Big game protection -- Director authority

(1) It is the policy of the state that big game animals are of great importance to the citizens of the state, the citizen's quality of life, and the long term sustainability of the herds for future generations. (2) (a) Unless the condition described in Subsection (2)(b) is determined, the director shall take immediate action to reduce the number of predators within a management unit when the big game population is under the established herd size objective for that management unit. (b) Subsection (2)(a) does not apply if the division determines that predators are not significantly contributing to the big game population being under the herd size objective for the management unit. (3) Immediate action under Subsection (2) includes any of the following management tools: (a) increasing take permits or tags for cougar and bear until the herd size objective is met; (b) allowing big game hunters to harvest predators with the appropriate permit during a big game hunting season, including issuing over-the-counter predator permits; (c) professional trapping and predator control by the following, including aerial control measures: (i) the Department of Agriculture and Food's predator control program; (ii) private contracts; and (iii) the general public; and (d) other management tools as determined by the director. (4) The director shall annually give a status report on predator control measures implemented pursuant to this chapter and Chapter 8, Part 4, Damage by Big Game, by no later than October 1, to the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee and Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Interim Committee.