Paunsaugunt Elk Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 1,496 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. There is no general-season archery elk hunt on this unit.
What hunting Paunsaugunt is like
The Paunsaugunt is rolling country with some steeper breaks, running from around 4,100 feet up to 9,600 feet, with most of the ground sitting in that gentle-to-moderate middle range rather than sheer terrain. At lower elevations the cover is dominated by sagebrush with a little conifer and scattered grass and meadow. Move up into the mid elevations and conifer starts to build while sagebrush still covers most of the ground. At the higher elevations the timber takes over as the main cover, with sagebrush, some aspen, and grass and meadow filling in the rest. That mix gives a hunter open sage flats to glass at lower elevations and heavier timber to work higher up.
Access runs through a mix of BLM, National Forest and state trust land that together make up about 80 percent of the unit, which is the ground a hunter can actually plan around; a standing state access agreement opens most of that trust land too, though individual parcels can still be leased or restricted. A smaller share is National Park Service land closed to hunting, and about 16 percent is private. None of that adds up to easy access on its own — public ownership here still means working around the terrain and figuring out where the boundaries actually fall.
Two recent fires are worth knowing before heading out. The France Canyon fire burned about 35,000 acres on the unit's north side in 2025 and is in its first year after burning this fall, meaning elk may have shifted off that ground toward areas with better feed and water, though they can filter back through the burn between patches of unburned timber. The Deer Springs fire burned roughly 12,000 acres toward the middle of the unit in 2024 and is now two to four years out, the stage where a burn often opens up glassing and puts elk into the burn edges to feed morning and evening. Anyone hunting either burn should check for current fire closures and restrictions before heading in.
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. There is no general-season archery elk hunt on this unit.
| Season | Dates | Legal 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 |
Early Any Legal Weapon · October 3 – October 9
By the time the Early Any Legal Weapon hunt opens in early October, elk are settling into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, with the most intense rut activity behind them. Bulls are still on their feet and can be found working between the sagebrush-heavy lower ground and the timbered high country, so covering elevation bands is worthwhile rather than sitting on one spot. Any bull is legal for rifle or muzzleloader hunters during this window. Where the hunt overlaps the Deer Springs burn, now two to four years past the fire, the more open ground there can make for easier glassing and a decent bet for working the timber edges early and late in the day.
Late Any Legal Weapon · October 10 – October 16
The Late Any Legal Weapon hunt picks up where the early hunt leaves off, spanning the tail end of the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase into the Post-Rut Recovery phase, so elk activity is settling down and animals are less locked into rutting behavior. Any bull is legal for rifle or muzzleloader hunters. With rutting behavior fading, working the timber at higher elevations and the sagebrush flats below it on a rotation still makes sense, and the Deer Springs burn area, now in its two-to-four-year window, continues to offer more open sightlines and morning and evening activity along its unburned edges.
Muzzleloader · October 28 – November 5
The Muzzleloader hunt runs into late October and early November, crossing from the Post-Rut Recovery phase into the Migration Transition phase, when elk begin shifting off summer ground toward winter areas. November brings colder conditions, with highs around 52°F and lows near 25°F, and around 2 inches of monthly snowfall, enough to start pushing animals and to make fresh tracks easier to cut in the high country. Any bull is legal for this hunt. The France Canyon burn, still in its first year, may hold fewer elk than it did in summer as animals move toward ground with better feed and water, though some can still be found passing through between unburned timber patches, so it is worth checking current fire closures before planning to hunt there.
Cow elk hunts are also offered on this unit (any legal weapon November 21 – 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
- 4,100–9,600 ft, typically around 6,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 58% gentle · 29% moderate · 11% steep · 2% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1,202 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
- Sagebrush93%
- Conifer3%
- Other cover3%
- Grass and meadow1%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush76%
- Conifer20%
- Other cover3%
- Grass and meadow1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer63%
- Sagebrush27%
- Aspen5%
- Other cover3%
- Grass and meadow2%
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 Paunsaugunt. 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.
- France Canyon fire, 2025 — about 35,000 acres in the unit (4%), mostly on its north side.
- Deer Springs fire, 2024 — about 12,000 acres in the unit (1%), toward the middle of the unit.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 80% of Paunsaugunt is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest and State Trust Land. Another 3% is public land closed to state-licensed hunting — National Park Service.
- BLM64%
- National Forest14%
- State Trust Land3%
- National Park Service3%
- Private16%
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 Paunsaugunt 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.
- Yearlong Range18%the only layer that means year-round use
- Summer Range15%used in summer
- Crucial Summer Range6%the part of Summer Range considered essential to the herd — inside Summer Range, not added to it
- Winter Range4%used in winter
- Crucial Winter Range2%the part of Winter Range considered essential to the herd — inside Winter Range, not added to it
Fall weather
- September — highs around 78°F, lows around 45°F
- October — highs around 65°F, lows around 35°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 52°F, lows around 25°F, about 2.1 in of snowfall
Paunsaugunt elk hunting FAQ
Do I need points to hunt general-season elk on the Paunsaugunt?
No. The any-bull general-season permit here is bought over the counter on its July 9 sale date, not drawn, so there is no application and no point requirement. Points in Utah only apply to limited-entry and antlerless draws, not to this general-season hunt.
What can a general-season hunter legally take on this unit?
This is an any-bull unit, so any rifle or muzzleloader hunter holding a general-season permit can take any bull elk during their season. There is no general-season archery elk hunt offered on this unit.
Do any of the general elk seasons fall during the September rut?
No. All three general seasons — Early Any Legal Weapon, Late Any Legal Weapon, and Muzzleloader — run in October and into early November, after the September rut window has passed.
How much of the Paunsaugunt is public land I can hunt?
About 80 percent of the unit, roughly 1,202 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through a mix of BLM, National Forest, and state trust land. A small share is National Park Service land that is closed to hunting, and about 16 percent is private.
How do the recent fires affect elk hunting on the unit?
The France Canyon fire burned about 35,000 acres on the north side in 2025 and is in its first year after burning, a stage when elk may have shifted toward ground with better feed and water but can still move through the burn between timber patches. The Deer Springs fire burned about 12,000 acres toward the middle of the unit in 2024 and is now two to four years out, a stage that often opens up glassing and puts elk along the burn edges morning and evening. Checking for current fire closures and restrictions before hunting either area is worthwhile.
Is there a cow elk hunt on the Paunsaugunt?
Yes, an antlerless elk hunt runs from late November through the end of December, but it is filled through Utah's separate antlerless draw using preference points rather than being an over-the-counter permit.
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.