Fillmore, Oak Creek South Elk Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 1,478 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 Fillmore, Oak Creek South is like
The Fillmore, Oak Creek South unit is gentle and rolling country overall, with most of the ground classed as gentle terrain and only a small share of steep or rugged slope. Elevations run from around 4,600 feet up to 9,700 feet, and cover across the unit leans heavily to sagebrush and grass and meadow, with smaller shares of conifer and riparian. That mix of open shrub and grassland makes for country where elk can be spotted at a distance, but it also means finding a branch-antlered bull takes real pre-season legwork, since the population here runs low.
Roughly two-thirds of the unit is generally open to public hunting, spread across BLM, National Forest, State Trust Land and Wildlife Management Areas. Utah State Trust Land parcels fall under a standing state access agreement that opens most of that ground to hunting, though individual parcels can still be leased or restricted. The remainder of the unit is private land, so checking boundaries before heading out matters on ground this open. Two recent fires have burned on the unit's northeast side — the Canal fire from 2020, now five to eight years out, and the Wild Horse fire from 2026, within its first year — and hunters working that side of the unit should check for current fire closures and restrictions before heading in.
Through the fall, elk on this unit move from the velvet and early rut period in archery season into the primary rut, then taper into the post-rut and migration period by the time the rifle and muzzleloader hunts arrive in October and November. Winter Range and Summer Range are both mapped on the unit, reflecting seasonal use, though neither tells a hunter exactly where to find elk on a given day — that still comes down to scouting.
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
Archery season opens in mid-August while bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to the ground they used through summer, then runs through the rut onset and into the primary rut by the time it closes in mid-September. Early on, sitting water sources or glassing the open sagebrush and grass and meadow flats for a spot-and-stalk approach works well, since bulls haven't moved far from their summer haunts yet. As the weeks pass and the rut phases progress, elk activity shifts with the season, though the population here stays low, so covering ground and confirming animals before committing to a stalk pays off. Archers on this any-bull unit may take any bull or an antlerless elk, giving some flexibility if a mature bull doesn't show. Hunters working the unit's northeast corner should check on current fire closures and restrictions around the Canal and Wild Horse burns before heading in.
Early Any Legal Weapon · October 3 – October 9
By the time the early any legal weapon hunt opens in early October, elk have moved past the primary rut and into the late rut and early post-rut, meaning bulls are less predictable and less concentrated than they were in September. With the population on this unit already low, locating a bull before the week-long season opens takes real pre-season scouting rather than counting on finding one cold. The gentle, rolling terrain and open sagebrush and grassland cover make glassing at distance a workable approach once elk are pinpointed, but that same openness means animals can be spotted moving off just as easily. Any bull is legal during this hunt, and hunters covering the northeast side of the unit should account for the Canal and Wild Horse fire ground and check for current closures before going in.
Late Any Legal Weapon · October 10 – October 16
The late any legal weapon hunt picks up right where the early hunt leaves off, opening in mid-October as elk finish out the late rut and early post-rut before settling into post-rut recovery by the week's end. As with the early hunt, the low population on this unit means scouting ahead of the opener is essential to putting a bull in front of a rifle or muzzleloader, rather than hoping to cut fresh sign once the season starts. The unit's gentle, open country still favors long looks with optics, and the same advice about checking on fire closures applies to anyone working the burned ground on the northeast side. Any bull is legal during this hunt.
Muzzleloader · October 28 – November 5
Running from late October into early November, the muzzleloader hunt falls in the post-rut recovery and migration transition phases, when elk are past the rut entirely and beginning to shift with the onset of colder weather. November brings highs near 53°F, lows near 26°F, and about an inch of snowfall for the month, enough to start pushing elk toward different ground than they held in early fall. As with the other rifle seasons, the low population here means pre-season scouting to locate elk before the hunt opens matters more than searching during the week itself. Any bull is legal, and the open, gentle terrain still allows for glassing once elk are located, though fresh snow can also help reveal where animals have been moving.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,600–9,700 ft, typically around 4,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 82% gentle · 12% moderate · 6% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~997 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
- Sagebrush54%
- Grass and meadow28%
- Other cover12%
- Conifer5%
- Riparian1%
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 Fillmore, Oak Creek South. 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.
- Canal fire, 2020 — about 58,000 acres in the unit (6%), mostly on its northeast side.
- Wild Horse fire, 2026 — about 7,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its northeast side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 67% of Fillmore, Oak Creek South is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest, State Trust Land and Wildlife Management Areas.
- BLM45%
- National Forest12%
- State Trust Land10%
- Wildlife Management Areas<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 Fillmore, Oak Creek South 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.
- Winter Range7%used in winter
- Summer Range4%used in summer
Fall weather
- September — highs around 83°F, lows around 48°F
- October — highs around 68°F, lows around 36°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 53°F, lows around 26°F, about 1 in of snowfall
Fillmore, Oak Creek South elk hunting FAQ
Do I need points to hunt elk on the Fillmore, Oak Creek South unit?
No. The general-season archery, any-bull rifle and muzzleloader elk permits on this unit are bought over the counter on their sale date, not drawn, so no application or points are needed. Points in Utah only apply to limited-entry bull elk and antlerless elk draws, neither of which is part of these general-season hunts.
What can an archery hunter take on this unit?
The general archery permit here is hunter's choice, since this is an any-bull unit. That means an archer can legally take any bull or an antlerless elk during the archery season.
Which of the fall elk seasons fall during the September rut?
Only the general archery season, which runs into mid-September, overlaps the Rut Onset and Primary Rut period. The Early Any Legal Weapon, Late Any Legal Weapon and Muzzleloader seasons all fall in October and November, after that window has passed.
How much of the unit is actually open to public hunting?
About two-thirds of the unit, roughly 997 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across BLM, National Forest, State Trust Land and Wildlife Management Area ground. The remaining third is private, so checking boundaries matters given how much open ground borders it.
Is finding a bull easy given how open the terrain is?
Not necessarily. The population on this unit runs low, so open sightlines help with spotting but do not guarantee an elk is nearby, and locating a branch-antlered bull still takes real pre-season legwork.
Should hunting plans change because of the recent fires on the unit?
Both burns sit on the unit's northeast side, so the rest of the unit hunts the same as always. Anyone working that side of the unit should check for current fire closures and restrictions before heading in, since conditions on a burn can change.
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.