The Henry mountains near Capitol Reef National Park are said to be the last mapped place of the continental United States. But today, the Henrys are on the map — for the huge bucks that call the secluded mountains home.
The problem for most hunters is how difficult it is to get a permit for the Henrys.The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has a solution.
“It just helps give that opportunity for avid hunters that would like to harvest a bigger animal and have a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Faith Heaton Jolley, the public relations officer for the division. "That’s who this permit is for, to give them a cream of the crop hunting choice.”
She’s describing the Sportsman’s permit, which each year, allows only one hunter to harvest one animal, but they can harvest it from basically wherever they want.
The sportsman permit allows hunters to visit places like the Henrys even if they cannot get a regular permit in the area, and Jolley says that is what makes it so special. In fact, over 54,000 people applied for the permits last year.
The applications open October 23 and close November 13. Prospective hunters pay a ten dollar application fee for each species, and Jolley said that money goes right back into conservation.
“That money really helps fund the work that the division does to kind of make these habitat areas that are for these species,” she said.
A computer program randomly selects the permit recipient, who then has to pay an additional fee for the license.
Hunters can apply for the one permit for animals like elk, deer and pronghorn, but can also snag the coveted permit for a black bear, a cougar or a mountain goat.
