Chalk Creek, Utah

617 square miles shaped by the western flanks of the Uinta Mountains, whose drainages flow down long, gradual slopes into the Weber River Valley. Elevations range from approximately 6,200 feet on valley floors to 11,000 feet on high ridges and peaks; several high-elevation lakes exist in the eastern basins near Pass Lake. Major drainages include Chalk Creek, Crandall Canyon, Echo Canyon, Hixon Canyon, Pecks Canyon, and Grass Creek. The western and central portions consist of lower rolling foothills. Echo and Rockport Reservoirs on the Weber River form significant physiographic barriers to wildlife movement. I-80 through Echo Canyon creates an additional movement constraint; highway mortality is a documented management concern along I-80 and SR-32 near Rockport Reservoir.

Approximately 10–11% public land (yearlong range), nearly all within the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in the eastern portion of the unit. The Mirror Lake Highway (SR-150) provides the primary access corridor to public land; public hunters can access the Forest via roads near Moffit Peak off SR-150 and via Chalk Creek Road near Coalville. The Forest Service charges a fee to drive SR-150. The vast majority of the unit — including the most productive winter range areas in Crandall Canyon, Echo Canyon, Hixon Canyon, and the low rolling foothills west and central — is privately held (96% of winter range, 89% of summer range). The East Fork Chalk Creek CWMU (Summit County) operates within the boundary and offers limited public draw permits for deer (DB1233, 4 permits), elk (EB3517, 3 permits), and moose (MB6208, 2 permits). Private ranch access requires landowner permission or paid access arrangements.

Winter range (critical limiting factor) is concentrated on south-facing canyon slopes at 6,800–7,200 feet, dominated by sagebrush, bitterbrush, and mountain mahogany; juniper is encroaching across much of the winter range from Echo south to Oakley, reducing browse availability. Summer range at higher elevations includes aspen, mixed conifers, and mountain shrub communities typical of the western Uinta foothills. Riparian corridors follow the Weber River and major creek drainages. Weedy annual grasses (cheatgrass) and bulbous bluegrass are reducing sagebrush recruitment on lower winter ranges; range trend as of 2021 was assessed as 'fair' overall for mule deer winter habitat.

Mule deer are the primary game species, with a management objective of 12,000 wintering deer and a buck:doe ratio target of 18–20:100; post-season populations recorded between 10,000 and 14,700 deer (2017–2021), with 2021 estimate at 11,250 (94% of objective). Elk populations are increasing on the unit and compete with mule deer for limited winter range; elk are present year-round and private ranches support good bull-to-cow ratios. Shiras moose are present and the unit has been described as holding more moose than any other Utah unit, with bulls exceeding 40 inches historically harvested. Black bear inhabit the forested eastern reaches. Mountain lion (cougar) are present throughout and may be taken year-round under 2023 Utah House Bill 469 with no bag limit; each harvested animal must be checked in within 48 hours. CWD has not been detected on the unit as of the 2023 management plan but surveillance is ongoing. Echo and Rockport Reservoirs and I-80 through Echo Canyon present documented barriers to deer movement; 8-foot exclusion fences and wildlife escape ramps have been installed along I-80.

1. Public land is approximately 10–11% of yearlong range (Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF eastern block); 96% of winter range and 89% of summer range is private per the 2023 UDWR deer management plan. 2. Elk classification confirmed as general-season any-bull OTC unit; Chalk Creek does not appear in any limited-entry elk tables in the 2026 guidebook. 3. Deer hunting is general-season OTC (not limited entry). 4. Moose unit MB6001 carries a dagger (†) flagging it as largely private. 5. Mule deer buck harvest of 1,051 is from 2021 (most recent in 2023 management plan). 6. Black bear unit 'Chalk Creek/East Canyon/Morgan-South Rich' spans multiple adjacent deer/elk units; the 7-permit summer LE quota and harvest-objective quota of 20 apply to this combined boundary. 7. CWD not detected on unit as of 2023; surveillance ongoing. 8. Boundary: begins at I-84/I-80 near Echo, northeast on I-80 to Utah-Wyoming state line, southeast along state line to SR-150, south on SR-150 to Pass Lake and Weber River trail, west to Holiday Park and CR 2596, west to SR-32, northwest on SR-32 to I-80 at Wanship, north on I-80 to I-84 near Echo.