure where domestic animals are kept or fed (barn, corral, poultry yard, feeding pen, stockyard), without written permission from the owner or property manager.

The setback is listed in the Utah Big Game Field Regulations, 'Areas where you cannot discharge a firearm.'

Source: Utah Code § 76-11-208 · official source

Can you hunt from or near a road in Utah?

You may not discharge a firearm or other dangerous weapon from a vehicle, or from, upon or across any highway. You also may not carry a cocked, loaded crossbow in a vehicle on a public highway or right-of-way.

Source: Utah Code § 76-11-208 · official source

What are legal shooting hours in Utah?

Big game may be taken from 30 minutes before official sunrise until 30 minutes after official sunset.

Source: Utah Admin. Code R657-5-6 · official source

What are the blaze orange requirements in Utah?

Anyone hunting big game must wear at least one visible hunter orange item on the outside: a hat, shirt, jacket, coat, vest or sweater. There is no square-inch minimum. Exempt: once-in-a-lifetime and statewide conservation/sportsman hunts, archery, muzzleloader and HAMSS hunts outside areas where a general-season any-legal-weapon deer or elk hunt is underway, and CWMUs unless the operator requires it.

Source: Utah Code § 23A-11-205 · official source

Is night hunting legal in Utah?

Big game may be hunted only from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. You may not use a spotlight, headlight or other artificial light to take or locate any protected wildlife while you possess a rifle, shotgun, bow, airgun, crossbow or muzzleloader. Shining a light where protected wildlife are generally found is probable cause of attempting to locate wildlife.

The light rule does not apply to normal headlight use or to concealed-carry holders who are not hunting. Night-vision and thermal devices are also restricted; see the trail camera and night-vision rules.

Source: Utah Admin. Code R657-5-6; Utah Big Game Field Regulations (Spotlighting) · official source

Do you need a hunting license to hunt your own land in Utah?

No. Utah law has no landowner exemption; anyone who hunts protected wildlife must hold the required license, permit or tag, even on their own land. The listed exemptions cover only free fishing days, private fish ponds, licensed commercial bird-hunting areas and short-term fishing events.

Landowners may qualify for landowner-association or CWMU permits, which are separate programs.

Source: Utah Code § 23A-4-201 · official source

Who needs hunter education in Utah?

Anyone born after Dec. 31, 1965 must show proof of a DWR-approved hunter education course before getting a hunting license or big game permit. The only exception is Utah's Trial Hunting Program, which lets newcomers hunt for up to three years without the course while accompanied by a licensed hunter over 21. Youth must be at least 12 to hunt big game.

Limited-entry and once-in-a-lifetime hunts are excluded from the Trial Hunting Program.

Source: Utah Code § 23A-4-1001; Utah Admin. Code R657-23, R657-68 · official source

Is Sunday hunting legal in Utah?

Sunday hunting is allowed. Utah has no Sunday restriction.

Source: official source

Is it legal to bait deer in Utah?

Baiting big game is illegal statewide. You may not bait big game for hunting, take big game in a baited area, or take big game lured to or traveling from a baited area.

Source: Utah Admin. Code R657-5 · official source

Can you use a crossbow during archery season in Utah?

Not during archery hunts. A crossbow may be used for big game only with an any-legal-weapon permit, not an archery or muzzleloader permit, unless the hunter qualifies for a disability accommodation. Crossbows must have at least a 125-lb draw weight and broadheads at least 7/8 inch wide.

Source: Utah Admin. Code R657-5-8, R657-5-11, R657-12-8 · official source

Can you use a drone to scout or recover game in Utah?

Drones and other aircraft may never be used to take protected wildlife. From July 31 through Jan. 31, they may not be used to locate, or try to observe or locate, any protected wildlife, which covers scouting as well as hunting. You also may not take wildlife moved or harassed by an aircraft.

A 2026 law makes it a crime for a pilot to fly an aircraft used to locate or take wildlife illegally (§ 23A-5-315.5).

Source: Utah Code §§ 23A-5-309, 23A-5-315; Utah Admin. Code R657-5-14 · official source

Are trail cameras restricted in Utah?

Trail cameras are banned on public land from July 31 through Dec. 31, with exceptions for research, land management and agricultural monitoring. On private land, only cameras that store data internally and cannot transmit it (no cellular cameras) may be used for taking protected wildlife. Selling or buying trail camera footage or data that could help take big game, cougars or bears is prohibited.

Source: Utah Code § 23A-5-307; Utah Admin. Code R657-5-7 · official source

Is a landowner liable if someone gets hurt hunting on their land in Utah?

Yes. A landowner owes no duty to keep land safe for, or to warn, people who use it for recreation, including hunting and fishing. There is no protection for willful or malicious failure to guard or warn, for deliberate injury, or when the owner charges for access.

Source: Utah Code §§ 57-14-2, 57-14-3, 57-14-6 · official source