Nine Mile, Green River Valley, Utah

The unit occupies the relatively flat Green River Valley floor at elevations roughly 4,100–5,400 ft, with terrain breaks along the Green River and along the northern edge where the valley meets canyon country. The ground is characterized by hard rock benches and desert pavement, with patches of grass and sage, and periodic shallow coulees cutting toward the river.

Approximately 25% of the unit is public land (BLM and Utah State Institutional Trust Lands), with the remaining ~75% in private ownership — primarily ranches and agricultural operations. The town of Green River (US-6/US-191 corridor, I-70 Exit 164) provides the main southern access point; SR-19/Hastings Road marks the eastern boundary toward the Swasey Boat Ramp on the Green River. Nine Mile Canyon Road (BLM Scenic Backcountry Byway) provides access from Wellington into the northern canyon areas. No large wilderness or roadless designations fall within this valley unit. Locked ranch gates on private land block vehicle access to significant portions of the unit; hunters must secure written landowner permission to access private parcels. Modern lodging is available in the town of Green River. No services exist between Wellington and Myton on the Nine Mile Canyon Road.

Vegetation is sparse. The dominant cover outside of irrigated areas is desert shrubland — scattered sagebrush, shadscale, and rabbitbrush on rocky flats. Agricultural fields (alfalfa, grain) concentrate deer near the valley bottom. Pinyon-juniper patches occur in the periodic coulees along the northern margin of the unit. No ponderosa, aspen, or spruce-fir occur within this low-elevation valley unit. Riparian corridors along the Green River support cottonwood and willow in isolated stretches.

Mule deer are the primary big game species present in the valley bottom, concentrating around agricultural crops and water. Deer use the pinyon-juniper coulees for shade and escape cover during warm weather. The broader Nine Mile Herd Unit (Unit 11) — which encompasses this valley area — supports a target winter population of 8,500 deer distributed across the Anthro (2,500) and Range Creek (6,000) subunits. Elk are present in the wider Nine Mile unit system, particularly at higher elevations on the Tavaputs Plateau, though they are not the focus of this specific valley boundary. Bighorn sheep are managed in the Nine Mile Gray Canyon and Jack Creek subunits to the east. Mountain lion and coyote are present as predators throughout.

This is a small (~62 sq mi) extended-archery-only deer boundary focused on the Green River Valley floor, distinct from the much larger Nine Mile general-season deer hunt unit. The unit is predominantly private land (~75%); hunters face significant access challenges. The season start date in the original draft (Sept. 12) was incorrect — UDWR lists Sept. 13 as the start date. The tag type is not draw-only: any hunter with a valid archery buck deer permit (general or LE) who has not filled it may also hunt this area, in addition to DB0008 draw-permit holders. The herd plan source is dated 2016 (not 2020 as originally cited). Specific tag quota and annual harvest/success figures for this extended archery boundary are not published in UDWR public documents — hunters should consult hunt.utah.gov for current boundary maps and draw statistics. The 'Nine Mile, Green River Valley' designation covers only the mule deer extended archery season; elk, bison, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn hunts in the broader Nine Mile system use separate named boundaries and are not part of this specific boundary.