Manti/San Rafael, Utah

Elevation ranges from approximately 5,000 feet on the desert valley floors of the eastern San Rafael portion up to roughly 11,285 feet on the Wasatch Plateau crest, where Skyline Drive tops out near 10,897 feet. The western plateau features broad rolling meadows and flat-topped benches at 9,000–11,000 feet with steep, deeply incised creek drainages — including Huntington, Ferron, and Cottonwood canyons — plunging to valley floors. Rolling pinyon-juniper foothills transition the plateau to the valley. The eastern portion is classic canyon-and-desert country: eroded sandstone mesas, narrow slot canyons, and open BLM flats in the San Rafael Swell, with terrain that is generally lower and less rugged but very remote.

The primary spine road is Skyline Drive (North Skyline Drive State Scenic Backway), an unpaved gravel road running approximately 27 miles along the Wasatch Plateau crest from US-6 (at Tucker, near Price) south toward SR-31, continuing further south to I-70. It reaches elevations around 9,500–10,900 feet and is suitable for high-clearance vehicles; it closes seasonally due to snow. Key paved canyon routes providing east-side access to the plateau include Utah Highway 31 through Huntington Canyon (rising to Huntington Reservoir at ~7,800 ft) and Ferron Canyon Road to Ferron Reservoir (~9,500 ft). US-6 skirts the northern boundary, US-89 and US-50 the western and southern edges, and UT-10 runs along the base of the plateau through Emery County. The Manti-La Sal National Forest (Manti Ranger District, Ferron-Price Ranger District) offers an extensive network of Forest Service roads and ATV trails connecting to the plateau. BLM roads off I-70 and UT-10 provide access into the San Rafael Swell portion; these roads are generally unmaintained and can close rapidly after rain. There are private land blocks and cabin properties scattered around some plateau lakes (notably Ferron Reservoir area) and on lower elevations toward valley floors. Note that the San Rafael sub-unit boundary includes Capital Reef National Park lands (approx. 27% of that sub-unit), which are closed to hunting. No designated wilderness areas exist within the Manti division of the MLSNF. The San Rafael Swell has no cellular service across most of its interior. CWMUs may exist within the unit boundary — hunters should confirm CWMU exclusions before hunting specific areas.

The Wasatch Plateau supports spruce-fir forests near the crest, transitioning downslope through mixed aspen stands and quaking aspen patches, with ponderosa pine and mixed conifer at mid-elevations. Scrub oak (Gambel oak) thickets are common at 6,500–8,500 feet on drier slopes. Sagebrush and mountain shrub communities occupy rolling foothills and plateaus below the timber line. Plateau-top meadows and grassy benches provide summer and fall foraging areas. The eastern San Rafael portion is dominated by pinyon-juniper woodland on uplands, transitioning to desert shrub (shadscale, blackbrush, rabbitbrush) at lower elevations, with sparse riparian vegetation along washes and creek bottoms. The unit's dual character — lush montane forest on the west, arid canyon desert on the east — creates markedly different habitat conditions within the same boundary.

Mule deer are the primary big game species. The Manti sub-unit (Unit 16BC) carries a 2025–2029 population objective of 38,000 wintering deer; the modeled winter population estimate for 2024 was 28,400. Population has varied between 23,000–33,000 using updated model parameters over the past decade. The San Rafael sub-unit (Unit 12) has low deer densities with small, isolated herds and no formal population objective. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been documented in the Manti sub-unit for decades, with an average prevalence of approximately 2.2% over recent years; 2024 prevalence was 3%. Rocky Mountain elk are abundant on the Wasatch Plateau; the Manti unit is one of Utah's top spike bull OTC elk producers. Limited-entry any-bull elk tags are issued for the Manti elk unit across multiple season windows. Black bear inhabit the forested plateau areas and are huntable on OTC licenses. Mountain lion (cougar) are present throughout and also huntable OTC. Desert bighorn sheep occupy the San Rafael Swell canyon walls, managed under separately named sub-units (San Rafael North, South, Dirty Devil) under the once-in-a-lifetime LE draw system — these sub-units overlap the eastern portion of this hunt boundary but are not issued under the Manti/San Rafael hunt boundary name. Pronghorn antelope use the open desert BLM flats east of the Swell on limited entry tags. Wild turkey are present in the montane forest zones. Wild horses (feral) range through portions of the San Rafael BLM area.

1. BOUNDARY SCOPE: Combines Manti deer herd unit 16BC (Wasatch Plateau) and San Rafael deer herd unit 12 (eastern desert). Elk boundary (Manti unit) does not include the San Rafael desert portion — general elk season is effectively only productive on the Manti/Wasatch Plateau sub-unit. 2. POPULATION OBJECTIVE: Manti sub-unit 2025–2029 objective is 38,000 wintering deer (raised from 28,000 in 2020–2024 back to 38,000); 2024 modeled estimate was 28,400. San Rafael sub-unit has no formal population objective due to low deer densities and inadequate sampling. 3. CWD: Manti sub-unit is CWD-positive; average prevalence ~2.2% over recent years; 2024 prevalence was 3%. Follow UDWR carcass transport rules. 4. PUBLIC LAND: Manti sub-unit ~77% public (USFS 57.9%, BLM 8.7%, state 10.7%, private 22.6%); San Rafael sub-unit ~96% public (BLM 60.9%, NPS 27.4%, private only 4.3%). National Park lands within San Rafael sub-unit are closed to hunting. 5. ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP removed — not confirmed for this unit from available sources. 6. DESERT BIGHORN AND PRONGHORN: Managed under separately named sub-unit boundaries overlapping the eastern portion of this hunt boundary — not issued under the Manti/San Rafael deer hunt name. 7. LE ELK: Draft's 660-permit quota for Manti any-bull LE elk could not be independently confirmed from available sources; source PDF (UDWR RAC minutes) returned 404. The 2026 guidebook confirms multiple LE season windows exist (EB3006 through EB3108). 8. DEER HARVEST: 2024 reported harvest was 2,316 from 8,000 permits on the Manti sub-unit (UDWR plan Table 1a); San Rafael sub-unit 10-year average harvest 377 from average 1,527 hunters afield. 9. SEASON DATES: All 2026 dates confirmed from Utah 2026 Big Game Application Guidebook (v2026.5, published Jan. 30, 2026). Verify exact OTC spike elk dates in the 2026 Big Game Field Regulations Guidebook.