SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah lawmakers may soon decide whether minors can be issued a hunting license without taking a hunter education course.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports a proposal pending in the Legislature would allow someone as young as 11 to receive the permit but would bar them from using a gun or archery equipment unit they are 12 years old.

Senate Majority Leader Ralph Okerlund is sponsoring the measure and says the minors must be accompanied by a licensed hunter who is at least 21.

Okerlund says Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources requested the bill, which is fashioned after similar programs in other states.

He says the youth hunting permits would only be granted as part of a trial.

Utah hunter education courses cost $10 and require at least 12 hours.

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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, www.sltrib.com