Uinta Basin Private Lands Any Bull Elk, Utah

Low-elevation valley floors, river terraces, and foothills on the south slope of the Uinta Mountains transitioning into the Uintah Basin desert. Valley floors along the Duchesne, Uinta, and Whiterocks rivers sit at approximately 4,700–5,500 ft elevation; foothill benches and the eastern Diamond Mountain portion of the boundary reach 6,500–7,000 ft. Terrain is predominantly open and moderately rolling compared to the high Uinta Mountains to the north, with irrigated agricultural fields, dry-land benches, and scattered canyon breaks.

This boundary is private land only — the legal description explicitly excludes all BLM land, USFS land, UDWR Wildlife Management Areas, school trust lands, state park lands, and Native American Trust Land within its perimeter. Hunters must obtain written permission from private landowners before hunting. Key highways framing the boundary are US-40 (Duchesne to Myton), SR-87 (Duchesne north to SR-35), US-191/Indian Canyon road on the west, and SR-191 on the northeast near Vernal. Agricultural roads and county roads provide access across private parcels, including the Whiterocks Highway/Farm Creek road, the Deep Creek Road (County Road 2040), the Dry Fork Road (County Road 2050), and roads toward Diamond Mountain. The boundary extends east to the Dinosaur National Monument boundary and the Green River; Dinosaur NM itself is closed to hunting. Large blocks of Ute Tribal Trust Land are interspersed throughout and are closed. Boundary questions: UDWR Vernal office, 435-781-9453.

Riparian corridors of cottonwood, willow, and tamarisk along the Duchesne, Uinta, and Whiterocks rivers provide cover and year-round water. Adjacent uplands support sagebrush-grassland and pinyon-juniper. Private agricultural parcels—primarily hay meadows, alfalfa fields, and grain operations—are the dominant draw for low-elevation resident elk, which graze crops and cause fence damage. Desert shrub communities occupy dry benches and southern exposures. Several large prescribed burns (including the Neola North fire at ~43,000 acres and East Fork/Center Creek fires at ~89,000 acres on nearby public land) have improved elk habitat and forage in the broader region over the past two decades, supporting the influx of elk onto adjacent private lands.

Elk from the Yellowstone herd unit (9A) winter in large numbers in Uintah Basin agricultural areas before moving to summer range in the Ashley National Forest on the High Uintas. Resident groups of bull elk remain at low elevations year-round, concentrating on hay and alfalfa fields in areas such as Arcadia, Duchesne River corridor, lower Uinta River, Mountain Home, Bluebell, Neola, and Clay Basin. The Yellowstone unit bull elk harvest totaled 501 animals in 2024, reflecting a substantial resident population. The broader Yellowstone unit population was estimated at approximately 3,050 elk (excluding tribal trust lands) as of 2022, with a management objective of 3,500 wintering elk on non-tribal lands. Mule deer are present across the broader landscape. Ute Tribal Trust lands interspersed within the boundary act as elk refuges that contribute to the year-round private-land elk pressure.

1. PRIVATE LAND ONLY — boundary legal description explicitly excludes all BLM, USFS, UDWR WMAs, state trust lands, and tribal trust lands. Public land percentage is 0% for hunting purposes. 2. General season OTC, sold over the counter starting July 9, 2026 at 8 a.m. MDT, first-come first-served; 2026 quota is 750 permits (hunt number EB1012). 3. Hunt first established for the 2025 season (500 permits in 2025, 750 in 2026); no published harvest statistics exist yet for this specific boundary. Yellowstone herd unit (9A) context data is from the broader general-season unit. 4. Youth hunters may use this permit Aug. 1–Nov. 14. 5. Ute Tribal Trust lands within the boundary are closed; hunters must carry maps/GPS to avoid trespassing. 6. No separate archery or muzzleloader season — this is an any-legal-weapon permit only. The Uintah Basin Extended Archery Area (EAA) is a separate overlapping boundary with its own permit (Aug. 15–Dec. 15 either-sex archery); that EAA permit is distinct from this private-lands bull hunt. 7. The boundary overlaps portions of the Yellowstone (9A) general-season unit; hunters on public land within that geographic area use standard general-season permits, not this private-lands permit.