Fishlake/Thousand Lakes Elk Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 1,192 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 Fishlake/Thousand Lakes is like
The Fishlake/Thousand Lakes unit runs from valley floors near 5,000 feet up past 11,600 feet on Thousand Lake Mountain and the Fish Lake Plateau, and the country reflects that range: rolling to moderately steep ground overall, with gentle and moderate slopes making up most of the unit and only a small share qualifying as steep or rugged. That means most of the unit hunts on foot or with patient glassing rather than technical climbing, though the terrain varies enough that scouting a specific drainage before the season pays off. The unit draws heavy fall traffic for its scenery, camping and fishing as much as its hunting, and elk on the earlier hunts can slip onto private ground where they are harder to reach, which is worth planning around rather than fighting.
Access is broad and varied. The north end comes in off I-70 at the Gooseberry and Hwy 72 exits, with frontage-road spurs reaching good country along the way. The east side runs off Hwy 72 via the Last Chance road, Road #206 up onto Thousand Lake Mountain, and Road #036 past Mill Meadow Reservoir toward Fish Lake. The south end is reached on SR-25 off SR-24 to Fish Lake, and the west side opens up on dirt roads including Hancock Flat road, Road #053 to Rex Reservoir, and the Lost Creek country. An extensive ATV trail network laces through much of this, managed jointly by the Forest Service, BLM, and Sevier and Wayne counties, though upper-elevation roads can close with snow. About three-quarters of the unit is generally open to hunting across National Forest, BLM and state trust land, with the remainder split between private ground and closed National Park Service land, so public access is real but not automatic everywhere.
Elk range across winter range covering roughly half the unit and summer range covering just over a quarter, with a crucial subset of that summer range mapped as well, meaning use shifts with the seasons rather than staying fixed in one place. Cover shifts with elevation too, from sagebrush-dominated lower ground to a mix of conifer and aspen higher up, and hunts that fall during the September rut play differently than those that come after it once elk have settled into post-rut patterns.
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
The limited-entry archery hunt opens in mid-August while bulls are still finishing out the Late Summer / Velvet phase, then carries through the Pre-Rut Transition and into Rut Onset and Primary Rut by mid-September. Early on, bulls are shedding velvet and holding close to summer ground, so sitting water sources or glassing likely benches and openings for a spot-and-stalk works better than covering a lot of ground. As the days push into Rut Onset and Primary Rut, activity picks up and bulls move more, which rewards patience and repeat glassing of the same country over pushing in blind. This is a popular stretch on a unit that already draws heavy scenery, camping and fishing traffic, so expect company on accessible ground and plan around it rather than around any single drainage.
Early Rifle (any legal weapon) · September 16 – September 20
The early rifle hunt lands square in the Primary Rut, a five-day window in mid-September when bull activity is at its peak for the fall. Any legal weapon is allowed and the target is any bull, which makes this one of the better windows on the unit to catch bulls actively engaged with cows rather than settled into post-rut routines. The unit's scenery and camping draw crowds this time of year, so quieter access points off the smaller forks and ATV trails branching from the main roads are worth working rather than the obvious pull-offs. Given the short season, having ground scouted ahead of time pays off since there is little time to adjust once the hunt opens.
Muzzleloader · September 21 – October 2
By the time the muzzleloader hunt opens in late September, bulls are still in Primary Rut but transitioning into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase as the two weeks play out, and they've grown warier from having already been hunted. Bulls are still vocal enough to work with bugles or cow calls, but expect them to hang up rather than commit, so locating an animal by sound and then closing the distance on foot is a more realistic plan than calling one in. Most elk are still using the same general areas they held earlier in the fall, though some have started shifting, and where good feed exists under the trees they may not leave cover at all, making tight-cover tactics and slow, careful movement through timber pockets worthwhile.
Mid-season Rifle (any legal weapon) · October 3 – October 15
The mid-season rifle hunt runs in early October, entirely within the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, when bull behavior has settled down from the vocal peak of September. Elk are less likely to respond to calling at this point and more likely to be found through steady glassing and covering country methodically. The unit's mix of gentle to moderate slopes across most of the ground makes this workable on foot, though the popularity of the area for camping and recreation this time of year means picking less-traveled access, whether off the Gooseberry and Hwy 72 corridors on the north end or the Last Chance and Road #206 routes to the east, can make a real difference in pressure encountered.
Late Rifle (any legal weapon) · November 7 – November 15
By the time the late rifle hunt opens in early November, elk are well into the Migration Transition phase, shifting off summer ground as the season deepens toward winter. November brings a real cooling trend, with highs near 45°F and lows near 23°F, and snowfall averaging around 4.6 inches for the month, enough to close some upper-elevation roads and to push elk movement. Watching for that first accumulating snow is worthwhile since it can trigger the kind of transitional movement this phase is named for, and hunters should have a lower-elevation backup route in mind in case the higher roads off Thousand Lake Mountain or the Fish Lake Plateau become impassable.
Late Archery · November 28 – December 13
The late archery hunt is the last bull season of the year, opening in late November and running into mid-December through the tail end of Migration Transition and into the Winter phase. By this point elk have largely finished shifting off summer range, and November's cold — highs near 45°F, lows near 23°F, with snowfall around 4.6 inches for the month — has likely given way to harder winter conditions by December, though no normals are given for that month. This is a specialty hunt that draws considerably easier than the unit's main archery, rifle and muzzleloader bull hunts, and it rewards hunters willing to work lower-elevation cover and adjust routes as snow accumulates and roads become harder to reach.
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
The general archery season runs from mid-August into early September, spanning the Late Summer / Velvet phase, the Pre-Rut Transition, and into Rut Onset by its close. Bulls are shedding velvet and still holding near their summer range early in this window, making sitting water sources or glassing for a spot-and-stalk a solid approach before rut activity ramps up. This is a spike-only unit for general-season hunters, so an archer here may take a spike bull or an antlerless elk, but not a branch-antlered bull — that requires the separate limited-entry permit. The unit's popularity for camping, fishing and scenery means competition for access is part of the hunt, and elk on this early season can slip onto private ground where they become harder to reach.
Any Legal Weapon · October 3 – October 15
The general any-legal-weapon season runs from early to mid-October, falling within the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase as bull activity settles down from its September peak. Only a spike bull is legal for rifle and muzzleloader hunters on this hunt, and with elk past the vocal peak of the rut, steady glassing across the unit's rolling to moderately steep terrain is likely to produce more sightings than calling. The unit's extensive ATV trail network, laced through much of the National Forest, BLM and state trust ground, gives reasonable ways to cover country, though upper roads can already be affected by early-season weather this late in the fall.
Muzzleloader · October 28 – November 5
The general muzzleloader season opens in late October and runs into early November, covering the Post-Rut Recovery phase and into Migration Transition, a period when elk are moving off the patterns they held during the rut. November's arrival brings a real drop in temperature, with highs near 45°F, lows near 23°F, and snowfall averaging about 4.6 inches for the month, which can push elk lower and start to affect road access at higher elevations. Only a spike bull is legal here, and with elk shifting under both the shortening rut and worsening weather, hunters who can adapt to changing snow and access conditions, checking road status on the upper stretches of Thousand Lake Mountain and the Fish Lake Plateau, stand a better chance of finding elk still within reach.
Cow elk hunts are also offered on this unit (any legal weapon October 3 – October 15). They are drawn separately, in Utah's antlerless draw, using preference points — a different point bank from limited-entry bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,600–11,600 ft, typically around 7,700 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 43% gentle · 45% moderate · 11% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~889 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
- Sagebrush71%
- Conifer17%
- Other cover11%
- Grass and meadow2%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush47%
- Conifer41%
- Aspen8%
- Other cover4%
Higher elevations
- Conifer41%
- Sagebrush34%
- Aspen21%
- Other cover4%
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 75% of Fishlake/Thousand Lakes is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM and State Trust Land. Another 14% is public land closed to state-licensed hunting — National Park Service.
- National Forest51%
- BLM20%
- State Trust Land3%
- National Park Service14%
- Private12%
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 Fishlake/Thousand Lakes 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 Range50%used in winter
- Summer Range28%used in summer
- Crucial Summer Range25%the part of Summer Range considered essential to the herd — inside Summer Range, not added to it
- Crucial Winter Range6%the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it
Fall weather
- September — highs around 69°F, lows around 43°F
- October — highs around 57°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.7 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 45°F, lows around 23°F, about 4.6 in of snowfall
Fishlake/Thousand Lakes elk hunting FAQ
Do I need bonus points to hunt elk on the Fishlake/Thousand Lakes unit?
Points are never required just to apply — anyone can put in for the limited-entry bull hunt each year. Half of the limited-entry permits go to the applicants with the most bonus points, but the other half are drawn at random with one extra entry per point, so an applicant at any point level can draw, just not reliably. For the general-season spike hunts, no points or application are needed at all; the spike permit is simply bought over the counter.
What is the difference between the general season and the limited-entry hunt here?
The general season is bought over the counter with no draw and restricts rifle and muzzleloader hunters to a spike bull only. The limited-entry hunt is a separate drawn permit using bonus points that allows taking any bull, including branch-antlered bulls, and runs on the same ground under its own set of season dates. The two hunts should never be confused as one, since they carry different legal animals and different weapons windows.
Can a general archery hunter take a branch-antlered bull on this unit?
No. Because this is a spike-only unit, the general archery permit is hunter's choice between a spike bull and an antlerless elk, not any bull. A branch-antlered bull can only be taken with the separate limited-entry bull permit.
Which seasons on this unit fall during the September rut?
The general-season archery hunt and three of the limited-entry hunts — archery, early rifle, and muzzleloader — overlap the Rut Onset or Primary Rut phases in September. The general-season any-legal-weapon and muzzleloader hunts, along with the limited-entry mid-season rifle, late rifle, and late archery hunts, all fall outside that window.
How much of the Fishlake/Thousand Lakes unit is public land a hunter can count on?
About three-quarters of the unit, roughly 889 square miles, is generally open to hunting across National Forest, BLM, and State Trust Land. Another sizable share is National Park Service land that is closed to hunting entirely, and the rest is private ground, so the open share is real but does not cover the whole unit.
How hard is it to draw the limited-entry bull tag on this unit?
For the archery hunt, which is the easiest of the main limited-entry bull seasons, resident applicants have reliably drawn around 6 to 9 bonus points in recent draws. The rifle and muzzleloader limited-entry hunts take substantially more points than that archery benchmark, while the late archery hunt is an exception that has drawn easier, around 3 to 5 points.
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.