Cedar/Stansbury, Utah

Two distinct mountain ranges separated by desert valleys. The Cedar Mountains rise from basin floors at roughly 4,600 ft to a maximum of 7,700 ft, trending north-south with a narrow 7-mile width across 32 miles. The Stansbury Mountains are more rugged, with Deseret Peak reaching 11,031 ft; the North Stansbury WSA ranges from 5,200 ft at the base to 8,800 ft at its southern end, featuring steep V-shaped canyons. Overall unit elevation spans approximately 4,200 to 11,031 ft with over 6,000 ft of relief. Flat desert plains and benches rise rapidly to steep slopes and canyon terrain throughout.

Primary paved routes are I-80 (north boundary, access at Exit 56/Aragonite, Exit 70/Delle, and Exit 77/Rowley Dugway) and SR-36 (east boundary, running through Tooele and Grantsville). The Pony Express Road (Juab/Tooele county road) runs east-west along the south boundary and provides gravel-road access into the interior. Skull Valley Road (SR-196) cuts south from I-80 Exit 77 and reaches the North Stansbury WSA via a dirt road into Muskrat Canyon at roughly 5 miles south. South Willow Canyon off SR-36/Grantsville Road is the primary trailhead for the Deseret Peak Wilderness. Cedar Mountains Wilderness is accessed off I-80 Exit 70 (Delle) or Exit 56 (Aragonite), via gravel frontage roads; interior roads are rough and require high-clearance or 4WD. Large blocks of private land and Department of Defense lands (Dugway Proving Ground) exist within the unit boundary — the Dugway range area is excluded from hunting access. Native American trust lands are also excluded per the boundary description. No CWMUs are known within this unit per the bighorn sheep management plan, but hunters should verify current CWMU boundaries using the Utah Hunt Planner. BLM Salt Lake Field Office and USFS Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (Salt Lake Ranger District) manage the majority of public land.

Vegetation transitions across elevation: Great Basin salt desert shrub and sagebrush-grass on lower benches (4,200–5,500 ft); sagebrush and juniper woodlands with native bunchgrasses at mid-elevations (5,500–7,000 ft); mountain brush (wild rose, serviceberry, antelope bitterbrush, mountain mahogany) on middle to upper slopes; aspen, Douglas-fir, and scattered spruce on north-facing slopes at higher elevations in the Stansbury Mountains. Pinyon-juniper encroachment into sagebrush is an ongoing management concern, and wildfires (Big Pole fire 2009, Patch Springs fire 2013) have degraded portions of the Stansbury Mountains winter range, leaving invasive annual grasses where preferred browse once stood. Riparian corridors and natural springs support wildlife through drier months.

Mule deer are the primary big game species; the 2023 population estimate for the unit was approximately 4,850 deer, with a management objective of 15–17 bucks per 100 does. Deer range from West Canyon to Johnson's Pass on the Stansbury Mountains, using fir and juniper stands for bedding and tolerating steep slopes. Habitat quality has declined due to repeated wildfire and drought. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep were reintroduced to the Stansbury Mountains: 54 animals in 2006, additional transplants in 2007, a disease event wiped the herd by approximately 2016, and the population was reestablished with transplants from Antelope Island and the Newfoundland Mountains starting in 2018–2019; the 2019 plan estimated approximately 90 animals with a long-term objective of 500. Mountain lions are present, following deer from upper elevations to winter range. Elk have been documented on the northern end of the Stansbury range (50–100 animals estimated). Pronghorn occur in the sagebrush and desert flats. Black bears inhabit the higher forested zones but are rarely seen. The North Stansbury WSA supports an estimated 180 wildlife species including 114 bird species, raptors (golden eagle, bald eagle), cougar, bobcat, grouse, and cottontail. The unit is CWD-positive at very low prevalence (<0.05%).

1. Cedar/Stansbury is a newly created unit (effective approximately 2025) carved from the former West Desert, West unit. 2. The 2023 deer population estimate of ~4,850 for Cedar/Stansbury comes from search-result summaries referencing the new West Desert management plan (2024-12 RAC document) — the primary source PDF was not directly accessible. 3. Specific permit quota numbers for this new unit were not available in any publicly accessible document at time of research; UDWR annual proclamations and the Utah Hunt Planner are the authoritative sources for current quotas. 4. Elk and black bear hunting availability on this specific unit is not confirmed by official UDWR sources. 5. Dugway Proving Ground (DoD) land in the southern portion of the unit boundary is not accessible for public hunting. 6. CWD has been confirmed on this unit at very low prevalence (<0.05%) per the Unit 18 management plan reference. 7. Access correction: North Stansbury WSA is approximately 5 miles south of I-80 Exit 77 (not 5.5 miles as in draft). 8. General deer season dates listed are 2025 statewide dates confirmed via eRegulations.