Panguitch Lake/Zion, North, Utah

Rolling high-desert plateaus and open sagebrush benches transitioning from the southern edge of the Markagunt Plateau (elevations ranging from roughly 5,000 ft on the lower BLM flats near the Virgin River corridor up to approximately 10,000 ft on the plateau margins). The pronghorn-occupied habitat is concentrated on lower-elevation open flats and sagebrush valleys — including Bower Flat, Little Sandy Flats, Little Valleys, and Sage Hen Hollow — that lie between roughly 5,500 and 7,500 ft. The unit covers approximately 985 square miles (630,503 acres). Terrain is generally open and accessible at pronghorn elevations, with scattered basalt lava flows on upper plateau margins.

The unit boundary runs: I-15 on the west, SR-20 north to SR-14 on the north, US-89 on the east, US-89A to the Utah–Arizona state line, and the state line back west to I-15. Primary paved access routes include SR-14 (Cedar City to Long Valley Junction), US-89 (Panguitch to Kanab), and I-15. BLM Cedar City Field Office and Kanab Field Office administer the public lands at lower elevations where pronghorn concentrate; Dixie National Forest (Cedar City Ranger District) administers higher-elevation USFS lands. Major unpaved access routes include numerous BLM and USFS two-track roads across the sagebrush flats around Bower Flat, Sage Hen Hollow, and Little Valleys areas west of US-89. Private land blocks occur throughout the unit — particularly in the valley floors — and comprise roughly 19% of the total area. The Alton CWMU (Kane County) operates for deer within the overlapping geographic area and is excluded from general draw hunts. Native American trust lands within the boundary are excluded from all hunts.

Lower-elevation pronghorn range consists of Wyoming big sagebrush and mountain big sagebrush flats interspersed with native perennial grasses and forbs, transitioning to black sagebrush on drier south-facing benches. Mid-elevation winter range supports pinyon-Utah juniper woodland interspersed with sagebrush shrublands. Upper slopes and plateaus within the unit boundary support ponderosa pine, aspen, and spruce-fir forest managed by Dixie National Forest, though these higher elevations are outside primary pronghorn range. Riparian corridors along Panguitch Creek, Deer Creek, and Virgin River tributaries support cottonwood and willow. The unit contains over 26,000 acres of Watershed Restoration Initiative (WRI) habitat treatment work addressing sagebrush and pinyon-juniper conditions.

Pronghorn are the primary managed game species under this specific boundary designation, with a population objective of 175–250 animals (statewide pronghorn plan; 2017 estimate: 250). The unit received multiple pronghorn transplants from Parker Mountain (1986: 94 animals; 1987: 57 animals; 2004: 26 animals; 2005: 31 animals; 2008: 50 animals) to establish and augment the herd. The same geographic area also supports mule deer (managed under the adjacent Panguitch Lake deer unit and Zion deer unit), Rocky Mountain elk on the upper plateau (Panguitch Lake elk unit, population objective 1,000–1,500), and desert bighorn sheep expanding from Zion National Park onto BLM lands. Mountain lion and black bear are present. Sage-grouse use Sage Hen Hollow and adjacent sagebrush flats. Deer migration between Panguitch Lake and Zion units has been documented by GPS collar studies.