Nine Mile, Jack Creek, Utah

The unit sits in upper Desolation Canyon on the Green River, characterized by highly dissected canyon terrain with vertical-sided and V-shaped canyons, steep tributary draws, narrow ridges, cliff faces, and talus slopes. Elevation ranges from approximately 4,000 feet on the canyon/desert floor to 7,000 feet in the upper canyon reaches, with rams occasionally reaching ~8,500 feet during summer. Jack Creek and its tributary draws form the core of the subunit. Large portions are roadless and impassable by motor vehicle. The habitat is relatively dry — more indicative of desert bighorn than montane bighorn conditions.

The unit is almost entirely roadless. There is no motorized road access into the Jack Creek subunit itself. Hunters must either pack in on mules or float the Green River through Desolation Canyon by raft (BLM permit required via recreation.gov for the Desolation–Gray Canyon section; put-in at Sand Wash Ranger Station, approximately 25 miles of rough road from the nearest pavement). The broader Nine Mile Canyon area is accessed from US-6/191 near Wellington via Soldier Creek Road, or from Myton via Gate Canyon (unimproved dirt, high-clearance required). Land ownership within modeled bighorn habitat: BLM 39.2%, Tribal (Uintah and Ouray Reservation) 30.9%, Private 13.0%, SITLA 11.9%, National Forest 4.3%. Hunters must carry current land ownership maps; a substantial portion of the unit boundary overlaps tribal trust lands which are EXCLUDED from the hunt boundary. The unit is within the Desolation Canyon WSA, managed by the BLM Price Field Office (435-613-3700).

The dominant cover types are open grassy slopes with cheatgrass and native grasses, with dispersed stands of greasewood, shadscale, and saltbush at lower elevations. Pinyon-juniper stands predominate at upper elevations and along north-facing slopes, with sagebrush as the primary browse species. Riparian habitat lines Jack Creek and spring-fed drainages. Cliff and talus zones provide primary bighorn sheep escape terrain. Winters are mild with green forage available through much of late winter and spring; water availability during hot, dry summers may be a limiting factor.

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are the primary managed species. A population of approximately 95 animals (2016 estimate) was established through transplants to Jack Creek in upper Desolation Canyon in 2000–2001 from Bare Top Mountain, UT and the Bitterroot Valley, MT. The 2016 aerial survey counted 57 total sheep in the Jack Creek subunit: 34 ewes, 9 lambs, 14 rams. The subunit has been exposed to Mycoplasma sp. (90% exposure rate in 2015 sampling), though the population has remained stable. Elk inhabit the forested plateau sections. Mule deer are present throughout. Mountain lion (cougar) is the primary predator; the unit is designated a bighorn sheep protection area with a liberal year-round cougar harvest quota. Mexican spotted owl (threatened) nests in canyon cliff habitats. Significant oil and gas leases have been approved near the Jack Creek area, with potential for habitat disturbance.

This boundary is a bighorn sheep-ONLY hunt boundary — it does not apply to mule deer, elk, or other general big game. The Jack Creek subunit was split from the broader Nine Mile herd unit and first hunted separately in 2017. Sheep in this unit are isolated from the main Gray Canyon herd ~60 miles to the south with little genetic interchange. Tag quota of 2 is from the UDWR management plan harvest table (2017–2018 data); current quota may vary at UDWR discretion — verify in the current Big Game Application Guidebook. Population estimate of ~95 sheep and 2016 survey counts (57 observed: 34 ewes, 9 lambs, 14 rams) are from the August 2019 UDWR management plan. Draft source cited 2019 survey figures (27 ewes, 9 lambs, 18 rams) that could not be verified; the management plan's 2016 data is used instead. Public land percentage not confirmed as a single figure: BLM is 39.2% of modeled habitat, but tribal lands (30.9%) and private (13%) are also substantial — the boundary EXCLUDES all tribal trust lands. Transplant origin was Bare Top Mountain, UT and Bitterroot Valley, MT (not Price River area as stated in draft). Green River float access requires a separate BLM river permit (recreation.gov).