Nebo/San Pitch Mtns Elk Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 965 sq mi
Premium — 10–19 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 Nebo/San Pitch Mtns is like
The Nebo/San Pitch Mtns unit is mixed country with substantial steep ground, running from valley floor near 4,500 feet up to nearly 11,900 feet at its highest points. Much of the terrain elk favor is a matter of straight-up-or-straight-down hiking, and good physical condition matters more here than a truck. Pressure tends to concentrate along the Nebo Loop Road corridor, where hunters glass ridges and canyons from the overlooks, but the north portion of the unit — north of SR 132 — is closed to ATV use, which leaves canyons and trails there for hunters willing to get out on foot or bring stock.
Access on the west side runs through the Upper Fish Creek trailhead near Scofield Reservoir, which travels west to a connecting trailhead on Skyline Drive near Johnson Ridge. About 51 percent of the unit is generally open to public hunting, spread across National Forest, BLM, Wildlife Management Area, and State Trust Land (most state trust parcels are covered by a standing access agreement, though individual parcels can still be leased or restricted). The remaining ground is private, so checking boundaries before heading out matters. Camping is managed by the Forest Service on the Manti-La Sal National Forest, with dispersed camping allowed on most of the forest outside developed campgrounds.
Three burns from recent years touch the unit: the Pole Creek fire (2018) burned roughly 52,000 acres on the northeast side, the Bald Mountain fire (2018) burned about 19,000 acres on the north side, and the William fire (2020) burned about 5,800 acres on the northwest side. This fall places all three at five to eight years post-fire, a stage where regrowth is thick — brush and saplings five feet or better — and deadfall keeps accumulating as burned timber falls, so those burned drainages take extra effort to move through and to see into. Hunters working those areas should check 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 (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
Early in this archery season bulls are still finishing out their velvet and haven't strayed far from where they summered, moving through the Late Summer and Pre-Rut Transition phases before the rut builds through Rut Onset and into Primary Rut by the season's second half. Sitting known water sources or glassing likely basins for a spot-and-stalk works well while animals are still patterned tight to summer haunts. As the season progresses into September, bulls become more active with the rut underway, which can open up calling and glassing opportunities across the unit's steeper ground. This is a bull-only limited-entry tag, so any legal bull is fair game once found.
Early Rifle (any legal weapon) · September 16 – September 20
This short window falls squarely in the Primary Rut, and the higher elevation country around Nebo Loop Road draws most of the hunting pressure for good reason — glassing ridges and canyons from the overlooks there can turn up rutting bulls at distance. Hiking into the ATV-restricted country north of SR 132 is the way to get away from other hunters, and unmarked springs scattered across the mountain give elk reliable water even where none is mapped. The recently burned ground on the east and west sides of the unit is worth a look too, since elk are drawn into burned areas as vegetation reestablishes. Any bull is legal on this limited-entry tag.
Muzzleloader · September 21 – October 2
Spanning the tail end of Primary Rut into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, this muzzleloader hunt catches bulls still keyed into rutting activity early on before behavior shifts. The same high-elevation glassing tactics that work in the surrounding rifle hunts apply here, working ridgelines and canyons for bulls at a distance, and the ATV-closed country north of SR 132 still offers a way to hunt away from foot and vehicle traffic. Any bull is legal on this limited-entry permit.
Mid-season Rifle (any legal weapon) · October 3 – October 15
By this stretch of October elk have settled into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, with breeding activity winding down and bulls beginning to shift out of peak rut behavior. Glassing from vantage points and working the steeper canyon country remains the practical approach on a unit where much of the elk range is tough, vertical terrain. Any bull is legal for this limited-entry rifle hunt.
Late Rifle (any legal weapon) · November 7 – November 15
This November hunt falls in the Migration Transition phase, when elk are shifting off summer and transition ground, and it comes with a real change in weather — highs near 48°F and lows around 25°F, with roughly 3.5 inches of monthly snowfall bringing the first meaningful accumulation of the fall. That snow can push elk to move and can also make steep drainages and unmarked spring country harder to access, so plan for changing footing and cover accordingly. Any bull is legal on this limited-entry tag.
Late Archery · November 28 – December 13
Running from late November into December, this late archery hunt spans the Migration Transition phase into Winter, with elk shifting toward winter patterns as the season deepens. November's cold — highs around 48°F, lows near 25°F, with snowfall building toward 3.5 inches — means hunters should expect snow underfoot and colder, shorter days than earlier seasons, which can concentrate movement as elk respond to the changing conditions. Any bull is legal on this limited-entry archery permit, one of the few opportunities to hunt bulls this late in the year on the unit.
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
This general-season archery hunt overlaps the limited-entry archery timing, spanning the Late Summer / Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition, and Rut Onset phases, so bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to summer range early before rut activity starts to build. Sitting water or glassing for a stalk are the go-to tactics while animals are still in that pre-rut pattern. This is a spike-only permit for rifle and muzzleloader hunters, but archers hold hunter's choice here — a spike bull or an antlerless elk, never a branch-antlered bull.
Any Legal Weapon · October 3 – October 15
Falling in the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, this any-legal-weapon hunt catches elk past peak breeding activity. The steep, mixed terrain that defines much of the unit's elk habitat still rewards glassing from higher vantage points such as those along Nebo Loop Road. Only a spike bull is legal on this general-season permit, so rifle and muzzleloader hunters need to be sure of antler configuration before pulling the trigger.
Muzzleloader · October 28 – November 5
This muzzleloader hunt runs across the Post-Rut Recovery and Migration Transition phases, when elk are moving away from rut behavior and beginning to shift with the season. November conditions bring real cold — highs near 48°F, lows around 25°F — and roughly 3.5 inches of snowfall, enough to affect footing and visibility in the steeper drainages and to influence how elk are moving through the unit. Only a spike bull is legal on this general-season tag.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,500–11,900 ft, typically around 6,500 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 39% gentle · 35% moderate · 24% steep · 3% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~491 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
- Sagebrush41%
- Other cover34%
- Grass and meadow10%
- Conifer8%
- Riparian4%
- Aspen3%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush43%
- Conifer31%
- Aspen12%
- Grass and meadow11%
- Other cover3%
Higher elevations
- Aspen30%
- Conifer30%
- Sagebrush29%
- Grass and meadow10%
- 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.
Recent fires
Wildfires in the last several seasons that burned a meaningful share of Nebo/San Pitch 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.
- Pole Creek fire, 2018 — about 52,000 acres in the unit (8%), mostly on its northeast side.
- Bald Mountain fire, 2018 — about 19,000 acres in the unit (3%), mostly on its north side.
- William fire, 2020 — about 5,800 acres in the unit, mostly on its northwest side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 51% of Nebo/San Pitch Mtns is public land a hunter can generally count on — National Forest, BLM, Wildlife Management Areas and State Trust Land.
- National Forest31%
- BLM11%
- Wildlife Management Areas6%
- State Trust Land3%
- military land<1%
- Private49%
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 Nebo/San Pitch 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.
- Transition Range29%used moving between summer and winter range
- Winter Range24%used in winter
- Crucial Winter Range24%the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it
Fall weather
- September — highs around 75°F, lows around 46°F
- October — highs around 61°F, lows around 35°F, about 0.3 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 48°F, lows around 25°F, about 3.5 in of snowfall
Nebo/San Pitch Mtns elk hunting FAQ
Do I need bonus points to hunt elk on the Nebo/San Pitch Mtns unit?
It depends on which hunt. The general-season spike and archery permits are bought over the counter with no application, draw, or points involved, while the limited-entry bull hunt is a drawn hunt using bonus points. Points are never required just to apply for the limited-entry draw, and because half of its permits are drawn at random with an extra entry per point, an applicant at any point level can draw, though not reliably or every year.
What is the difference between the general-season and limited-entry elk hunts here?
The general season is an over-the-counter hunt where rifle and muzzleloader hunters may take a spike bull only, while archers get hunter's choice of a spike bull or an antlerless elk. Limited entry is a separate, drawn hunt on the same ground where the tag is valid for any bull, managed for older-age bulls with far fewer permits available.
Can a general-season archer take a branch-antlered bull on this unit?
No. This is a spike-only unit, so the general archery permit is hunter's choice between a spike bull and an antlerless elk, never a branch-antlered bull. Taking a branch-antlered bull here requires drawing the separate limited-entry permit.
Which elk seasons on this unit fall during the September rut?
The general-season archery hunt and the limited-entry archery, early rifle, and muzzleloader hunts all fall within the September rut window of Rut Onset or Primary Rut. The general-season any-legal-weapon and muzzleloader hunts, along with the limited-entry mid-season rifle, late rifle, and late archery hunts, all occur outside that rut window.
How much of the Nebo/San Pitch Mtns unit is public land a hunter can count on?
About 51 percent of the unit, roughly 491 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across National Forest, BLM, Wildlife Management Area, and State Trust Land. State trust parcels are covered by a standing access agreement that opens most of that ground, though individual parcels can still be leased or restricted, so it's not a guarantee everywhere. The remaining land is private.
How hard is it to draw the limited-entry archery bull tag on this unit?
The limited-entry archery hunt, the easiest of the unit's main limited-entry bull hunts, sits in the Premium band at 10 to 19 bonus points for the level that has drawn reliably for residents. The other main limited-entry hunts — early rifle, muzzleloader, mid-season rifle, and late rifle — take substantially more points, while the late archery hunt is a specialty exception that draws far easier.
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.