Fishlake Mule Deer Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 685 sq mi
Hard — 3–5 points
The any legal weapon hunt, for an adult Utah resident, by the preference points that drew reliably in the 2026 draw. Each general-season weapon is its own permit with its own draw — the table below rates every one.
The unit also has a limited-entry late muzzleloader hunt, a separate draw that uses bonus points. Its dedicated-hunter buck hunt is separate and not covered here.
What hunting Fishlake is like
The Fishlake unit covers 685 square miles of rolling country with some steeper breaks, running from valley floors near 5,200 feet up to peaks above 11,600 feet, with most of the hunting happening around the 8,400-foot typical elevation. Terrain is mostly gentle to moderate, with only a small share classed as steep or rugged, so most of the unit is walkable ground rather than technical country. Deer are spread across the entire unit, and pressure concentrates near the good camping areas and main roads, so hunters willing to get away from those spots find fewer people around them.
Access comes from several directions. The north end is reached off I-70 at the Gooseberry and Hwy 72 exits, with unimproved roads off the I-70 frontage road leading into good country. The east side runs off Hwy 72 via the Last Chance road, Road #206 onto Thousand Lake Mountain, and Road #036 past Mill Meadow Reservoir to Fish Lake. The south end comes in on SR-25 to Fish Lake via SR-24, and the west side is reached by dirt roads including Hancock Flat road, Road #053 to Rex Reservoir, and the Lost Creek country. An extensive network of ATV trails forks off these routes, managed by the BLM, Forest Service, and Sevier and Wayne counties, with travel questions best directed to the Fish Lake National Forest and BLM offices in Richfield and Loa. About 83% of the unit is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM, and State Trust land, with most of the remainder in private ownership.
Through the fall, deer move mostly in simple elevation shifts, up or down the mountain, though some animals shift from summering areas in the north and central parts of the unit toward the south, east, and west as they approach winter range. None of the general or limited-entry seasons here fall during the November rut, so hunting through archery, muzzleloader, and rifle seasons means working bachelor groups and migrating deer rather than rutting activity.
General-season buck deer — drawn with preference points (2026)
General-season buck deer in Utah is drawn, and each weapon is its own permit with its own draw. It uses preference points: permits go first to the applicants holding the most points, in random order within each point level. Every year an application does not draw earns a point, and drawing a permit uses them all. A fifth of the permits are set aside for youth hunters. Applying here does not affect limited-entry deer bonus points, so a hunter can apply for both in the same year.
| Season | Dates | Legal deer | Draw (adult resident) | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | August 15 – September 11 | Buck | Moderate — 1–2 points | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Muzzleloader | September 23 – October 1 | Buck | Moderate — 1–2 points | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Early Any Legal Weapon Its own permit and draw, separate from the later any-legal-weapon hunt. | October 7 – October 11 | Buck | Hard — 3–5 points | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Any Legal Weapon | October 17 – October 25 | Buck | Hard — 3–5 points | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
Draw bands are for an adult Utah resident in the 2026 draw: the lowest preference-point level that drew each hunt reliably. There is no random half in this draw, so hunters well below a band should expect to wait.
Archery · August 15 – September 11
Through the archery season bucks are still in velvet for much of it, shifting to hard antler by its close, and most are holding in bachelor groups above 8,000 feet where the heaviest deer populations tend to sit in aspen and sagebrush-conifer habitats. Summer scouting matters more here than during any other hunt on the unit, since a buck that seems to vanish is usually still bedded nearby in a shady draw or crevice. Glass at first light to locate a buck and mark where he beds, then work a stalk in the middle of the day, or watch him again in the evening and return for him the next morning. Pressure concentrates near the good camping areas and roads, so bucks pushed off those areas tend to drop into more secure cover, making the quieter high country worth the extra effort.
Muzzleloader · September 23 – October 1
By the muzzleloader season deer are still mostly in the mid to higher elevations, with some starting to drift lower, and bucks are becoming increasingly nocturnal as October wears on. Hunter densities are typically lower during this hunt, and glassing shady pockets and north-facing slopes in the early morning, then again in the evening, remains the most productive approach for finding a bedded buck to stalk or pattern. October brings cooling weather with highs near 55°F and lows near 32°F, along with the season's first measurable snowfall, though conditions rarely disrupt the hunt outright. Concentrating effort above 8,000 feet, where deer were spread through the summer, still pays off here.
Early Any Legal Weapon · October 7 – October 11
The early any legal weapon hunt catches deer at their most scattered, with animals found anywhere from valley floors to near 11,000 feet and most bucks still loosely bachelored since the rut remains weeks away. Bucks grow more nocturnal through this stretch of October, but they tend to stay near the same country they occupied through summer, so pre-season scouting to locate concentrations pays off more than searching blind. Some deer begin drifting toward winter range by mid-October, but a sizable share of the herd is still working through transitional ground rather than settled in for the season. With deer spread from the mountaintop to the valley floor and no single area outproducing another, covering ground to relocate bucks after the summer pattern shifts is the practical approach.
Any Legal Weapon · October 17 – October 25
By the later any legal weapon hunt in late October, deer are spread widely across the unit, with some already on or near winter range and others still holding on the highest peaks if snow allows. Bucks remain nocturnal for much of this window, though toward the tail end of the season some begin moving toward their rutting grounds, which makes glassing the country between summer range and likely staging ground worthwhile. Hunters often find success concentrating where deer show up near agricultural areas, since scouting just before the season is more reliable than relying on summer patterns. Highs have dropped into the mid-50s with lows near freezing and a few inches of snowfall typical for the month, conditions that can nudge deer movement without shutting down the hunt.
Limited-entry late muzzleloader buck deer (2026)
Limited entry is Utah's drawn buck hunt, managed for older bucks, with far fewer permits than the general season. It is drawn with bonus points: half the permits go to the applicants holding the most points, and the other half are drawn at random with one extra entry for every point held — so applicants below the reliable level do draw. A Utah resident may apply for only one limited-entry species a year.
| Season | Dates | Legal deer | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late Muzzleloader A separate limited-entry permit, drawn with bonus points. | October 28 – November 5 | Buck | Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
This band describes the Late Muzzleloader limited-entry buck deer hunt, the only one on this unit, for a Utah resident in the 2026 draw: the lowest bonus-point level that drew reliably. Half of Utah's limited-entry permits go to the applicants with the most bonus points and half are drawn at random, with an extra entry for each point, so applicants below this level can draw. Nonresidents can take substantially more points.
Late Muzzleloader · October 28 – November 5
The late muzzleloader hunt runs into early November, when deer are still very spread out across the unit and bucks are just beginning to show interest in the rut, with many pairing up with does while others remain apart. A sizable portion of the herd sits in transitional range between summer and winter ground during this period, though some deer hold at the highest elevations until snow forces them down. November brings a real change in conditions, with highs falling into the low 40s, lows near 22°F, and snowfall picking up substantially compared to October, so checking both lower and higher elevations depending on recent storms is worth doing before committing to an area. Since this is a limited-entry permit drawn separately from the general hunts, scouting just ahead of the season remains more useful than leaning on any single spot, since no particular area consistently produces more than another.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,200–11,600 ft, typically around 8,400 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 50% gentle · 39% moderate · 10% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~569 sq mi
Habitat & cover
What grows here, by elevation. Each band adds to 100% on its own — these are shares of that band, not of the unit.
Lower elevations
- Sagebrush46%
- Conifer43%
- Other cover6%
- Aspen3%
- Grass and meadow2%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush47%
- Conifer28%
- Aspen20%
- Other cover5%
Higher elevations
- Conifer42%
- Sagebrush30%
- Aspen25%
- Other cover2%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land — left unnamed rather than guessed at.
Land & access
About 83% of Fishlake is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land.
- National Forest66%
- BLM14%
- State Trust Land3%
- Private17%
Most Utah State Trust Land is open to hunting under a standing state access agreement. Individual parcels can be leased or restricted, so check the parcel before planning around it.
Where deer live in the unit
Utah's statewide deer habitat mapping, by layer: how much of Fishlake each one covers. The layers overlap, so they do not add to 100%, and a layer that is small or missing here says nothing on its own about where deer are.
- Summer Range55%used in summer
- Crucial Summer Range52%the part of Summer Range considered essential to the herd — inside Summer Range, not added to it
- Winter Range43%used in winter
- Crucial Winter Range40%the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it
Fall weather
- September — highs around 67°F, lows around 42°F
- October — highs around 55°F, lows around 32°F, about 2.8 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 43°F, lows around 22°F, about 13.2 in of snowfall
Fishlake deer hunting FAQ
Do I need preference points to hunt deer on the Fishlake unit?
Points are not required to apply for any hunt on the Fishlake unit. General-season permits go first to applicants with the most preference points, with random order within a point level, while the limited-entry late muzzleloader hunt splits permits in half between top bonus-point holders and a random draw that gives extra entries per point — meaning an applicant at any point level can draw the random half, though it is not a sure thing.
How many points does it take to draw the general-season rifle hunt on the Fishlake unit?
The early any legal weapon and the later any legal weapon hunts each carry a Hard draw difficulty for an adult Utah resident, reliably drawing around 3 to 5 preference points. The archery and muzzleloader hunts are easier, in the Moderate band around 1 to 2 points. These are separate permits and separate draws, so points earned toward one general-season weapon carry into the shared preference-point pool used across the general draw.
What's the difference between the general-season hunts and the limited-entry late muzzleloader hunt here?
General-season archery, muzzleloader, and both any legal weapon hunts are drawn with preference points, are open to any buck, and run from mid-August through late October. The limited-entry late muzzleloader hunt is a separate draw using bonus points instead, runs later into early November, and is managed for older bucks, though the legal animal is still any buck rather than one restricted by antler point.
Which Fishlake hunts fall during the November rut?
None of them. The archery, muzzleloader, both any legal weapon hunts, and the limited-entry late muzzleloader hunt all fall outside the primary rut window, so hunters chasing rutting behavior specifically will not find it built into any of these seasons on this unit.
How much of the Fishlake unit is public land?
About 83 percent of the unit, roughly 569 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM, and State Trust land. The remaining share is private. State Trust parcels are covered by a standing state access agreement that opens most of that ground to hunting, though individual parcels can still be leased or restricted.
Is the limited-entry late muzzleloader hunt hard to draw on the Fishlake unit?
It carries a Premium draw difficulty for Utah residents, with the reliable band sitting at 10 to 19 bonus points. Half of the permits go to the applicants holding the most bonus points, and the other half are drawn at random with an extra entry per point held, so applicants below that band can still draw, just not reliably.
Data sources & methodology
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — Big game hunting — limited-entry, general-season and antlerless deer permits
- Utah DWR — What hunters should know for the 2026 deer and elk hunts — 2026 buck deer hunt dates and changes
- Utah DWR — Big Game Application Guidebook — how bonus points and the limited-entry draw work
- Utah DWR — Hunt Planner — unit boundaries, and the DWR's unit and biologist notes the written guide draws on
- Utah DWR — Supporting Utah's mule deer — mule deer habitat and seasonal range
- Utah Trust Lands Administration — Trust Lands & You — the hunter access agreement that opens most state trust land
- USGS / MRLC — National Land Cover Database — habitat and cover classes by elevation band
- USGS PAD-US — Protected Areas Database of the United States — land ownership and access
- Daymet daily climate, 1991–2020 (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) — fall weather
- National Interagency Fire Center — wildfire perimeters — recent fires, their size and where they burned
Draw difficulty is a qualitative band, not published odds — the notes under each season table state exactly which hunts the bands describe. Land shares are separate, non-overlapping categories. Confirm current dates and rules in the Utah Big Game Field Regulations guidebook before you hunt. Unit data last updated September 28, 2026.