Diamond Mtn Elk Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 416 sq mi
Very hard — 6–9 points
The easiest of the main limited-entry hunts here (Archery) for a Utah resident, by the bonus points that drew reliably. The other main hunts take more. The late archery hunt, a specialty hunt with few applicants, draws far easier: Hard — 3–5 points. 6 limited-entry hunts, plus a multiseason permit; 3 of them during the September rut.
What hunting Diamond Mtn is like
Diamond Mtn is rolling country with some steeper breaks worked in. Gentle and moderate ground make up most of the unit, with only a small share of steep or rugged terrain, and elevations run from around 5,000 feet at the low end up to roughly 9,300 feet on top. Cover shifts some with elevation — sagebrush dominates at every band, conifer holds a substantial share throughout, and aspen and grass or meadow patches show up more at the higher elevations. Elk here are hunted both on a general spike-only permit and on a separate, drawn limited-entry bull permit, and the two hunts run on the same ground with different rules and different seasons.
About 68 percent of the unit, roughly 282 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across BLM, Wildlife Management Area, State Trust Land and National Forest ground; most of the state trust land is open to hunting under a standing state access agreement, though individual parcels can still be leased or restricted. The remaining private ground, about 32 percent of the unit, is posted, and carrying a GPS with current private/public boundaries loaded is worth doing before heading out, since public hunters should not expect access onto posted private land. Roads and ATV trails are managed under Forest Service, BLM and state travel plans, and off-road travel is restricted to designated routes; campgrounds near the unit are Forest Service managed, and dispersed camping is allowed on most public land including the wildlife management areas.
Seasonal range mapping shows summer range and crucial summer range each covering 60 percent of the unit and winter range and crucial winter range each covering 37 percent, with the crucial layers sitting inside their parent ranges rather than adding to them. General-season archery, along with the limited-entry archery, early rifle and muzzleloader hunts, fall within the September rut window; the general any-legal-weapon and muzzleloader hunts and the limited-entry mid-season rifle, late rifle and late archery hunts fall outside it.
Limited-entry bull elk (2026)
Limited entry is Utah's drawn bull hunt, managed for older bulls, 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 elk | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | August 15 – September 15 | Bull | Late Summer / Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Early Rifle (any legal weapon) | September 16 – September 20 | Bull | Primary Rut |
| Muzzleloader | September 21 – October 2 | Bull | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Mid-season Rifle (any legal weapon) | October 3 – October 15 | Bull | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Late Rifle (any legal weapon) | November 7 – November 15 | Bull | Migration Transition |
| Late Archery | November 28 – December 13 | Bull | Migration Transition, Winter |
| Multiseason Usable in this unit's limited-entry archery, early rifle, muzzleloader, mid-season rifle and late rifle hunts; the dates span all of them. Not valid in the late archery hunt. | August 15 – November 15 | Bull | — |
This band describes the easiest of the unit's main limited-entry bull hunts (Archery) for a Utah resident in the 2026 draw: the lowest bonus-point level that drew reliably. The late archery hunt, a specialty hunt with few applicants, draws far easier (Hard — 3–5 points). 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. Other weapons and seasons, and nonresidents, can take substantially more points. The band says nothing about the general-season over-the-counter hunt, which needs no points.
Archery · August 15 – September 15
Limited-entry archery hunters cover the longest stretch of the fall on this unit, opening while bulls are still finishing out the Late Summer and Pre-Rut Transition phases and running through Rut Onset and into the Primary Rut. Early on, bulls are shedding velvet and holding close to where they spent the summer, so sitting water sources or glassing for a spot-and-stalk approach both work well. Some years the rut activity picks up only toward the tail end of this hunt, so persistence through the final days can pay off. Any bull is legal, and the long season length gives room to work different tactics as behavior shifts across those weeks.
Early Rifle (any legal weapon) · September 16 – September 20
The short early rifle window falls squarely in the Primary Rut, putting bulls into their most active rutting behavior of the fall. This is a narrow five-day hunt, so scouting ahead of time to know where bulls have been holding pays off since there is little room to adjust once the season opens. Any bull is legal here, and hunting through the heart of the rut can concentrate opportunity even in a short window.
Muzzleloader · September 21 – October 2
Limited-entry muzzleloader spans the last days of the Primary Rut into the Late Rut and Early Post-Rut phase, catching bulls as rutting activity begins to taper. October weather brings cooler highs near 56°F and lows near 32°F with a bit of snowfall for the month, enough that an early-season storm is worth planning for even if it usually clears out. Any bull is legal during this stretch, and hunters should be ready for elk behavior to shift as the rut winds down over the course of the season.
Mid-season Rifle (any legal weapon) · October 3 – October 15
By the time the mid-season rifle hunt opens, elk have moved into the Late Rut and Early Post-Rut phase, past the peak of rutting activity. October conditions still run cool with highs near 56°F and lows near 32°F and light snowfall, though an early storm is always a possibility. Any bull is legal, and with rutting behavior fading, still-hunting and glassing likely take over from tactics that worked earlier when bulls were more actively engaged.
Late Rifle (any legal weapon) · November 7 – November 15
The late rifle hunt falls in the Migration Transition phase, when elk are shifting off summer range toward winter range rather than showing rutting behavior. November brings a real cooldown, with highs near 43°F, lows near 21°F, and average snowfall picking up to around 4.5 inches for the month, conditions that can push elk movement and make some roads harder to travel. Any bull is legal, and hunting this season means paying attention to how weather and migration are moving animals across the unit rather than relying on rut-driven patterns.
Late Archery · November 28 – December 13
Late archery runs latest of any hunt on the unit, spanning the Migration Transition phase into the Winter phase as elk settle into their winter pattern. November and early December bring the coldest conditions of the fall, with highs near 43°are and lows near 21°F and meaningful monthly snowfall, factors that can affect both elk movement and road access late in the hunt. Any bull is legal, and hunters should expect to be tracking migration and winter range use rather than any rutting behavior this late in the year.
General-season spike elk — over the counter (2026)
This is a general-season spike-only 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. Spike permits go on sale July 16; a rifle or muzzleloader hunter may take only a bull whose antlers do not branch. The general archery permit goes on sale July 7 and is not capped. It is hunter's choice: on this spike-only unit an archer may take a spike bull or an antlerless elk. A branch-antlered bull here needs a separate limited-entry permit.
| Season | Dates | Legal elk |
|---|---|---|
| Archery On a spike-only unit the general archery permit allows a spike bull or an antlerless elk — not a branch-antlered bull. | August 15 – September 4 | Spike bull or an antlerless elk |
| Any Legal Weapon | October 3 – October 15 | Spike bull only |
| Muzzleloader | October 28 – November 5 | Spike bull only |
Archery · August 15 – September 4
General-season archery opens in mid-August and runs into early September, covering the Late Summer and Pre-Rut Transition phases and into the very start of Rut Onset. Bulls are still shedding velvet and holding near summer range early in this window, making sitting water sources or glassing for a stalk a solid approach. The permit here is hunter's choice, but on this spike-only unit that means a spike bull or an antlerless elk, not a branch-antlered bull, so archers need to be sure of antler configuration before releasing an arrow.
Any Legal Weapon · October 3 – October 15
The general any-legal-weapon hunt runs in early October, landing in the Late Rut and Early Post-Rut phase as rutting activity fades. Conditions are typically in the mid-50s for highs and low-30s for lows with a bit of snowfall for the month, cool enough to notice but rarely disruptive. Only a spike bull is legal on this permit, so careful identification of antler configuration matters before taking a shot.
Muzzleloader · October 28 – November 5
General-season muzzleloader runs from late October into early November, spanning the Post-Rut Recovery phase into Migration Transition as elk shift off summer patterns. Weather cools noticeably across this window, from October highs near 56°F and lows near 32°F down to November highs near 43°F and lows near 21°F, with snowfall increasing into November, conditions that can influence elk movement late in the hunt. Only a spike bull is legal, so hunters need to confirm antler configuration before shooting, and should be ready for elk to be responding to both the season change and cooling weather.
Cow elk hunts are also offered on this unit (any legal weapon October 31 – November 8; any legal weapon November 14 – November 22). They are drawn separately, in Utah's antlerless draw, using preference points — a different point bank from limited-entry bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,000–9,300 ft, typically around 7,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 51% gentle · 37% moderate · 11% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~282 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
- Sagebrush62%
- Conifer31%
- Grass and meadow4%
- Other cover3%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush67%
- Conifer30%
- Other cover2%
- Riparian1%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush54%
- Conifer38%
- Aspen4%
- Grass and meadow1%
- Riparian1%
- Other cover1%
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 68% of Diamond Mtn is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, Wildlife Management Areas, State Trust Land and National Forest.
- BLM56%
- Wildlife Management Areas6%
- State Trust Land4%
- National Forest2%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private32%
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 elk live in the unit
Utah's statewide elk habitat mapping, by layer: how much of Diamond 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.
- Summer Range60%used in summer
- Crucial Summer Range60%the part of Summer Range considered essential to the herd — inside Summer Range, not added to it
- Winter Range37%used in winter
- Crucial Winter Range37%the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it
Fall weather
- September — highs around 70°F, lows around 43°F
- October — highs around 56°F, lows around 32°F, about 1.7 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 43°F, lows around 21°F, about 4.5 in of snowfall
Diamond Mtn elk hunting FAQ
Do I need points to hunt elk on the Diamond Mtn unit?
Points are not required to hunt general-season elk here at all — the spike permit and the general archery permit are simply bought over the counter with no application or draw. Points only come into play for the separate limited-entry bull permit, which uses bonus points, and for the antlerless draw, which uses a different preference-point bank. Even for limited entry, an applicant at any point level can be drawn through the random half of the draw, so points help but are never a strict requirement to apply or to draw.
What is the difference between the limited-entry hunt and the general-season hunt on this unit?
The general season is an over-the-counter spike-only hunt bought directly with no draw, while limited entry is a separate drawn hunt for any bull with far fewer permits and its own seasons. Both hunts occur on the same ground but are managed as distinct permits with distinct legal animals, so a general-season rifle or muzzleloader hunter may only take a spike bull, while a limited-entry permit holder may take any bull.
What can a general-season archer legally take on Diamond Mtn?
The general archery permit here is hunter's choice, and since Diamond Mtn is a spike-only unit for general season, that choice is limited to a spike bull or an antlerless elk. A branch-antlered bull is off limits on this permit; taking one requires drawing the separate limited-entry bull permit instead.
Which elk seasons on Diamond Mtn fall during the September rut?
General-season archery and the limited-entry archery, early rifle, and muzzleloader hunts all fall within the September rut window. The general any-legal-weapon and muzzleloader hunts, along with the limited-entry mid-season rifle, late rifle, and late archery hunts, occur outside that window.
How much of the Diamond Mtn unit is public land?
About 68 percent of the unit, roughly 282 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across BLM, Wildlife Management Area, State Trust Land and National Forest ground. The rest is private and posted, so a hunter should not count on it and should carry current boundary information before heading out.
How hard is it to draw the limited-entry archery bull permit on Diamond Mtn?
The archery hunt is the easiest of the unit's main limited-entry bull hunts, and for a Utah resident it has drawn reliably around 6 to 9 bonus points, a band described as very hard. That reliability threshold is not an absolute floor, though — Utah's draw splits permits in half, with half going to the highest point holders and half drawn at random with one extra entry per point, so applicants below that band can still draw, just not routinely. The other limited-entry hunts on the unit, and nonresident applicants, generally require substantially more points than that archery figure.
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.