Good on ya for joining the forum, and welcome! This can be a great place to lurk & actively seek advice, especially starting this early in your new hobby & this early in the annual tag process.
You'll need advice from others about field strategy as I've been skunked on elk and never really found mule deer to be of interest. There are some hunters here who are both talented & generous with their knowledge that I hope you are able to connect with for that information.
That said, early planning and logistics are also a struggle for new & first generation hunters like us. My father quit hunting in his twenties and never really looked back, at least not until I started exploring it decades later.
Utah provides unique opportunities for both big & small game. Getting field time always helps to learn to identity evidence of game, even when out hunting other species. I'd second picking up small or upland game hunting as previously mentioned. Most of those species are free or cheaper than big game & you can start doing so without the entrance exam of a species specific tag application.
If it's appealing I'd recommend starting "close" to home and getting to know the wildlife in that environment. Having more time in the field doing so can help & being closer to home allows more opportunity to do so. I did the opposite and spent several great years getting to know a phenomenal hunting unit & place but lost valuable time getting to know the unit I'm closest to & ultimately more likely to hunt in the future. But your mileage may vary.
While at home, dedicate time to the various guidebooks Utah DWR has each year for hunting. I'd recommend reading most of them to learn the range of opportunity as well as the necessary steps to hunt them. They do a fairly good job explaining those things.
I'd also play with online maps & hunt planners that are free & readily available. You'll get to know the landscape that way without as much burden from getting out and hiking everywhere. It's not the same as field time but it can be done in spare time without the cost of time & money required to travel.
I hope you get plenty of advice here. The strategy needed to apply for and eventually use points is a specific niche that some here are very skilled at. I hope they share what they are comfortable with.
Best of luck & enjoy the learning!
You'll need advice from others about field strategy as I've been skunked on elk and never really found mule deer to be of interest. There are some hunters here who are both talented & generous with their knowledge that I hope you are able to connect with for that information.
That said, early planning and logistics are also a struggle for new & first generation hunters like us. My father quit hunting in his twenties and never really looked back, at least not until I started exploring it decades later.
Utah provides unique opportunities for both big & small game. Getting field time always helps to learn to identity evidence of game, even when out hunting other species. I'd second picking up small or upland game hunting as previously mentioned. Most of those species are free or cheaper than big game & you can start doing so without the entrance exam of a species specific tag application.
If it's appealing I'd recommend starting "close" to home and getting to know the wildlife in that environment. Having more time in the field doing so can help & being closer to home allows more opportunity to do so. I did the opposite and spent several great years getting to know a phenomenal hunting unit & place but lost valuable time getting to know the unit I'm closest to & ultimately more likely to hunt in the future. But your mileage may vary.
While at home, dedicate time to the various guidebooks Utah DWR has each year for hunting. I'd recommend reading most of them to learn the range of opportunity as well as the necessary steps to hunt them. They do a fairly good job explaining those things.
I'd also play with online maps & hunt planners that are free & readily available. You'll get to know the landscape that way without as much burden from getting out and hiking everywhere. It's not the same as field time but it can be done in spare time without the cost of time & money required to travel.
I hope you get plenty of advice here. The strategy needed to apply for and eventually use points is a specific niche that some here are very skilled at. I hope they share what they are comfortable with.
Best of luck & enjoy the learning!
