Antelope Island: Don’t expect to draw this tag.Hunting pressure is high on these hunts, but if the time is put in and luck goes your way, you could take a buck of a lifetime on one of these hunts. These archery only hunts extend through the rut and tremendous bucks are taken every year. Don’t overlook the extended archery areas. Central, Southern, and Southeastern all have decent general hunts, the most popular of which is the Southern unit. Speaking of general hunts, the northern end of the state probably has the most difficult hunting. The general hunts have in a sense become Limited Entry because you can’t draw some of them every year. Utah has an interesting Mule Deer system. The Wasatch and Manti units have very large herds of elk, a lot of tags, and are not managed for the same age class as the units listed above – that being said, 300+ bulls are fairly common, and seeing a 350+ bull can happen with hard work and a little luck. Recent age objective management changes is affecting the Wasatch, Book Cliffs, and Manti, but good bulls can still be found. (Especially the units in the southern half of the state) Other good units include the Dutton, Beaver, and Panguitch. Other units of Interest: Utah has fantastic elk hunting, while it may not be producing as many 400″ bulls as 8-10 years ago, any unit in the state provides opportunity for a big one.A 350 class bull is very possible on this unit. Boulder: The Boulder is a very cool mountain range with decent access – this unit covers a lot of area and there are great bulls to be found.

Some really big bulls are taken every year here as well. Plateau, Beaver: The beaver unit has the make-up for the hunt of a lifetime.Rut hunts are far easier in this unit than those outside the rut. I would say this is one of the best hunts for older folks, or those who can’t get too far from the truck – but there’s plenty of places to get off the “beaten path” as well. Spend some time scouting and you’ll find a big bull. Don’t expect to find bulls throughout the whole unit.

While some say it has already peaked, this unit is one of the best in the state. Fillmore, Pahvant: This unit has been on the ups for several years.Avoid the late rifle hunt (November) as many of the bulls move to private land. Huge bulls on this unit, 400+ killed every year. Combine the animal quality with early rifle hunts that fall right in the heat of the rut and you have an awesome hunt. San Juan: This unit is right near the top of the elk hunting world.It’s best to contact hunters who have hunted a particular CMWU as well as contacting the operator before applying for these units. The hunting experience on a CMWU depends a lot on the operator. Many of these CMWU’s produce tremendous trophies every year. The Cooperative Management Wildlife Unit (CMWU) program is also something to look into. While they are few and far between in many units, it’s not uncommon for bulls over 380 to be found in many units.

Nearly every unit in the state has potential for a bull over 350. Although “quality” is reportedly down from 2005-2007 levels, Utah is still a premier hunting destination for BIG bulls. Every few years a unit will have a stand out year, predicting this can be difficult. Many of Utah’s elk units can produce giant bulls year in and year out. Utah has some of the best Rocky Mountain Elk hunting in the world.

Utah elk vs deer