Morgan-South Rich Elk Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 931 sq mi
Premium — 10–19 points
The late rifle hunt, the only limited-entry hunt here, for a Utah resident, by the bonus points that drew reliably. 1 limited-entry hunt.
What hunting Morgan-South Rich is like
The Morgan-South Rich unit is rolling to moderately steep country, running from around 4,800 feet up to 9,300 feet, with most of the ground falling into gentle to moderate slopes rather than sheer terrain. It is comprised mostly of private land, and that single fact drives the hunt more than any ridge or canyon does: elk that get pressured tend to slip onto that private ground, and the hunt is usually best right after a storm pushes them back into reach. Foot travel matters here since most access is non-motorized, and hunters willing to work on foot generally see more country than those who don't.
Getting in means working around the private checkerboard. Highway 39 reaches Forest Service land, and off I-84 the Henefer Road or Echo Road exits lead to the Henefer/Echo Wildlife Management Area, though that WMA is closed to motorized vehicles entirely. ATV access on the Forest Service ground is limited to areas south of Highway 39. Only about 11 percent of the unit, roughly 105 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, state Wildlife Management Area, BLM, and State Trust Land (most trust land parcels are covered by a standing state access agreement, though some individual parcels can still be leased or restricted). With private land making up about 89 percent of the unit, that public 11 percent is the ground a hunter can actually plan around.
Elk use roughly half the unit as Summer Range and the same share as Winter Range, with Crucial Summer and Crucial Winter Range each sitting inside those totals as the portion considered essential. None of the unit is mapped as Yearlong Range, meaning elk here are seasonal users rather than year-round residents of any one spot. Permit holders should also note that hunting on CWMUs is not allowed under any of these tags.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late Rifle (any legal weapon) | December 19 – December 27 | Bull | Winter |
This band describes the easiest of the unit's main limited-entry bull hunts (Late Rifle (any legal weapon)) for a Utah resident in the 2026 draw: the lowest bonus-point level that drew reliably. 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.
Late Rifle (any legal weapon) · December 19 – December 27
The limited-entry Late Rifle hunt runs December 19–27, well into the Winter phase, when elk are settled into their winter patterns rather than moving under any rut behavior. This is a drawn hunt for any bull, built around bonus points, and separate from the general rifle seasons that come earlier in the fall. Because the unit is comprised mostly of private land with most access non-motorized, a hunter still needs to work the public ground on foot — National Forest, the Wildlife Management Area, BLM and State Trust Land parcels are the only pieces to count on. Pressure from earlier seasons and the pull of private ground make patience and legwork on that public 11 percent the practical path to a bull this late in the year.
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, August 15 through September 16, opens while bulls are still finishing out the Late Summer/Velvet phase and carries through the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, and Primary Rut phases by its close. Early on, bulls are shedding velvet and still holding close to summer ground, which makes sitting water sources or glassing for a spot-and-stalk worth the time. As the season moves into the rut phases, elk become more active across the unit, but the same private checkerboard applies — Highway 39 reaches the Forest Service ground, and the Henefer/Echo Wildlife Management Area is reachable off I-84 via Henefer Road or Echo Road, though that WMA allows no motorized travel at all. The permit is hunter's choice, so an archer can take any bull or an antlerless elk, and covering ground on foot in the accessible pockets pays off more than staying near a vehicle.
Early Any Legal Weapon · October 3 – October 9
The Early Any Legal Weapon hunt, October 3–9, falls in the Late Rut/Early Post-Rut phase, with elk still working through the tail end of rutting activity as the weather turns cooler and light snow starts to show up in the forecast. Any bull is legal under this over-the-counter permit, but the same pressure dynamic that defines the unit shows up fast: once hunters start moving through the accessible ground, elk get pushed onto the private land that makes up most of the unit. The best chances tend to come right after a storm, when elk get bumped back toward the public pockets — the Forest Service land off Highway 39 and the non-motorized Henefer/Echo Wildlife Management Area off I-84. Given how little of the unit is open to public hunting, working those areas hard right after a weather push is the way to stay on elk instead of watching them disappear across a fence.
Late Any Legal Weapon · October 10 – October 16
Late Any Legal Weapon runs October 10–16, spanning the last of the Late Rut/Early Post-Rut phase into the Post-Rut Recovery phase, so elk are settling down from rutting activity as the season goes. Cooling temperatures and light snowfall in this window can help move elk around, but the same private-land dynamic still governs the hunt — pressure on the limited public ground pushes elk onto private acreage where they're out of reach. Hunting right after a storm, when elk are shifted back toward accessible terrain, remains the practical approach, working the Forest Service access off Highway 39 or the non-motorized Henefer/Echo Wildlife Management Area reached from Henefer Road or Echo Road off I-84. Any bull is legal, and foot travel across the open ground covers more country than trying to work it from a vehicle.
Muzzleloader · October 28 – November 5
By the Muzzleloader hunt, October 28 through November 5, elk have moved past the rut entirely, spanning the Post-Rut Recovery phase into the Migration Transition phase, and November brings a real shift in weather — highs drop into the low 40s and lows into the 20s, with snowfall picking up to around a foot for the month. That kind of snow can be enough to push elk around the unit, and combined with hunting pressure, it tends to send them onto the private ground that dominates the checkerboard. Timing a hunt to follow a fresh storm, when elk get bumped back toward the Forest Service ground off Highway 39 or the non-motorized Henefer/Echo Wildlife Management Area, gives a muzzleloader hunter the best shot at connecting on the any-bull permit. Sticking to the accessible public pockets and moving on foot remains the only reliable way to stay on elk as winter conditions build.
Cow elk hunts are also offered on this unit (any legal weapon December 1 – December 21; any legal weapon December 22 – 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
- 4,800–9,300 ft, typically around 7,000 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 40% gentle · 43% moderate · 16% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~105 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
- Sagebrush64%
- Aspen15%
- Other cover13%
- Conifer3%
- Grass and meadow3%
- Riparian2%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush64%
- Aspen23%
- Conifer7%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Aspen52%
- Sagebrush33%
- Conifer13%
- Grass and meadow1%
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 11% of Morgan-South Rich is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, Wildlife Management Areas, BLM and State Trust Land.
- National Forest6%
- Wildlife Management Areas3%
- BLM2%
- State Trust Land<1%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private89%
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 Morgan-South Rich 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 Range50%used in summer
- Crucial Summer Range50%the part of Summer Range considered essential to the herd — inside Summer Range, not added to it
- Winter Range42%used in winter
- Crucial Winter Range42%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 42°F
- October — highs around 56°F, lows around 32°F, about 1.5 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 43°F, lows around 23°F, about 12 in of snowfall
Morgan-South Rich elk hunting FAQ
Do I need bonus points to hunt elk on the Morgan-South Rich unit?
Points are never required to hunt elk here. The general-season any-bull and archery permits are bought over the counter with no application or points at all. Only the separate limited-entry bull hunt uses bonus points, and even then the random half of that draw means an applicant at any point level can draw, though not reliably or every year.
What is the difference between the general season and the limited-entry hunt on this unit?
The general season is bought over the counter for archery, early and late any-legal-weapon, and muzzleloader hunts, and any bull is legal to take on the rifle and muzzleloader tags. The limited-entry hunt is a separate, drawn late rifle season in December managed for older bulls, though the legal animal on that permit is still any bull. Both hunts share the same ground, but their seasons, permits, and draw processes never overlap.
What can a general archery hunter take on this unit?
Because this is an any-bull unit, the general archery permit is hunter's choice: an archer may legally take any bull or an antlerless elk during the August 15 to September 16 season. That is broader than the rifle and muzzleloader seasons, which are restricted to bulls only.
Which elk seasons here fall during the September rut?
Only the general archery season, running from mid-August into mid-September, overlaps the rut onset and primary rut phases. The early and late any-legal-weapon hunts in October, the muzzleloader hunt in late October into November, and the December limited-entry rifle hunt all fall outside that window.
How much of the Morgan-South Rich unit is actually open to public hunting?
About 11 percent of the unit, roughly 105 square miles, is generally open across National Forest, a state Wildlife Management Area, BLM, and State Trust Land. The remaining ground is private, so most of the unit is not something a hunter can plan on walking onto. Even within that public share, some State Trust Land parcels can still be leased or restricted despite the standing access agreement covering most of it.
Can I ride an ATV to reach elk on this unit?
Motorized access is limited. On the Forest Service ground, ATV use is only allowed south of Highway 39, and the Henefer/Echo Wildlife Management Area is closed to motorized vehicles entirely. Most of the unit's access is non-motorized, so covering ground on foot matters more here than running roads or trails by machine.
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.