Oquirrh, Utah

Elevation ranges from approximately 4,800 feet in the valley floors to 10,620 feet at Flat Top Mountain, the highest peak in the Oquirrh range. Relief exceeds 6,000 feet. The Oquirrh Mountains trend north–south for roughly 30 miles, are approximately 15 miles wide east-to-west, and feature many steep canyons cutting the flanks — including Butterfield Canyon, Manning Canyon, Settlement Canyon, and Carr Fork. The mountains have a more rounded profile than the adjacent Wasatch but still present rugged terrain. The Tintic Mountains, south of the main Oquirrh range, are lower and more rolling, transitioning into the Great Basin. The West Desert Complex includes desert flats flanking both ranges at lower elevations.

The unit spans both Salt Lake and Tooele County sides of the Oquirrh range, but access and land status differ sharply. On the eastern (Salt Lake Valley) side, Kennecott/Rio Tinto's Bingham Canyon Mine controls extensive private ground on the northern and central Oquirrh; trespass is prohibited. Butterfield Canyon Road (paved) provides public access from Herriman on the east into the mountains. Settlement Canyon Recreation Area (BLM) is reached from Tooele on the west via Settlement Canyon Road. Manning Canyon Road (unpaved, FS/BLM) is accessible from the south end near Fairfield/Camp Williams area. The North Oquirrh Management Area (NOMA), administered by BLM's West Desert District, is the closest block of public BLM ground to Salt Lake City; it is reached via I-80 Exit 99 (Tooele), south on SR-36, then east on Bates Canyon Road for approximately 3 miles. NOMA serves as critical mule deer and elk winter habitat. The Tintic Mountains portion of the unit is largely BLM land, accessible via US-6 and Juab County roads near Eureka and Goshen. No Wilderness or Wilderness Study Area designations appear within the unit. CWMUs within the boundary are excluded from general hunting. Private land blocks are scattered throughout and require careful navigation using current ownership maps.

Vegetation is strongly elevation-banded. Lower slopes and valley floors (below roughly 6,000 ft) support saltbush, shadscale, and big sagebrush with cheatgrass encroachment. Mid-elevation slopes carry pinyon-juniper woodland intermixed with mountain mahogany, antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), and Gambel oak. Upper reaches of the Oquirrh Mountains support aspen groves, ponderosa pine, and mixed conifer stands. Riparian areas in canyons contain willow, cottonwood, and shrub thickets. UDWR deer management documents note that deer winter range across the unit has generally remained in poor condition in recent years, primarily due to deficient browse, cheatgrass invasion, and fire effects; habitat restoration projects (chaining and seeding) are ongoing.

Mule deer are the primary big game species; the 2023 post-season population estimate for the Oquirrh/Tintic sub-unit was approximately 7,450 deer, with a management target of 8,800 wintering deer. The unit is CWD-positive at very low prevalence (less than 0.05%). Elk are present on the unit under the statewide general-season any-bull framework; scattered herds use mid-elevation aspen and mixed-conifer zones. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep occupy the Stansbury Mountains sub-area (western portion of the unit boundary) — this hunt unit (RS6721, Oquirrh-Stansbury West) covers only the Stansbury Mountains, not the Oquirrh Mountains proper. The herd was depopulated by 2016 following a pneumonia-caused crash and re-established via transplants in January/February 2018 (Antelope Island and Newfoundland Mountains animals) and February 2019 (Washington State animals); population objective is 500 sheep. Black bears and mountain lions are documented in the Oquirrh Mountains as native predators. Pronghorn are not listed for this unit. Winter bald eagle use occurs near western cliffs and reservoirs around Stockton.

1. UNIT NAMING: UDWR 2026 application guidebook labels this unit 'Oquirrh/Tintic' (Unit 18b per the December 2024 Deer Herd Unit Plan). The 2024 annual report used 'Oquirrh-Stansbury' (Unit 18) for the combined area; harvest statistics cited here correspond to that combined area. 'Cedar/Stansbury' (Unit 18a) is a separate adjacent deer unit. 2. BIGHORN SHEEP BOUNDARY: Hunt RS6721 covers ONLY the Stansbury Mountains sub-area — not the Oquirrh Mountains proper. The herd was depopulated by 2016 after a pneumonia crash, re-established via transplants in January/February 2018 (from Antelope Island and Newfoundland Mountains) and February 2019 (from Washington State). Population objective is 500 animals; approximately 90 animals were estimated at the time of the 2019 plan. The 4-permit quota comes from UDWR annual report data. 3. PUBLIC LAND PCT: The 35% figure comes from GoHunt's combined Oquirrh-Stansbury profile. BLM dominates with some USFS on the Stansbury range. 4. PRIVATE LAND / MINING: Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine controls significant private acreage on the northern and central Oquirrh Mountains east face — entirely closed to public access. 5. ELK CONFIRMATION: Oquirrh/Tintic is a general-season any-bull elk unit (statewide framework). No separate application is required; permits are OTC. Harvest statistics (18.7% success, 212 harvest) are from the 2024 annual report for the formerly-named unit. 6. CWD STATUS: Oquirrh is confirmed CWD-positive at less than 0.05% prevalence per the December 2024 Deer Herd Unit Plan. On voluntary surveillance rotation; mandatory sampling not currently required for 2026. 7. BEAR AND MOUNTAIN LION: Presence documented in UDWR deer management plan. Season dates and harvest statistics require the separate UDWR Black Bear, Cougar & Furbearer Guidebook.