At 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the sale ended. Lifetime hunting licenses were pulled from the shelf.
In a move to stop buying, the Legislature passed a bill withdrawing the offer on Tuesday and Gov. Mike Leavitt signed it into law 1/2 hour before Utah Division of Wildlife Resources offices closed.As the bill was being signed, employees were putting signs on the front door of the offices announcing the end of the sale.
The license cost $500 and guarantees a hunter the opportunity to hunt deer every year. Other hunters could be subject to a cap on the deer hunt, which could mean they may not be able to hunt every year.
Bob Valentine, director of the DWR, said that those licenses that have been sold will be honored.
The licenses first went on sale in 1984. Through 1993, only 1,300 had been sold at a price tag of $500.
Faced with possible deer hunt restrictions, there has been a rush on the licenses. According to Valentine, 2,700 have been in the past three weeks. Record show that 436 were purchased Tuesday.
A proposal that will go before the Board of Big Game Control on April 2, will limit the number of deer hunter to 97,000. Last year more than 150,000 licenses were sold. If the plan is accepted, it could mean that one in three hunters will not get a deer tag for 1994.
The lifetime combination license is good for all hunting and fishing privileges as long as the buyer lives.