San Rafael, North Elk Hunting, Utah
Utah hunt unit · 1,683 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 San Rafael, North is like
The San Rafael, North unit is rolling country, with some steeper breaks along its drainages, sitting anywhere from around 4,200 feet up to 7,700 feet, with most of the ground running in the 5,700-foot range. It is not a unit defined by cliff country or dense timber; the bulk of it is gentle to moderate terrain that a hunter can move through on foot without technical difficulty, though pockets of steeper ground do break up the rolling shape of the landscape. Bulls are seldom seen here, and that fact should shape expectations for every season on this unit, from the archery opener through the late muzzleloader hunt.
Access is generally workable on paper: about 85 percent of the unit, roughly 1,435 square miles, is generally open to public hunting, split mostly between BLM land and state trust land, with a small share of Wildlife Management Area ground mixed in. Most of that state trust land is open to hunting under a standing state access agreement, though individual parcels can still be leased or restricted, so it pays to check before counting on a specific piece of ground. The remaining 15 percent is private land. Cover across the unit runs heavily to sagebrush at every elevation band, with small amounts of grass and meadow, some riparian at the lowest elevations, and conifer cover that becomes more present at the higher elevations.
The archery hunt falls inside the September rut, while the two any-legal-weapon hunts and the muzzleloader hunt all come after it, once the rut has moved into its later and post-rut phases.
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 runs from mid-August through mid-September and covers the widest stretch of rut activity of any season here, opening in the Late Summer/Velvet phase and moving through the Pre-Rut Transition into Rut Onset and finally Primary Rut by the close. Early on, bulls are still shedding velvet and holding close to the ground they used through summer, which makes those first week or two the best window to key on water sources or to work the rolling country with binoculars, picking apart the sagebrush flats and grass and meadow pockets for a bull before committing to a stalk. As the season pushes into Rut Onset and Primary Rut, elk sign should shift, but this remains a unit where bulls are seldom seen, so covering ground and staying patient with the glass matters more than any single tactic. Archers here may take any bull or an antlerless elk, and the permit is available over the counter without a draw.
Early Any Legal Weapon · October 3 – October 9
Opening the first full week of October, the early any-legal-weapon hunt lands in the Late Rut/Early Post-Rut phase, after the peak breeding activity of September has passed. This is a short window, and elk on this unit are already known for being hard to come by, so anyone hunting it without prior knowledge of the herd or without a large block of time to invest should temper expectations of seeing, let alone tagging, a bull. The rolling terrain and heavy sagebrush cover make for open glassing, but that same openness means elk can be spotted moving off just as easily as they can be found. Any bull is legal, and the permit is bought over the counter rather than drawn.
Late Any Legal Weapon · October 10 – October 16
The late any-legal-weapon hunt picks up right where the early hunt leaves off, running through the back half of October and spanning both the Late Rut/Early Post-Rut phase and the start of Post-Rut Recovery. Bulls are transitioning out of breeding behavior during this stretch, and the same caution applies as with the early hunt: without real familiarity with this herd or a substantial amount of time to spend in the field, the odds of connecting are slim. Working the gentle-to-moderate terrain methodically, and being ready to cover more ground than expected, is the practical approach here. This hunt is also open to any bull under an over-the-counter permit.
Muzzleloader · October 28 – November 5
By the time the muzzleloader hunt opens in late October and runs into early November, elk have settled into Post-Rut Recovery and are drifting into the Migration Transition phase, meaning movement patterns can be shifting as the season progresses. November brings cooler air, with highs dropping to around 51°F and lows near 25°F, along with a bit of snowfall, enough to change tracking conditions but not deep enough to concentrate elk on its own. As with the other rifle-season hunts, this is not a good bet for anyone short on time or unfamiliar with the herd, since bulls remain seldom seen across the unit. Any bull is legal, and the permit is another over-the-counter purchase rather than a draw tag.
Cow elk hunts are also offered on this unit (any legal weapon November 7 – 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
- 4,200–7,700 ft, typically around 5,700 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 70% gentle · 21% moderate · 7% steep · 2% rugged
- Ground you can count on
- ~1,435 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
- Sagebrush81%
- Other cover13%
- Grass and meadow3%
- Riparian1%
- Conifer1%
Mid elevations
- Sagebrush82%
- Other cover14%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Conifer2%
Higher elevations
- Sagebrush84%
- Other cover8%
- Conifer8%
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 85% of San Rafael, North is public land a hunter can generally count on — BLM, State Trust Land and Wildlife Management Areas.
- BLM75%
- State Trust Land10%
- Wildlife Management Areas<1%
- Private15%
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 San Rafael, North 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 Range7%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 80°F, lows around 47°F
- October — highs around 66°F, lows around 36°F
- November — highs around 51°F, lows around 25°F, about 0.8 in of snowfall
San Rafael, North elk hunting FAQ
Do I need points to hunt elk on the San Rafael, North unit?
No. The general-season any-bull and archery permits on this unit are bought over the counter with no application and no points involved. Points only come into play for the limited-entry and antlerless draws elsewhere in Utah's system, and neither is required to buy a general-season tag here.
What can I hunt with a general archery permit on this unit?
Because this is an any-bull unit, the archery permit is hunter's choice, meaning an archer can take any bull or an antlerless elk during the archery season. That is broader than what a spike-only unit's archery tag allows, where only a spike bull or an antlerless animal is legal.
Which of the fall hunts fall during the rut?
Only the archery season, running from mid-August through mid-September, falls inside the September rut window. The Early and Late Any Legal Weapon hunts and the Muzzleloader hunt all take place after that window has passed.
How much of the San Rafael, North unit can I actually hunt?
About 85 percent of the unit, roughly 1,435 square miles, is generally open to public hunting. That ground is mostly BLM land along with state trust land and a small amount of Wildlife Management Area, though public ownership here doesn't mean every parcel is simple to access, especially where state trust land may be leased or restricted.
Is this a good unit for a hunter who has never hunted elk before?
Bulls are seldom seen on this unit, and none of the rifle or muzzleloader seasons are set up to be quick or simple for someone unfamiliar with the local herd. A hunter without prior time scouting this ground or a large block of days to hunt should expect the Early and Late Any Legal Weapon and Muzzleloader seasons to be demanding.
Are there cow elk hunts on this unit too?
Yes, there is an antlerless elk hunt on this unit running from early November into the end of January under an any-legal-weapon designation. That hunt is filled through Utah's separate antlerless draw, which uses preference points rather than the bonus points tied to limited-entry bull hunts.
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.