Barney Top/Kaiparowits Elk Hunting, Utah

Barney Top/Kaiparowits country runs from low desert benches up to timbered high country, topping out over 10,000 feet at its highest points. Overall the ground is best described as rolling to moderately steep, with plenty of gentle and moderate terrain mixed among the steeper draws and rims. Elk can turn up anywhere on the unit, but Barney Top itself is the area most consistently holding elk, with smaller groups also reported around Mud Spring Canyon WSA in the west and, at times, near the Wolverine Loop Road in the east. Because this hunt exists to open up ground that had seen little pressure, scouting time pays off — elk are on the move once the hunt starts, and familiarity with the terrain in advance matters more than a fixed pattern.

Roughly 70 percent of the unit — about 2,359 square miles — is generally open to public hunting across BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, with most of that trust land accessible under a standing state access agreement even though individual parcels can still be leased or restricted. A large additional share, about 27 percent, is Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, where hunting is allowed with a Utah license but is subject to the recreation area's own local closures, so checking current restrictions there is worthwhile before heading in. A small share of the unit, about 2 percent, is National Park Service land closed to hunting, and private land accounts for less than 2 percent. Roads can turn to mud quickly here, and conditions swing between hot, dry stretches and sudden wet weather, so vehicle access should be planned with that variability in mind. Permit holders on the restricted-weapons hunt may not hunt National Recreation Area lands under CWMU rules, and are not eligible for extended archery participation.

Bull elk hunting on this unit is entirely limited entry, managed for older bulls, with no over-the-counter general season offered. The September Archery hunt falls in the September rut, while the November HAMSS hunt falls outside it, giving hunters two very different looks at elk behavior on the same ground.

Lower elevations

• Sagebrush71%
• Other cover25%
• Grass and meadow3%
• Riparian1%

Mid elevations

• Sagebrush93%
• Other cover6%
• Grass and meadow1%

Higher elevations

• Sagebrush70%
• Conifer27%
• Other cover3%

• BLM63%
• National Forest6%
• State Trust Land<1%

• Glen Canyon National Recreation Area27%

• National Park Service2%

• Unclassified ownership<1%

• Private2%

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.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is National Park Service land where hunting is allowed with a Utah licence, subject to the recreation area's own local closures — check them before you go. National parks and monuments are closed to hunting.

Do I need bonus points to hunt elk on the Barney Top/Kaiparowits unit?

Points are not required to apply for the limited-entry bull hunt, and there is no over-the-counter general season here at all — every bull tag on this unit comes through the draw. Half of the permits each year go to applicants with the most bonus points, while the other half are drawn at random with an extra entry for each point held, so an applicant with few or no points can still draw. Building points improves the odds over time but does not guarantee a tag in any given year.

How hard is it to draw a limited-entry bull tag on this unit?

For a Utah resident, the September Archery hunt has drawn reliably in the 6 to 9 bonus point range in recent years, which falls in the very hard band. That figure describes the archery hunt specifically, not the HAMSS hunt or nonresident applicants, who can expect to need substantially more points. Because half the permits are drawn at random regardless of points, applicants with fewer points than that band can still draw, just not with the same regularity.

Is there a general season or over-the-counter elk tag on this unit?

No. The Barney Top/Kaiparowits unit does not carry a general-season, over-the-counter bull or spike tag in the current brochure. Every bull elk opportunity here is limited entry, drawn through the bonus point system, with either the September Archery or the November HAMSS permit.

How much of this unit can I actually count on hunting?

About 70 percent of the unit, roughly 2,359 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land, with most of the trust land included under a standing state access agreement even though some individual parcels can still be leased or restricted. A separate 27 percent share is Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, where hunting is allowed with a Utah license but subject to that area's own local closures, so it is worth checking current restrictions before heading in. A small share, about 2 percent, is National Park Service land closed to hunting entirely, and private land makes up less than 2 percent.

Which seasons fall during the September rut, and which one doesn't?

The September Archery hunt runs through the Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases, putting archers in the field while bulls are most active with cows. The November HAMSS hunt falls entirely within the Migration Transition phase, well outside the rut, so it offers a very different kind of hunt on the same ground.

Can a HAMSS permit holder hunt the recreation area land or use an extended archery tag?

No to both. Holders of the restricted-weapons HAMSS permit may not hunt on CWMU lands, and they are not eligible to participate in extended archery hunts. Those restrictions apply specifically to the HAMSS permit and don't extend to the September Archery hunter's choice tag.