Southwest Desert Elk Hunting, Utah

The Southwest Desert is gentle and rolling country for the most part, with just a small share of steep ground breaking up the rolling sagebrush flats and low mountain ranges. Elevations run from valley floors up near 9,800 feet at the tops of the ranges, but most of the unit sits in that lower-to-mid country, and hunting here is as much about covering ground on foot or by vehicle to find elk as it is about climbing. State Route 21 cuts the unit roughly east to west, and most elk are found south of that highway, though a smaller number turn up north of it too. Elk use just about every mountain range in the unit except the Black Hills between Cedar City and Minersville, and they range from valley bottoms to mountaintops rather than sticking to one elevation band.

Close to 89 percent of the unit is open to public hunting, a mix of BLM land, State Trust Land, National Forest, and Wildlife Management Areas, with BLM making up the large majority of that share. State Trust Land parcels are generally open under a standing state access agreement, though individual parcels can still be leased or restricted, so it pays to check before setting up on one. Private ground makes up roughly 11 percent of the unit and is scattered through the area, so respecting boundaries matters here.

Three wildfires have burned pieces of the unit in recent years: the Neck fire on the southeast side, the Rock Path fire on the east side, and the Gray Hill fire toward the middle, each in the range of five to eight years old this fall. In this drier, lower-elevation country, burned ground tends to grow back in grass rather than heavy regrowth, which keeps those old burns producing worthwhile hunting well after the fire. Hunters should check current fire closures and restrictions before heading into any of these areas.

Lower elevations

• Sagebrush76%
• Other cover15%
• Grass and meadow8%
• Riparian1%

Mid elevations

• Sagebrush86%
• Grass and meadow7%
• Conifer5%
• Other cover2%

Higher elevations

• Conifer49%
• Sagebrush48%
• Grass and meadow3%

• BLM77%
• State Trust Land10%
• National Forest2%
• Wildlife Management Areas<1%

• Private11%

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.

Do I need points to hunt elk on the Southwest Desert unit?

No. The general-season archery, any legal weapon, and muzzleloader elk permits on this unit are all bought over the counter with no application or draw involved. Points in Utah apply only to limited-entry bull elk and to the separate antlerless elk draw, not to these general-season hunts.

What can I take with a general archery tag on this unit?

The Southwest Desert is a spike-only unit, so the general archery permit is hunter's choice between a spike bull and an antlerless elk. A branch-antlered bull cannot be taken on this unit with a general-season permit of any kind.

Which elk seasons here fall during the rut?

The general archery season, running mid-August through early September, overlaps the Rut Onset period in September. The any legal weapon hunt in October and the muzzleloader hunt in late October through early November both fall outside the September rut.

How much of the Southwest Desert unit is public land?

About 89 percent of the unit, roughly 4,609 square miles, is generally open to public hunting through a combination of BLM land, State Trust Land, National Forest, and Wildlife Management Areas. BLM accounts for the large majority of that open ground, though public access is never guaranteed to be easy and some State Trust parcels can be leased or restricted.

Where in the unit are elk typically found?

Most elk are found south of State Route 21, the highway that splits the unit roughly east to west, though some elk also occur north of it. Elk use nearly every mountain range in the unit, with the notable exception of the Black Hills between Cedar City and Minersville, and range from valley floors to mountaintops.

Do the old wildfires in the unit affect elk hunting?

The Neck, Rock Path, and Gray Hill fires all burned sections of the unit five to eight years ago on the southeast side, east side, and central area respectively. In this dry, lower-elevation country burned ground tends to regrow as grass rather than dense cover, which keeps those areas producing decent hunting well after the fire, though current closures or restrictions should be checked before heading in.