Oquirrh/Tintic Mule Deer Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 2,165 sq mi
Moderate — 1–2 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 Oquirrh/Tintic is like
The Oquirrh/Tintic unit runs from valley floor around 4,200 feet up to 10,600 feet, but most of the country hunters actually walk sits closer to the 5,200-foot typical elevation. By area the terrain is 69% gentle and 19% moderate, with 12% steep and 1% rugged — rolling ground with some steeper breaks rather than anything predominantly steep, and the unit's overall mean slope falls in the gentle band. That makes for a lot of walkable ridges and benches, with the steeper pockets concentrated in smaller pieces of the unit worth checking on foot.
Getting into huntable ground takes some planning. Only about 33% of the unit — roughly 714 square miles — is generally open to public hunting, made up of BLM, State Trust Land, and Wildlife Management Areas; most State Trust Land is opened under a standing state access agreement, though individual parcels can be leased or restricted. Private land covers 57% of the unit, military land (about 3.1%) is closed to hunting entirely, and another 7.4% has no recorded owner and should not be assumed to be either public or private. With legal access this limited, knowing land status before heading out matters as much as knowing the terrain. Permit holders should also note that CWMUs are off-limits to hunting on this permit.
Three recent fires have reshaped parts of the unit. The Iron fire (2026) burned about 42,000 acres toward the middle of the unit and this fall sits in its first year of recovery, when deer are often displaced toward whatever ground still holds water and green feed, with grass and brush greening up quickly if fall moisture cooperates. The Canal fire (2020, about 20,000 acres, mostly the unit's south side) and the Knolls and Goose Point fires (2020 and 2019, mostly on the east side) are all now five to eight years out — brush and saplings in those burns have grown thick enough, in places five feet and taller, to hide animals well, with increasing deadfall underfoot. Hunters should check for current fire closures and restrictions before heading into any of these areas.
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 |
| Any Legal Weapon | October 17 – October 25 | Buck | Moderate — 1–2 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
Archery season opens in mid-August while bucks are still in velvet and largely bachelored up, running through the Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern phase and into the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase by mid-September. Summer scouting pays off here — glassing at first light to locate a buck, watching where he beds for the day, and either stalking him at midday or watching through the evening to return the next morning. Bucks need little water this time of year, so focus on feeding areas with forbs and browse and check shaded, north-facing pockets for bedded deer; once velvet sheds in September, bucks tend to bed earlier and stay put later, so a buck that seems to vanish is usually still nearby in a crevice or draw.
Muzzleloader · September 23 – October 1
The muzzleloader hunt opens in late September as bucks finish the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase and start into the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, with deer still generally close to their summer ground. Early mornings still reward glassing shaded slopes and watching bucks bed down for a midday approach, but as October arrives bucks grow steadily more nocturnal, making evening glassing more about locating a buck to return for at first light than setting up an evening stalk. Working the same country deer used through the summer remains the most reliable approach through this hunt.
Any Legal Weapon · October 17 – October 25
By the time the any-legal-weapon hunt opens in mid-to-late October, bucks are well into the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase and increasingly nocturnal, with the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase beginning near the tail end of the season. Most bucks are still holding near their summer range early in this hunt, but toward the season's close deer may start shifting toward rutting ground, so glassing the country between summer haunts and likely staging ground can pay off in the final days. Given how nocturnal bucks have become by this point, patience and repeated glassing sessions matter more than covering ground quickly.
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 limited-entry late muzzleloader hunt runs from late October into early November, landing squarely in the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase as deer begin moving toward their rutting ground. This is a separate, bonus-point drawn hunt for any buck on the same ground as the general seasons, and the movement toward staging areas means glassing the country between summer range and likely rut destinations can turn up bucks on the move. By this point November weather has arrived — highs near 50°F, lows near 26°F, and around 2 inches of monthly snowfall — enough to affect footing and visibility, so conditions can shift quickly compared to the earlier fall hunts.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–10,600 ft, typically around 5,200 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 69% gentle · 19% moderate · 12% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~714 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
- Other cover65%
- Sagebrush19%
- Grass and meadow11%
- Riparian6%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush68%
- Grass and meadow19%
- Other cover13%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush58%
- Conifer26%
- Grass and meadow8%
- Aspen5%
- 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.
Recent fires
Wildfires in the last several seasons that burned a meaningful share of Oquirrh/Tintic. Fire perimeters show where a fire burned, not how hot — and closures change through the year, so check current fire closures and restrictions before you go.
- Iron fire, 2026 — about 42,000 acres in the unit (3%), toward the middle of the unit.
- Canal fire, 2020 — about 20,000 acres in the unit (2%), mostly on its south side.
- Knolls fire, 2020 — about 13,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its east side.
- Goose Point fire, 2019 — about 8,900 acres in the unit, mostly on its east side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 33% of Oquirrh/Tintic is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and Wildlife Management Areas. Another 3% is public land closed to state-licensed hunting — military land.
- BLM25%
- State Trust Land7%
- Wildlife Management Areas<1%
- military land3%
- Unclassified ownership7%
- Private57%
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.
“Unclassified ownership” means the source records no owner. It is not known to be public or private.
Where deer live in the unit
Utah's statewide deer habitat mapping, by layer: how much of Oquirrh/Tintic 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.
- Winter Range27%used in winter
- Transition Range11%used moving between summer and winter range
- Crucial Winter Range7%the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it
- Summer Range2%used in summer
- Crucial Summer Range2%the part of Summer Range considered essential to the herd — inside Summer Range, not added to it
- Yearlong Range2%the only layer that means year-round use
Fall weather
- September — highs around 79°F, lows around 47°F
- October — highs around 65°F, lows around 36°F
- November — highs around 50°F, lows around 26°F, about 2 in of snowfall
Oquirrh/Tintic deer hunting FAQ
Do I need preference points to hunt deer on the Oquirrh/Tintic unit?
No points are required to apply for any hunt here. General-season archery, muzzleloader, and any-legal-weapon buck hunts all draw with preference points ranked highest-first with random order within a point level, so an applicant with zero points can still be drawn. Building points only improves standing over time; it is never a requirement to apply.
How many points does it take to draw a general-season buck tag here?
Each of the three general-season buck hunts — archery, muzzleloader, and any legal weapon — carries a Moderate draw difficulty, reliably drawing around 1 to 2 preference points for an adult Utah resident. That is the level that has drawn reliably, not a guarantee, since the draw fills by points first with random order inside each point level.
How is the limited-entry late muzzleloader draw different from the general-season draws?
The general-season archery, muzzleloader, and any-legal-weapon hunts are each drawn separately using preference points, with permits going to the most points first and random order within a point level. The limited-entry late muzzleloader hunt is a completely separate draw that uses bonus points instead, and splits permits in half — half to the highest bonus-point holders, half by random drawing open to every point level with one extra entry per point. Its Premium band of 10-19 points reflects the level that has drawn reliably, but applicants below that can still draw through the random half.
Which hunts on this unit fall during the rut?
None of them. The general-season archery, muzzleloader, and any-legal-weapon hunts, along with the limited-entry late muzzleloader hunt, all fall before the Primary Rut phase, which runs in mid-to-late November after every listed season has closed.
How much of the Oquirrh/Tintic unit is public land I can count on hunting?
About 33% of the unit, roughly 714 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through BLM, State Trust Land, and Wildlife Management Areas. Most State Trust Land is included under a standing state access agreement, though individual parcels can still be leased or restricted. Private land makes up 57% of the unit, so legal access is the real limiting factor rather than terrain.
Are there other buck hunts on this unit besides general season and late muzzleloader?
Yes, the unit also has dedicated-hunter buck hunts, though this guide does not cover their seasons or rules. The two hunt types covered here are the three general-season buck hunts and the limited-entry late muzzleloader hunt, each with its own separate draw.
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 29, 2026.