The Monroe Canyon Fire, first reported on July 13, has burned more than 55,000 acres and was just 7% contained as of Aug. 1. Current closure orders — in effect until Oct. 31 — are restricting access to more than two-thirds of mule deer habitat and nearly three-quarters of elk habitat in the Monroe hunting unit. Road access is also limited, with only four U.S. Forest Service roads open and five others closed.

The closures impact roughly 1,200 hunters with permits for general-season deer and limited-entry elk and black bear hunts scheduled between August and October.

Relief options approved for hunters include:

• Hunt in open areas: Keep the permit and hunt where access is available.
• Permit surrender: Return the permit before the hunt starts to receive restored bonus or preference points (including this year’s), waived waiting periods, and a refund minus a $25 handling fee.
• Hunt extension: Surrender the permit before the hunt starts to extend it to the 2026 season.

These options also apply to Landowner, Conservation Permit, and Landowner Association programs. Dedicated Hunter program participants in the Monroe unit will have prorated refund and point-restoration options based on their year in the program, or may extend their participation by a year.

If fire conditions persist, the board may extend the same options to later hunts, including the general-season buck deer hunt in October and limited-entry elk hunts through December.

“We wanted to provide some relief options for hunters whose hunts would be severely impacted by the current wildfire and associated closures,” said Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Licensing Coordinator Lindy Varney. “Because the closure will be in effect past when the majority of the hunts are over, we wanted to offer some emergency options for hunters on this unit.”

New wildlife board members

Gov. Spencer Cox recently nominated four new members to the seven-person Utah Wildlife Board, all confirmed by the Utah Senate in June. Two of them — Bob Christensen of Altamont and Ryan Foutz of North Salt Lake — were sworn in during Friday’s meeting.

They are joined by Justin Oliver of West Haven and Christopher Robinson of Park City, who will also begin their terms this month, replacing outgoing members Randy Dearth, Wade Heaton, Bret Selman, and Bryce Thurgood.

Christensen is a longtime U.S. Forest Service wildlife biologist and former Northeast Regional Advisory Council (RAC) chair. Foutz, vice president of Kings Camo, has decades of experience in wildlife management through his operation of a Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit (CWMU) and leadership in the Utah Wild Sheep Foundation.

Oliver brings 30 years of construction experience and extensive service on the Northern Region RAC, CWMU rules committee, and Hunts for the Brave nonprofit. Robinson is CEO and co-owner of The Ensign Group, overseeing more than 1 million acres of land across Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, and serves on multiple conservation and wildlife councils.

The Utah Wildlife Board sets hunting, fishing, and wildlife management regulations and meets publicly about six times a year. Members serve without pay.

A recording of the meeting is available on the Utah Department of Natural Resources YouTube channel.