Utah News

Tuesday PM headlines: Body recovered from a flash flood, how to apply for Utah's antlerless hunt

Utah Public Radio | By Hannah Castro

Published May 23, 2023 at 4:45 PM MDT

Recovered body from flash flood in Southern Utah

The body of a second hiker who was killed in a flash flood that took place in a Southern Utah slot canyon was recovered. The Kane County Sheriff's Office confirmed Tuesday that 65-year-old Gary York and 72-year-old John Walter were both killed while hiking in the Bucksin Gulch area this past weekend.

A hiking group discovered the body of a deceased man found in the canyon on Sunday and notified the Sheriff’s office. The body was located about a half-mile south of the Utah border in Arizona.

The last the families heard from the two men was Saturday when the men said they were going to hike about five miles into the Wire Pass and Bucksin Gulch. This marks the second deadly incident this year in Bucksin Gulch.

Utah's antlerless hunt application opens soon: learn how to apply

The application period for Utah’s 2023 antlerless hunts opens Wednesday, June 7 at 8 a.m. Permits to hunt antlerless big game include elk, moose, deer, doe pronghorn, and ewe bighorn sheep. Applications are due by 11 p.m. on Thursday, June 22 to be included in the drawing for hunting permits. Hunters can also apply for a big game bonus and preference points for antlered species during the antlerless application period. The drawing results will be available on or before July 7. In a release issued by the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources, Lindy Varney said “Hunters should note that because heavy snowfall last winter impacted deer populations in some areas of the state, the number of antlerless permits was reduced in several areas.”