Manti, Utah

The Wasatch Plateau runs north-south through the entire unit, with broad meadows and rolling flats on the high ridgetop and steep creek drainages descending sharply to valley floors on both the east and west flanks. Rolling foothills transition between plateau escarpments and the Sanpete Valley bottom. Elevation ranges from approximately 5,500 feet in the lower valley fringe to 11,065 feet on the highest plateau summits. Large roadless areas exist within the unit, particularly in the steeper canyon drainages.

The primary ridgeline route is Skyline Drive (Forest Road 150 / Sanpete-Emery Road), an unpaved road tracing the backbone of the Wasatch Plateau for nearly the full length of the unit, providing ridgetop access with spur roads descending into drainages on both sides. The Sanpete Valley floor (US-89) borders the west; US-6 / SR-10 form portions of the eastern and northern boundaries; I-70 anchors the south. Forest Service roads enter the plateau from the Sanpete side via Ephraim Canyon Road and other maintained dirt roads; from the east via Huntington Canyon (SR-31) and Eccles Canyon (SR-264). An extensive ATV trail network exists throughout the national forest. The Manti Community Campground (~7,400 ft, near Yearns Reservoir), Joes Valley Campground (east side), and Maple Canyon Campground serve as staging areas. Backcountry roadless terrain in the steeper eastern canyon drainages requires foot or horse travel. Private land inholdings exist primarily in the Sanpete Valley margins and some lower canyon bottoms; several CWMUs operate on private land within the broader unit -- hunters on those parcels must hold a CWMU tag, not a public-land tag. The Sanpete Ranger District (435-636-3300) manages the Forest Service lands. Public access score rated 94/100 by HuntScore (score reflects the larger Manti/San Rafael combined unit).

Vegetation is strongly elevation-stratified. High-elevation plateau tops (above ~9,500 ft) support Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and large open grass and forb meadows. Mid elevations (roughly 7,500-9,500 ft) host extensive aspen stands, Douglas-fir, and mixed conifer. Lower and transitional slopes feature Gambel oak, mountain mahogany, and sagebrush. The lowest unit fringes carry pinyon-juniper woodland in a matrix of sagebrush and grama grass. The unit has benefitted from several wildfires in recent decades that promoted early successional shrub and forb communities favored by elk. Riparian corridors run through most major canyon drainages.

Elk are abundant and widely distributed across the plateau; the Manti unit is consistently among the top spike-elk-harvest units in Utah statewide, with a 3-year average (2014-2016) of approximately 339 spike bulls taken, the highest of any spike unit. Limited-entry any-bull opportunities target bulls scoring 350-plus inches (GoHunt 2026 data; winter population ~12,200 elk in 2024 with a 20:100 bull-to-cow ratio). Mule deer occupy the unit in significant numbers; the Manti/San Rafael deer herd unit (16BC) population has ranged 23,000-33,000 deer, with a proposed management objective of approximately 38,000 (2020 plan; verify against current UDWR objectives). Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected in the deer herd at a reported average prevalence of approximately 2.2% over recent years -- low but confirmed positive; actively monitored through harvest surveillance. Black bear are present with solid numbers in the unit. Mountain lion are present. Wild turkey inhabit mid-elevation mixed conifer and oak brush zones.

1. Elk Herd Unit #16 (Manti) is confined to the Wasatch Plateau watershed; deer unit 16BC includes the San Rafael area. The 74% public land figure reflects USFS summer range within the elk unit; HuntScore 87% and 94/100 access score reflect the larger combined Manti/San Rafael unit. 2. Spike-only general rifle applies for the Manti elk unit; general archery is any-bull OTC statewide. 3. The 339 spike bull harvest average is from 2014-2016 per Backcountry Chronicles -- current harvest total not confirmed. 4. The ~13% OTC spike success rate is a statewide spike-unit average, not Manti-specific. 5. LE elk success rates (archery 27%, muzzleloader 66%, rifle 72%, late rifle 79%) confirmed via GoHunt 2026 and utahelkhunt.com. 6. CWD at ~2.2% prevalence retained from draft (UDWR plan PDFs not accessible during verification); treat as provisional. 7. Deer population (23,000-33,000 range, 38,000 objective) from 2020 plan -- not re-verified; treat as provisional. 8. No confirmed Manti bighorn sheep, mountain goat, moose, or pronghorn hunt unit found in 2026 UDWR application guidebook -- bighorn sheep removed from species array. 9. Turkey presence confirmed by outfitter references; season dates are statewide Utah spring dates and unit-specific availability should be verified at hunt.utah.gov. 10. Verify exact spatial boundary of manti hunt unit against UDWR Hunt Planner at hunt.utah.gov.