Fillmore, Oak Creek South, Utah

The Canyon Mountain (Oak Creek) range runs roughly north–south for approximately 25 miles; a precipitous, rocky ridgeline dominates the high country. Elevation ranges from approximately 4,740 feet on the basin floor (per USFS Fillmore Ranger District data) to over 9,700 feet at higher peaks, with the broader Fillmore Ranger District reaching 10,222 feet at Mine Camp Peak. The terrain is rugged with sheer cliffs, steep drainages, and rocky ledges interspersed with rolling hills and sagebrush flats at lower elevations. The 2012 Clay Springs Fire burned over 100,000 acres across this unit (confirmed in both the bighorn sheep and elk management plans), opening previously timbered ridgelines and rocky drainages to long-range visibility and substantially improving bighorn sheep habitat.

Primary vehicle access is via Oak Creek Canyon Road (FR089), reached from Oak City heading east on Center Street then turning onto FR089 for approximately 3.9 miles to the Oak Creek Campground area; FR-412 branches into the campground. Four-wheel-drive vehicles with good clearance are strongly recommended; some roads require 4WD with chains in wet or snowy conditions. The Paiute ATV Trail system passes through portions of the unit providing OHV access. Travel maps for the Fillmore Ranger District are available from the district office (390 South Main Street, Fillmore, UT; 435-896-1010). The confirmed boundary of the Fillmore, Oak Creek South elk unit (per 2023 Elk Herd Unit #21 Management Plan): begins at I-15 Exit 207 (Mills Road); west on Mills Road to the railroad tracks; west along the railroad tracks to the Sevier River; north along the Sevier River to SR-132; west on SR-132 to US-50; west on US-50 to SR-257; south on SR-257 to Black Rock Road; east on Black Rock Road to I-15; north on I-15 to Exit 207. Cell service is spotty in the mountains and canyons. Private land blocks exist at lower elevations; written landowner permission is required to cross or hunt private inholdings.

Low elevations (below ~6,000 ft) support sagebrush, native grasses, and hay meadows with willow-lined creek bottoms. Mid-elevations transition to pinyon-juniper woodland mixed with sagebrush, bitterbrush, and serviceberry. Upper mid-elevations feature quaking aspen, oakbrush (Gambel oak), chokecherry, ponderosa pine, and white fir. The 2012 Clay Springs Fire created extensive burn mosaic with post-fire shrub and forb regeneration that provides high-quality browse for deer, elk, and bighorn sheep at multiple elevations. Old-growth pinyon-juniper stands in unburned areas have reduced value to bighorn sheep; habitat restoration efforts to return these to early successional stages are a management priority per the 2019 bighorn plan. Oak Creek Canyon itself supports dense oakbrush, bigtooth maple, and cottonwood riparian vegetation.

Elk (part of Elk Herd Unit #21) occupy the unit as a general-season any-bull area west of I-15, with a confirmed population objective of 150 elk for this sub-unit (per 2023 UDWR Elk Herd Unit #21 Management Plan). The I-15 and I-70 fencing has limited elk migration to winter habitat in the Church Hills and Cove Fort areas; the sub-unit is general OTC any-bull. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep were transplanted to the Oak Creek unit beginning in January 2014 (33 animals from Antelope Island and the Newfoundland Mountains), followed by 65 more from Antelope Island in January 2015 and January 2016; the population was estimated at approximately 134 animals in a November 2017 helicopter survey against a management objective of up to 300 animals (per 2019 UDWR Bighorn Sheep Unit Management Plan). Bighorn sheep select steep-sloped escape terrain across the range; the 2012 Clay Springs Fire substantially improved bighorn habitat. Cougar predation is anticipated as the main limiting predator for bighorn sheep. Pronghorn occur in the flatter basin portions west of the Canyon range; the unit is a limited-entry draw with approximately 85% documented hunter success (HuntScore 2021 data: 51 harvested of 59 hunters). Black bear are noted by USFS Fillmore Ranger District as present in the district. Mountain lion (cougar) are confirmed present and are specifically noted as the main anticipated bighorn sheep predator on the unit. Rattlesnakes are noted by USFS as present throughout the district.

BOUNDARY DISTINCTION: 'Fillmore, Oak Creek South' is specifically the sub-boundary WEST of I-15 (the Canyon Mountain / Oak Creek range), which is the elk general-season any-bull and pronghorn LE boundary. The bighorn sheep unit is named 'Fillmore, Oak Creek' (without 'South') and covers a broader multi-county extent (Juab, Millard, Sanpete, Sevier, and Utah counties). The mule deer LE unit ('Fillmore, Oak Creek') is also named without 'South' and covers overlapping geography — HuntScore lists only Elk, Pronghorn, and Bighorn Sheep for the specific South boundary. Mule Deer LE was REMOVED from this profile's species array as that hunt is associated with the broader 'Fillmore, Oak Creek' LE unit, not specifically the South (west-of-I-15) sub-boundary. DRAFT CORRECTION — bighorn transplant: first transplant was January 2014 (33 animals from Antelope Island AND Newfoundland Mountains), with 65 more from Antelope Island in January 2015 AND January 2016; the draft incorrectly cited only 2015 and 2016 and omitted the Newfoundland Mountains source. Season dates should be verified annually at wildlife.utah.gov. Public land breakdown: approximately 45% BLM, 12% USFS (Fishlake NF Fillmore Ranger District), ~10% Utah state trust lands, 32% private (per HuntScore/GoHunt).