Box Elder, Hansel Mtn Elk Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 3,639 sq mi
Any-bull unit — no draw, no points
Any-bull permits go on sale July 9. A rifle or muzzleloader hunter may take any bull. The general archery permit (on sale July 7) allows any bull or an antlerless elk on this unit.
What hunting Box Elder, Hansel Mtn is like
The Box Elder, Hansel Mtn unit is mostly gentle, rolling country — 87% of its terrain is classed gentle, with only a small sliver of moderate or steep ground and no rugged terrain at all. That easy relief is deceptive, though, because the unit is overwhelmingly private, and the public ground where elk have been reported concentrates south and west of Snowville on Cedar Hill and Wildcat Hill. Vehicle access across most of the unit is limited by the private land that surrounds it, so reaching the areas elk actually use generally means going in on foot or horseback rather than by truck or ATV.
Only about 21% of the unit — BLM, State Trust Land, and Wildlife Management Area ground — is reliably open to public hunting, and most designated routes are the only motorized options since off-road travel is restricted outside them. Utah's standing state access agreement opens most of the trust land parcels here to hunters, though individual tracts can still be leased or restricted. Camping outside developed campgrounds is allowed on most of the accessible public land, which helps hunters willing to backpack into the Cedar Hill and Wildcat Hill areas rather than relying on vehicle access.
Several recent fires have burned small shares of the unit and are worth knowing about heading into any season. The Brushy Canyon and Johnson Canyon fires, both from 2026, burned ground on the southeast and northeast sides respectively and are in their first fall after burning, while the Shelter Pass fire (2019) on the southwest side and the Matlin fire (2020) on the west side are now five to eight years out and have grown back in thick. Hunters working near any of these burns should check for current fire closures and restrictions before heading out.
General-season any-bull elk — over the counter (2026)
This is a general-season any-bull unit. General-season bull elk permits in Utah are sold over the counter — no application, no draw and no points. There is no general-season elk point bank at all. Any-bull permits go on sale July 9 and have sold out quickly in recent years. The general archery permit goes on sale July 7 and is not capped. It is hunter's choice: on this any-bull unit an archer may take any bull or an antlerless elk.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | August 15 – September 16 | Any bull or an antlerless elk |
| Early Any Legal Weapon | October 3 – October 9 | Any bull |
| Late Any Legal Weapon | October 10 – October 16 | Any bull |
| Muzzleloader | October 28 – November 5 | Any bull |
Archery · August 15 – September 16
The archery hunt opens in mid-August and runs into mid-September, spanning the Late Summer/Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, and Primary Rut phases. In the first week or two, bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to their summer haunts, which makes sitting water sources or glassing for a spot-and-stalk approach a solid tactic. Given how little of this unit is public, archers are best served working the Cedar Hill and Wildcat Hill ground south and west of Snowville, since access elsewhere is largely blocked by private land. Archery permit holders may take any bull or an antlerless elk, giving more flexibility than the later rifle and muzzleloader seasons.
Early Any Legal Weapon · October 3 – October 9
Running from October 3 through October 9, the early any-legal-weapon hunt falls in the Late Rut/Early Post-Rut phase, when the intensity of September breeding activity is winding down. Elk continue to show up on Cedar Hill and Wildcat Hill south and west of Snowville, and those areas remain the most dependable public access points on a unit where most ground is private and vehicle travel is restricted. Hunters should plan on foot access to work these hills thoroughly, since designated routes only reach so far into the terrain. Any bull is legal during this short window.
Late Any Legal Weapon · October 10 – October 16
The late any-legal-weapon season picks up right where the early hunt leaves off, running October 10 through October 16 and covering both the tail end of the Late Rut/Early Post-Rut phase and the start of Post-Rut Recovery. Bulls are past the peak breeding push by this point, but the same Cedar Hill and Wildcat Hill areas south and west of Snowville continue to hold elk and remain the most practical public ground to hunt. With private land dominating the rest of the unit, still-hunting or glassing these hills on foot stays the most reliable approach. Any bull is legal for this second rifle-season window.
Muzzleloader · October 28 – November 5
By the time the muzzleloader season opens October 28 and runs to November 5, elk are moving through the Post-Rut Recovery and Migration Transition phases, with November bringing cooler days in the high-40s, lows near 27°F, and a bit of snowfall for the first time in the fall. That light snow can help with tracking and pushing elk on the move, but it also means colder, harder mornings glassing the Cedar Hill and Wildcat Hill country south and west of Snowville, where elk have continued to be found through the fall. Foot access remains the practical way into these areas given the limited vehicle routes across the unit. Any bull is the legal animal for this final general-season hunt.
Cow elk hunts are also offered on this unit (any legal weapon August 1 – January 31). They are drawn separately, in Utah's antlerless draw, using preference points — a different point bank from limited-entry bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–7,400 ft, typically around 4,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 87% gentle · 9% moderate · 4% steep · 0% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~775 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.
Across the unit
- Other cover45%
- Sagebrush40%
- Grass and meadow12%
- Riparian4%
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 Box Elder, Hansel Mtn. 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.
- Brushy Canyon fire, 2026 — about 9,800 acres in the unit, mostly on its southeast side.
- Shelter Pass fire, 2019 — about 9,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its southwest side.
- Johnson Canyon fire, 2026 — about 6,900 acres in the unit, mostly on its northeast side.
- Matlin fire, 2020 — about 6,300 acres in the unit, mostly on its west side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 21% of Box Elder, Hansel Mtn is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and Wildlife Management Areas.
- BLM17%
- State Trust Land3%
- Wildlife Management Areas1%
- National Park Service<1%
- Unclassified ownership29%
- Private50%
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 elk live in the unit
Utah's statewide elk habitat mapping, by layer: how much of Box Elder, Hansel Mtn 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 elk are.
- Yearlong Range2%the only layer that means year-round use
Fall weather
- September — highs around 80°F, lows around 49°F
- October — highs around 65°F, lows around 37°F
- November — highs around 49°F, lows around 27°F, about 0.5 in of snowfall
Box Elder, Hansel Mtn elk hunting FAQ
Do I need points to hunt elk on the Box Elder, Hansel Mtn unit?
No. The general-season archery, any-legal-weapon, and muzzleloader elk permits here are bought over the counter with no application or draw involved. Points only come into play for Utah's limited-entry and antlerless elk draws, neither of which is required to hunt the general seasons on this unit.
What can I legally take with a general archery permit here?
The Box Elder, Hansel Mtn unit is an any-bull unit, so the general archery permit is hunter's choice: an archer may take any bull or an antlerless elk. That is broader than the rifle and muzzleloader seasons, which are restricted to any bull only.
Which elk seasons on this unit fall during the September rut?
Only the general archery season, which runs from mid-August into mid-September, overlaps the Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases. The early and late any-legal-weapon seasons and the muzzleloader season all fall in October and November, after the peak rut activity has passed.
How much of this unit is public land I can count on hunting?
About 21% of the unit, roughly 775 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through BLM, State Trust Land, and Wildlife Management Area ground. The remaining land is either private or unclassified ownership, so hunters should plan around the specific open parcels rather than assuming broad access.
Where should I focus my search for elk on this unit?
The most consistently mentioned public ground for elk is Cedar Hill and Wildcat Hill, south and west of Snowville. Because most of the surrounding land is private with limited vehicle access, reaching these areas typically means hiking or riding in rather than driving close.
Are there any recent burns to be aware of when hunting this unit?
Yes — the Brushy Canyon and Johnson Canyon fires both burned ground in 2026 on the southeast and northeast sides of the unit, while the Shelter Pass fire (2019) and Matlin fire (2020) burned the southwest and west sides several years earlier and have since grown back in thick with brush and deadfall. Each burned only a small share of the unit's total area, but hunters working near any of them should check for current fire closures and restrictions before heading out.
Data sources & methodology
- Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — Big game hunting — general-season, limited-entry and antlerless elk permits
- Utah DWR — What hunters should know for the 2026 deer and elk hunts — 2026 general-season elk dates, including the split any-bull rifle hunt
- 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 — Elk (elk habitat mapping) — elk 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
Limited-entry draw difficulty is a qualitative band, not published odds — the note under the limited-entry seasons states exactly which hunt it describes. 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.