La Sal, La Sal Mtns Elk Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 2,478 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: Moderate — 1–2 points. 6 limited-entry hunts, plus a multiseason permit; 3 of them during the September rut.
What hunting La Sal, La Sal Mtns is like
The La Sal Mtns unit is rolling country with some steeper breaks, running from valley floor near 3,900 feet up to peaks at 12,700 feet, with most of the ground falling into the gentle and moderate categories and only a small share qualifying as steep or rugged. Lower and mid elevations are dominated by sagebrush, with grass and meadow and a little riparian mixed in down low. Higher up the cover shifts to a mix of conifer, sagebrush, and aspen, with some grass and meadow worked in — that upper mix is where timber and aspen give elk cover close to the rougher pockets of the unit.
Roughly three-quarters of the unit sits on ground a hunter can count on hunting, split between BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land, the last of which is open to hunting under a standing state access agreement across most, though not all, parcels. Public land here does not mean easy access — a meaningful share of the unit is closed National Park Service and military ground, and a small unclassified sliver exists that is not known to be public or private. Given the size of the unit, at nearly 2,500 square miles, getting into the right pocket of public ground takes some planning regardless of season.
Two recent fires touch the southeast side of the unit: the Deer Creek fire from 2025, and the Pack Creek fire from 2021. The Deer Creek burn is in its first fall after burning, when elk are often displaced toward ground with water and feed but can filter back through in transit between patches of standing cover. The Pack Creek burn, five to eight years out now, has grown back thick with brush and downed timber that can hide animals well. Hunters working either burn should check for current fire closures and restrictions before heading in.
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 (Moderate — 1–2 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 opens August 15 and runs into mid-September, spanning the Late Summer / Velvet phase, the Pre-Rut Transition phase, and on into Rut Onset and Primary Rut by its final days. Early on, bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to where they spent the summer, so sitting water sources or glassing for a spot-and-stalk are both workable approaches. As the season pushes into September the rut phases advance and bull behavior shifts accordingly, though the same still-hunting and glassing tactics from the early season continue to apply on this rolling, broken ground. Any bull is legal on this permit.
Early Rifle (any legal weapon) · September 16 – September 20
The early rifle hunt is short, running September 16 through 20, and falls entirely inside the Primary Rut phase. Bulls are in full rut during this window, which is as active as the fall gets on this unit. Any bull is legal, and the compressed five-day season rewards hunters who can get onto elk-holding cover quickly rather than easing in over several days.
Muzzleloader · September 21 – October 2
Limited-entry muzzleloader runs from September 21 into early October, covering the tail of the Primary Rut phase and then the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase. Bulls are still working through rut activity as the season opens and transitioning toward its close by the time the hunt ends. Any bull is legal, and the shift from primary rut to post-rut behavior over the course of the season can change where and how elk are found from the first days to the last.
Mid-season Rifle (any legal weapon) · October 3 – October 15
Mid-season rifle runs October 3 through 15 and sits in the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, after the peak breeding activity has passed. Any bull is legal on this hunt. Elk behavior is settling into post-rut patterns during this window, which calls for a more patient, search-and-glass approach than the early rifle hunt's rut-driven activity.
Late Rifle (any legal weapon) · November 7 – November 15
The late rifle hunt runs November 7 through 15, placing it in the Migration Transition phase as elk begin shifting between summer and winter range. By this point November has brought real cold, with highs near 53°F and lows around 28°F, along with a bit of snowfall — enough to firm up tracking conditions and push elk movement. Any bull is legal, and hunters should be ready for the colder, more variable weather that comes with a November hunt on this unit.
Late Archery · November 28 – December 13
Late archery runs from late November into mid-December, spanning the tail of the Migration Transition phase and into the Winter phase. This is the coldest hunt on the calendar for the unit, with November conditions near 53°F highs and 28°F lows and light snowfall setting the tone as the season moves toward December. Any bull is legal, and elk are working through migration and into wintering patterns during this stretch, a very different hunt from the summer-pattern archery season back in August.
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 runs August 15 through September 4, covering the Late Summer / Velvet phase, the Pre-Rut Transition phase, and the start of Rut Onset. Bulls are stripping velvet and still holding near summer areas in the early part of this window, and sitting water or glassing for a stalk can both produce. On this spike-only unit the general archery tag is hunter's choice, meaning a spike bull or an antlerless elk may be taken — not a branch-antlered bull, which requires the separate limited-entry permit.
Any Legal Weapon · October 3 – October 15
General-season any-legal-weapon runs October 3 through 15, landing in the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase after the peak of the rut has passed. Only a spike bull may be taken on this permit, bought over the counter with no application or points required. Hunting during this window means looking for post-rut elk movement rather than rut-driven activity.
Muzzleloader · October 28 – November 5
General-season muzzleloader runs October 28 through November 5, spanning the Post-Rut Recovery phase and into the Migration Transition phase. November weather is starting to turn by the close of this season, with highs near 53°F and lows near 28°F and a touch of snowfall arriving. Only a spike bull is legal, and elk are shifting into migration movement as the hunt wraps up, which can put animals on the move between summer and winter ground.
Cow elk hunts are also offered on this unit (any legal weapon October 3 – October 15; any legal weapon November 19 – December 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
- 3,900–12,700 ft, typically around 5,000 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 63% gentle · 23% moderate · 10% steep · 3% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1,944 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
- Sagebrush88%
- Other cover7%
- Grass and meadow4%
- Riparian1%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush90%
- Conifer6%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer42%
- Sagebrush38%
- Aspen15%
- Grass and meadow3%
- Other cover2%
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 La Sal, La Sal Mtns. 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.
- Deer Creek fire, 2025 — about 15,000 acres in the unit (1%), mostly on its southeast side.
- Pack Creek fire, 2021 — about 9,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its southeast side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 78% of La Sal, La Sal Mtns is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and National Forest. Another 13% is public land closed to state-licensed hunting — National Park Service and military land.
- BLM59%
- State Trust Land10%
- National Forest9%
- National Park Service13%
- military land<1%
- Unclassified ownership1%
- Private7%
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 La Sal, La Sal Mtns 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 Range9%used in winter
- Crucial Winter Range9%the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it
- Summer Range7%used in summer
- Crucial Summer Range7%the part of Summer Range considered essential to the herd — inside Summer Range, not added to it
- Yearlong Range1%the only layer that means year-round use
- Transition Range<1%used moving between summer and winter range
Fall weather
- September — highs around 82°F, lows around 51°F
- October — highs around 68°F, lows around 39°F
- November — highs around 53°F, lows around 28°F, about 0.3 in of snowfall
La Sal, La Sal Mtns elk hunting FAQ
Do I need points to hunt elk on the La Sal Mtns unit?
Points are never required to apply. The general-season spike hunts and the hunter's choice archery permit are bought over the counter with no application or points at all. Only the separate limited-entry bull hunt uses bonus points, and even there the random half of the draw means an applicant at any point level can draw, just not reliably.
What is the difference between the limited-entry hunt and the general-season hunt here?
The general season is an over-the-counter spike-only hunt: rifle and muzzleloader hunters may take a spike bull only, no draw involved. The limited-entry hunt is a separate, drawn permit for any bull, with far fewer tags issued and its own archery, rifle, and muzzleloader seasons that run on different dates than the general season.
What can a general-season archer legally take on this unit?
Because this is a spike-only unit, the general archery permit is hunter's choice for a spike bull or an antlerless elk — not a branch-antlered bull. Taking a branch-antlered bull on this unit requires drawing the separate limited-entry permit.
Which hunts fall during the September rut?
General-season Archery, Limited-entry Archery, Limited-entry Early Rifle, and Limited-entry Muzzleloader all fall within the September rut window. The general-season Any Legal Weapon and Muzzleloader hunts, along with Limited-entry Mid-season Rifle, Late Rifle, and Late Archery, fall outside it.
How much of the La Sal Mtns unit is public land a hunter can count on?
About 78 percent of the unit is generally open to public hunting, spread across BLM, National Forest, and State Trust Land, with most trust land parcels open under a standing state access agreement. Roughly 13 percent is public but closed to hunting between National Park Service and military land, and about 7 percent is private.
How hard is it to draw the limited-entry bull tag on this unit?
The limited-entry archery hunt, the easiest of the main limited-entry bull hunts here, has drawn reliably for Utah residents at 6 to 9 bonus points, which falls in the very hard band. The other limited-entry rifle and muzzleloader hunts take substantially more points than that, while the specialty late archery hunt draws much easier, typically at 1 to 2 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.