Pine Valley Elk Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 2,605 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. The general archery permit (on sale July 7) allows any bull or an antlerless elk on this unit.
What hunting Pine Valley is like
The Pine Valley unit covers 2,605 square miles of rolling country with some steeper breaks, running from a low of 2,200 feet up to 10,400 feet, with most of the ground sitting around 5,300 feet. The gentle-to-moderate slopes that dominate the unit make for a lot of foot-friendly hunting, though the pockets of steep and rugged ground toward the high end give hunters places to push into cover when pressure builds. Elk numbers here are small and sightings are considered rare, so this is a unit that rewards patience and careful scouting over volume of animals.
Getting into the unit is not a problem on paper — about 71 percent of Pine Valley, roughly 1,844 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across BLM, National Forest, State Trust Land and Wildlife Management Area ground. Most of the state trust land is covered by a standing state access agreement, though individual parcels can still be leased or restricted, so it pays to check status before committing to a spot. Private land makes up about 27 percent of the unit, and a small strip of tribal land is closed to state-licensed hunting entirely.
Three wildfires have reshaped parts of the unit in recent years: the Forsyth fire burned about 16,000 acres on the southeast side in 2025 and is in its first year of regrowth this fall, while the Flatt fire (2021, northwest side) and the Turkey Farm Road fire (2020, south side) are both five to eight years out and now growing back thick with brush and deadfall. Hunters working any of these burns should check for current fire closures and restrictions before heading out.
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
The archery hunt opens in mid-August and runs into mid-September, spanning the Late Summer / Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, and Primary Rut phases, though on a unit where elk sightings are already rare, patience matters more than timing the rut. In the first week or two, bulls are shedding velvet and staying close to the same ground they used through summer, which makes water sources worth sitting and open country worth glassing for a spot-and-stalk approach. Archers carry a hunter's choice permit here, meaning any bull or an antlerless elk is legal, which widens the odds of connecting on a unit where elk numbers run thin. Given the gentle-to-moderate terrain that dominates Pine Valley, covering ground to find sign or working likely water in the sagebrush and grass cover at lower and mid elevations is a reasonable strategy before pushing higher.
Early Any Legal Weapon · October 3 – October 9
The early any-legal-weapon hunt runs just one week in early October, falling in the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, any bull only. Anyone working the Pine Park and Crestline areas needs to keep track of the state line at all times, since it cuts through country hunters may not realize they're crossing. With elk already scarce on this unit, covering the gentle-to-moderate slopes methodically and glassing the timber-heavy higher elevations for any recent activity pays off more than sticking to one spot. Rifle and muzzleloader-legal weapons are both fair game in this short window, giving hunters some flexibility in how they close the distance.
Late Any Legal Weapon · October 10 – October 16
The late any-legal-weapon hunt picks up right after the early season and runs through mid-October, covering the tail of the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase into the Post-Rut Recovery phase, with any bull legal. As with the early hunt, the Pine Park and Crestline areas require care about the state line boundary. Elk remain a rare sight across the unit, so still hunting or glassing the mix of conifer, sagebrush and grass at higher elevations, where cover shifts toward timber, can help locate animals that have settled into post-rut patterns. The gentle-to-moderate slopes that make up most of the unit keep this manageable on foot, with the steeper, more rugged pockets near the top offering places to push into if pressure builds.
Muzzleloader · October 28 – November 5
The muzzleloader hunt runs from late October into early November, spanning the Post-Rut Recovery and Migration Transition phases, with any bull legal. By this point November's cooler temperatures and a bit of snowfall have arrived, conditions worth planning around when it comes to layering and access into higher country. As in the other general seasons, hunters in the Pine Park and Crestline areas need to watch the state line closely. With elk numbers thin across Pine Valley, working the timber-dominated higher elevations where animals may be shifting with the season, while still checking sagebrush and grass lower down, gives the best chance of turning up sign in the final general season of the fall.
Cow elk hunts are also offered on this unit (any legal weapon November 11 – January 11). They are drawn separately, in Utah's antlerless draw, using preference points — a different point bank from limited-entry bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 2,200–10,400 ft, typically around 5,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 59% gentle · 29% moderate · 11% steep · 1% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1,844 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
- Sagebrush78%
- Grass and meadow12%
- Other cover6%
- Conifer4%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush71%
- Conifer13%
- Other cover9%
- Grass and meadow7%
Higher elevations
- Conifer66%
- Sagebrush29%
- Grass and meadow3%
- Aspen2%
- 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 Pine Valley. 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.
- Forsyth fire, 2025 — about 16,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its southeast side.
- Flatt fire, 2021 — about 14,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its northwest side.
- Turkey Farm Road fire, 2020 — about 12,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its south side.
- West Valley fire, 2018 — about 12,000 acres in the unit, mostly on its east side.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 71% of Pine Valley is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, National Forest, State Trust Land and Wildlife Management Areas. Another 2% is public land closed to state-licensed hunting — tribal land.
- BLM38%
- National Forest28%
- State Trust Land5%
- Wildlife Management Areas<1%
- tribal land2%
- Unclassified ownership<1%
- Private27%
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.
Tribal land requires the tribe's own permission and licence — a state elk permit is not valid there.
Fall weather
- September — highs around 82°F, lows around 47°F
- October — highs around 69°F, lows around 36°F
- November — highs around 55°F, lows around 26°F, about 1.3 in of snowfall
Pine Valley elk hunting FAQ
Do I need points to hunt elk on the Pine Valley unit?
No points are needed to buy a general-season elk permit on Pine Valley. The any-bull rifle and muzzleloader permit and the archery permit are both purchased over the counter with no application or draw involved. Utah's point systems only apply to limited-entry bull elk and to the separate antlerless elk draw, neither of which is required to hunt bulls here.
What can a general archery hunter legally take on Pine Valley?
The general archery permit on Pine Valley is hunter's choice, meaning an archer can take any bull or an antlerless elk. This is because Pine Valley is managed as an any-bull unit rather than a spike-only unit, so the archery tag is not restricted to spikes.
Which Pine Valley elk seasons fall during the September rut?
Only the general archery season, running August 15 through September 16, overlaps the Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases in September. The Early and Late Any Legal Weapon seasons in October and the Muzzleloader season in late October through early November all fall outside that window.
How much of the Pine Valley unit can I actually count on to hunt?
About 71 percent of the unit, roughly 1,844 square miles, is generally open to public hunting across BLM, National Forest, State Trust Land and Wildlife Management Area ground. That is the figure to plan around; the rest is private or, in a small strip, tribal land closed to state-licensed hunting.
When do Pine Valley elk permits go on sale?
The general archery permit goes on sale July 7 and is not capped. The any-bull rifle and muzzleloader permit goes on sale July 9 and has sold out quickly in recent years, so buying early matters more for that tag than for the archery permit.
Are elk easy to find on the Pine Valley unit?
No. Elk numbers on this unit are small and sightings are considered rare, so success depends more on careful scouting and patience than on running into large numbers of animals. Hunters who treat it as a volume unit are likely to be disappointed.
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.