Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has proposed a set of minor tweaks for the 2026 bear hunting season and requests public input on these changes. According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, one key change is the creation of a new bear hunting unit named the Dolores Triangle, distinct from La Sal, to align with the current big game boundaries. For this new unit, 10 bear permits will be distributed: two for the spring, six for the summer, and two for the fall season.
Despite the slight drop in bear and cougar numbers in recent years, DWR maintains that the populations are stable. Further details shared by the DWR specify that the La Sal unit will retain its current permit numbers. Additionally, starting from 2026, guidebooks for cougar, bear, and furbearer species will be merged into a single digital resource, accessible on the DWR's website and their hunting and fishing app.
Moreover, updates to cooperative agreements with private landowners have also been put forward to proactively enhance the populations of big game and turkeys that frequent private cultivated lands. Darren DeBloois, DWR's private lands public wildlife coordinator, emphasized the preventive nature of these partnerships, aimed at fostering better wildlife health through improved forage on private property. Under the new rule, landowners are rewarded for practices that boost wildlife nutrition and, in turn, support the health of below-objective animal populations.
In an effort to refine predator management, changes to specify GPS data for predator harvest locations as a protected classification, restricted from public view, are also on the table. Established by legislation in 2012, the Predator Control Program offers incentives for the control of predatory species, most notably coyotes in deer habitats, as they can significantly affect young deer populations.
