Oquirrh-Stansbury, West, Utah

The boundary straddles two landscape zones: a flat desert valley floor at roughly 4,400 feet elevation and the compact north-south trending Stansbury Mountain range, which rises to 11,031 feet at Deseret Peak (third most prominent mountain in Utah). The mountains are characterized by steep, V-shaped canyons, rugged sedimentary and metamorphic rock (quartzite and shale dating to the Early Cambrian), and precipitous cliff faces that are critical escape terrain for bighorn sheep. The basin-range topography creates more than 6,000 feet of relief across the unit. The northern base of the range begins around 5,200 feet elevation, with the southern high terrain reaching well above 10,000 feet.

Primary vehicle access runs along SR-36, which forms the eastern boundary of the unit and connects Tooele to the north with Skull Valley and Faust to the south. From I-80, Exit 77 (Rowley-Dugway/SR-196), drivers can head south on SR-196 approximately 5.5 miles and then turn east onto a dirt road that enters Muskrat Canyon—one of the primary access corridors into the core bighorn sheep reintroduction area and the Deseret Peak Wilderness. Within the Stansbury Mountains, dirt roads and 4WD tracks lead off SR-36 into various canyons; roads degrade quickly from maintained dirt to unmaintained 4WD and then hiking-only routes. Big Creek Canyon on the west side of Deseret Peak was used for the 2019 bighorn transplant release site. The 25,508-acre Deseret Peak Wilderness (established 1984) has no motorized vehicle access and requires foot or horse travel; it encompasses the high core of the range. Skull Valley to the west is largely private ranching land with limited public throughways. A notable non-hunting land use is the presence of a wild horse (feral horse) band in the Big Creek Canyon and Deseret Peak Wilderness area. The boundary expressly excludes all Native American Trust Lands and all CWMUs. Within the modeled bighorn sheep habitat (115,300 acres), BLM accounts for 41.7% and National Forest for 37.0%; private land is 14.6%.

Vegetation follows distinct elevation bands. Desert valley floors and foothills below approximately 6,000 feet are dominated by sagebrush and native grasses, transitioning to juniper scrubland at mid-elevations. Between roughly 6,000 and 8,500 feet, juniper-conifer woodlands dominate, with mountain mahogany, serviceberry (Amelanchier), and chokecherry present on slopes and in drainages. Aspen groves and cottonwood-willow riparian corridors occupy canyon bottoms. Upper ridges above 8,500 feet transition to mountain mahogany thickets, bunchgrasses, and sparse shrubs. Near and above treeline on Deseret Peak, rocky alpine terrain with lichens and sparse grasses prevails. Pinyon-juniper encroachment into sagebrush habitat and invasive annual grass (particularly cheatgrass) on burned areas are active management concerns. The overall winter elk range condition for the Stansbury Mountains sub-unit (WMU 18A) was rated very poor in the 2021 assessment, driven by the 2009 Big Pole wildfire and 2013 Patch Springs wildfire removing preferred browse and enabling invasive annual grass establishment.

Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep were reintroduced to the Stansbury Mountains in January 2006 (54 animals from Antelope Island) and February 2007 (19 from Antelope Island). A respiratory disease outbreak beginning in 2013-2014 crashed the herd, with approximately 90% of the collared animals dying; the remaining animals were euthanized in 2016 following confirmation of a novel pathogen. A second reintroduction effort began in January-February 2018 (18 from Antelope Island and 41 from the Newfoundland Mountains, all released in the Muskrat Canyon area) and February 2019 (20 from Washington State, released in the Big Creek Canyon area). An additional 25 from Oregon were planned for December 2019. As of the August 2019 management plan, the herd was estimated at approximately 90 animals; the long-term population objective is 500. Sheep concentrate in steep rocky terrain throughout the range and enter rut in mid-November through mid-December. The 2025 harvest data confirms active habitat use at Muskrat Canyon, Big Creek Canyon, and Timpie Valley. Mountain lions are identified in the UDWR bighorn sheep management plan as the primary predator of concern for the recovering herd; cougar predator management is coordinated with USDA Wildlife Services. Mule deer inhabit the unit year-round, using the mountain range as summer and fawning habitat and lower foothills and valley edges as winter range; the unit is now classified under the Cedar/Stansbury general deer unit (post-2025 boundary split, formerly part of combined Oquirrh-Stansbury unit 18). The 2025 3-year average bucks-per-100-does for Cedar/Stansbury is 18.3, above the 15-17 management objective. Elk use the Stansbury Mountains heavily, with a sub-population objective of 1,000 wintering animals; the 2023 total estimate for combined unit 18 (Oquirrh and Stansbury combined) was approximately 1,100 elk. Elk range condition on the Stansbury Mountains sub-unit was rated very poor in 2021. A wild horse band occupies the Big Creek Canyon area near the Deseret Peak Wilderness. Black bears and golden eagles are also known to inhabit the range.

1. The UDWR hunt boundary name 'Oquirrh-Stansbury, West' is used specifically for the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep once-in-a-lifetime hunt unit (RS6721) and covers the Stansbury Mountains west of SR-36 in Tooele County — it does NOT encompass the Oquirrh Mountains. 2. For deer, a 2025 boundary realignment split the former combined 'Oquirrh-Stansbury' general deer unit: the Stansbury Mountains portion became the new 'Cedar/Stansbury' general deer unit and the Oquirrh Mountains portion became 'Oquirrh/Tintic'. The 1,250 permit quota for deer is confirmed from the 2026 RAC packet. 3. Utah general season deer is a preference point draw system, not OTC. 4. Bighorn sheep population was approximately 90 animals as of the August 2019 management plan following 2018–2019 reintroductions (2019 aerial survey observed 55 animals: 29 ewes, 14 lambs, 12 rams); the long-term population objective is 500. 2025 RS6721 harvest: 3 permits issued, 3 hunted, 3 harvested (100% success). 5. The boundary expressly excludes all Native American Trust Lands and all CWMUs. 6. Wild horses are present in the Deseret Peak Wilderness/Big Creek Canyon area. 7. Mountain lion is not included in the species array as it is managed under a separate statewide guidebook and no quota is assigned to this specific boundary. 8. The 38% public land figure applies to the entire 966,211-acre boundary (HuntScore). Within the modeled bighorn sheep habitat (115,300 acres), public land is approximately 79% (BLM 41.7% + USFS 37.0%).