2016 UT Deer Rifle season opener? 10/15 or 10/22?

huntjock · Feb 25, 2014

Just doing some planning - being positive that I'll be around for the 2016 season.

Anyone "know" or have an opinion based on history or statue of which date the 2016 UT Deer Rifle season opener would be?

I am thinking that we might need to guess the ML opener as Wed 9/28, then the General Elk Rifle as Sat 10/8, then the Deer Rifle as Sat 10/22?

Maybe we hafta go clear back to August for archery seasons and work forward?

Anyway, thanks for whatever info you can offer!

rmanwill · Feb 25, 2014

10/22/16. For my whole life it has always been the Saturday closest to the 20th. Best of luck.

littlebighorn · Feb 25, 2014

rmanwill is right.
The hunting calendar is based on the rifle hunt opening on the Saturday closest to Oct. 20, and everything is adjusted to that date.

idratherbhunting · Feb 25, 2014

Always the 3rd sat in Oct.

nripepi · Feb 26, 2014

The 3rd Saturday in October in 2016 is not the 22nd, it is the 15th!

huntjock · Feb 26, 2014

Right. That is my dilemma. The 3rd Saturday is 10/15 and the Saturday closest to the 20th is 10/22.

Thanks for all of your input.

Smokepole · Feb 26, 2014

It is by law the Saturday closest to the 20th, which depending on the year could be the 3rd Saturday but, not always. The other hunts seem to slide earlier or later all based on the rifle deer hunt opener.

Smokepole

Muley_73 · Feb 27, 2014

Did they change that law just recently or was there just talk of changing it?

El_Matador · Feb 28, 2014

They did change the law. It used to mandate the deer hunt start on the Saturday closest to the 20th, but now the DWR can change it if they want. So far they haven't changed it. A couple of years ago there was talk of implementing multiple rifle seasons for deer and/or elk which would have made moving the dates necessary. That has quieted down for now though.

c3 · Feb 28, 2014

I've lived here for 29 years now and this thread is the first time I've ever heard "the sat. closest to the 20th". I always thought it was the third Sat in Oct.

Curious if anyone has a link to the original law set by the legislature for the deer opener?

Cheers,
Pete

Broomer · Mar 2, 2014

I've lived here my entire 39 year life and I've never heard the closest to the 20th law either. I think you guys are losing it. It's always the 3rd Saturday in October just like it's always the 3rd Saturday in August for the Archery deer opener.

rmanwill · Mar 2, 2014

I remember the second weekend of the hunt being on Halloween a couple times. Them years the hunted opened on the 22-23.

huntjock · Mar 6, 2014

This is the response from a UDWR email responder:

At this time the dates have not been set for 2016. You may contact Justin Shannon at (801) 538-4777 and he may be able to tell you the approximate dates.

Thank you,
<responder's name>

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