Utah mountain lion hunting laws let anyone with a valid Utah hunting or combination license pursue and harvest cougars year-round statewide, using any legal weapon, with no separate permit application for the general opportunity. Quota-managed units sit on top of that baseline through limited-entry and harvest-objective permits. The rules that trip hunters up are not about getting in the field; they are about which cats you can take, what you do with the animal within 48 hours, and how the state handles livestock conflicts.
Licenses and the Two Permit Tiers
Utah runs cougar hunting on two tiers. The first is open to any licensed hunter: a valid Utah hunting or combination license allows year-round pursuit and harvest of cougars statewide, for residents and nonresidents alike, with no additional permit required.1Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah Black Bear and Cougar Guidebook 2025
The second tier covers quota-managed units. Two permit types apply:
- Limited-entry permits are awarded by lottery draw for specific units with a set number of tags. Once the tags are filled, the unit closes.
- Harvest-objective permits are available for designated zones and valid until a predetermined harvest quota is reached, at which point the unit closes regardless of how many permits were issued.2Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah Cougar Guidebook 2025
Hunter education is required for anyone born after December 31, 1965 before obtaining a hunting license. A separate cutoff of December 31, 1984 applies to the furbearer license, which you need if you plan to trap cougars rather than hunt them.3Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Hunter Education The Trial Hunting Program lets anyone 12 or older hunt without first completing hunter education, provided they are accompanied by a licensed hunter at least 21 years old.4Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah Cougar Guidebook 2024
Permit transfers and sales are prohibited. License and permit fees change periodically; nonresident increases took effect in mid-2025 for licenses and September 2025 for permits.
When and Where You Can Hunt
Because the general license covers year-round harvest, there is no closed cougar season statewide in the traditional sense. Limited-entry and harvest-objective units run on specific dates published annually in the DWR’s cougar guidebook, and those dates vary by unit and year. Some quota units open in early February, others in late summer.2Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah Cougar Guidebook 2025
Harvest-objective units can close overnight once the quota fills, sometimes with little advance notice. In areas with high livestock losses, the DWR may adjust quotas or open additional units mid-season. If you are working a quota unit, check the DWR website and phone hotline before every trip.
Legal Weapons and Hound Use
Utah permits cougar hunting with any legal weapon, including centerfire rifles, handguns, shotguns, muzzleloaders, archery equipment, and crossbows.1Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah Black Bear and Cougar Guidebook 2025 The weapon must be legal under general Utah hunting regulations.
Trained hounds are a legal method for pursuing and treeing cougars during seasons designated in the guidebook. No more than 16 dogs can participate in a single pursuit.5Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. R657-10 Taking Cougar In certain units with active cougar research, a no-harvest restriction applies to collared cougars when hunters use dogs; spot-and-stalk hunters in those same units are not subject to that restriction.1Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah Black Bear and Cougar Guidebook 2025
Electronic locating equipment cannot be used to find cougars wearing radio collars.6Cornell Law School. Utah Admin Code R657-10-8 – Prohibited Methods Taking wildlife from any aircraft, motorized vehicle, or snowmobile is prohibited.
Pursuit without harvest is allowed during designated pursuit seasons for training or sport, and you still need a valid hunting or combination license. If you tree or corner a cougar and choose not to shoot, you cannot restrict or hinder its ability to escape, and you must make reasonable efforts to call your dogs off. The 16-dog limit still applies.
Females, Kittens, and the Same-Day Rule
This is the restriction that gets hunters in the most trouble. Utah prohibits taking or pursuing a female cougar accompanied by one or more kittens. It is also illegal to take any kitten, defined as a cougar with visible spots on its sides or back, or visible barring coloration on its legs.5Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. R657-10 Taking Cougar
You also cannot repeatedly pursue, chase, tree, corner, or hold the same cougar at bay during the same day once it has been released. If you tree a cat, identify it as a female with kittens or a spotted kitten, and release it, that animal is off limits for the rest of the day. Call your dogs off after any release.
Check-In, Tagging, and Waste
Every harvested cougar must be checked in at a DWR office within 48 hours of the kill. The licensed hunter must personally present the pelt and skull in an unfrozen condition. A DWR employee affixes a permanent possession tag and extracts two of the cougar’s smaller premolar teeth for aging. You will also provide the GPS coordinates of the harvest location and confirm the management unit name.2Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Utah Cougar Guidebook 2025
Prop the cougar’s mouth open with a stick after the kill so the teeth come out easily at the office. Don’t freeze the head; a frozen skull may be retained until thawed. If the skull is missing when you present the pelt, the DWR may seize the pelt.
Utah’s wanton waste statute makes it illegal to waste protected wildlife or allow it to be wasted.7Utah Legislature. Utah Code 23A-5-314 – Waste of Wildlife The detailed meat-salvage rule under R657-5 that specifies which cuts must be kept applies to big game animals, but the broader waste prohibition covers all protected wildlife, cougars included. Plan to salvage edible meat.
Livestock Depredation and the 96-Hour Window
If a cougar harasses, attacks, or kills livestock, the livestock owner, an immediate family member, or a regular employee (not someone hired specifically for predator control) may take the cougar within 96 hours of the incident.8Utah Legislature. Utah Code 23A-8-202 – Livestock Depredation by Predators The owner then has another 96 hours from the take to deliver the carcass to a DWR office.
A cougar taken under this provision remains state property. The DWR may issue a permit allowing the person to keep the carcass, but no one can retain more than one predator carcass per year. The alternative to self-help is to notify the DWR, which can authorize a local hunter or dispatch a state trapper.
For chronic livestock losses, the DWR can issue depredation permits for targeted removal on specific private lands and public grazing allotments. The DWR sets the legal weapons, methods, area, and season for each depredation permit. Landowners are encouraged to try nonlethal deterrents like guard animals, secure enclosures, and lighting before seeking lethal authorization.
Penalties and Restitution
Utah grades wildlife violations on a point scale, and a single cougar carries 500 points. The point total determines the criminal charge:
- 250 points or fewer: Class B misdemeanor, up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
- 251 to 500 points: Class A misdemeanor, up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
- More than 500 points: Third-degree felony, up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.9Utah Legislature. Utah Code 23A-5-311 – Wanton Destruction of Protected Wildlife
One illegally killed cougar hits 500 points, making it a Class A misdemeanor. Two push the total to 1,000 points, into felony territory. If the animal qualifies as a trophy, the charge is a third-degree felony regardless of point totals, and the court must impose at least 20 consecutive days of incarceration when the killing was for financial gain.
Restitution runs on top of the criminal penalty. The minimum restitution value for a cougar is $525 per animal, with higher amounts for trophy animals.10Utah Legislature. Utah Code 23A-5-312 – Restitution for Wildlife Violators also face suspension or permanent revocation of hunting privileges. Repeat offenders and those involved in organized poaching draw the longest suspensions.
Procedural violations carry their own exposure. Missing the 48-hour check-in deadline, failing to present the skull, or wasting edible meat can produce separate charges and permit revocation even without a poaching allegation. A missing skull or a frozen head at check-in is enough to trigger an investigation.
Taking a Cougar Out of State
Crossing state lines with a harvested cougar brings in the federal Lacey Act. Under 16 U.S.C. ยง 3372, it is illegal to transport in interstate commerce any wildlife taken in violation of state law.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 3372 – Prohibited Acts A cougar harvested in full compliance with Utah law can be transported to another state where possession is lawful, as long as the container or package is properly labeled under federal regulations.
Before you leave Utah, get the DWR permanent tag, keep your license and check-in documentation with the animal, and verify that your destination state allows possession of cougar parts. International export requires a CITES permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.