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Application Strategy 2023: Utah elk and antelope

Photo credit: Getty Images

Utah's 2023 elk and antelope application overview

Jump to: NEW FOR 2023 State Information Draw System Elk Breakdown Antelope Breakdown

Note: The application deadline for all Utah species is April 27, 2023 at 11 p.m. MST. Applicants wishing to purchase preference and/or bonus points only can do so prior to the April 27 deadline or if they miss that deadline they can apply for points only during the antlerless application timeframe from June 7 to 22. You may apply online here.


New for 2023

  • Nonresident owners of ATVs, off-highway motorcycles or snowmobiles who bring them to Utah to use must obtain a permit for their machine. 
  • Applicants can edit their application free of charge at any time prior to the deadline.
  • Applicants will be able to view the proposed permit numbers for each hunt prior to applying. Tentative release for permit numbers is April 5, 2023.
  • Applicants who miss the deadline can now apply for bonus or preference points only during the antlerless application timeframe from June 7 to 22. 
  • General over-the-counter (OTC) rifle any bull elk hunt has been divided into two separate hunts: early Oct. 7 to 13 and late Oct. 14 to 20.
  • A new youth general elk permit will be available that allows youth to hunt all seasons and is valid on all any bull and spike only units. The quota is unlimited. 
  • The OTC rifle general season any bull elk multi-season permit has been eliminated.
  • Six new units have been added to the OTC general any bull elk hunt.
  • The limited entry archery elk season has been extended by four days and will end on Sept. 19.
  • The limited entry elk early rifle season has been shortened by four days and will now be a five-day season ending on Sept 24.
  • The age class management objectives for limited entry elk hunts has been adjusted for the two top tiers that were previously in place. All units that were managed for 7.5 to eight years will be dropped to 6.5 to seven. All units managed for 6.5 to seven will be dropped to six to 6.5 years. 
  • New rifle elk hunts: Most limited entry elk units will have a new “mid” rifle season with dates running from Oct. 7 to 19. This is an addition of 14 new limited entry rifle elk hunts. 
  • New archery elk hunts: Most limited entry elk units will have a new late archery season with dates running from Dec. 2 to 17. This is an addition of 17 new limited entry late archery hunts. 
  • New archery, muzzleloader and rifle antelope hunts: Cache/Rich, Plateau/Parker Mtn.

Insider features

HUNT PLANNER

To aid in your research and planning efforts, we created a brand new tool for Insiders called Hunt Planner. This tool will help you be more efficient at planning for hunts and also keeps all your research data organized. No more notepads getting lost or headaches when trying to remember what units caught your eye during your research! Everything you need is always in one place at GOHUNT.

What can you do in Hunt Planner?

  • Save unit seasons in Filtering 2.0
  • Never lose track of units you want to further research;
  • Rank seasons;
  • Can help decide what unit to apply for or what order to place your units when applying on a state's website;
  • Compare seasons (up to three at a time);
  • Save the filter settings you used in Filtering 2.0 to find a great hunt;
  • Add notes to your research folder under season level or hunt folder level; and
  • Much more!

Learn more about Hunt Planner here

POINT TRACKER

Point Tracker allows you to enter the number of points you have for each state and species and, as you research through Filtering 2.0 and Draw Odds, your point total will automatically be highlighted. Learn more about Point Tracker here.

Access Point Tracker here


State Information

To view important information and an overview of Utah’s rules/regulations, the draw system and bonus points, tag and license fees and an interactive boundary line map, check out our State Profile. You can also view the Utah Elk Profile and Antelope Profile to access historical and statistical data to help you find trophy areas.

Utah State Profile Utah Elk Profile Utah Antelope Profile GOHUNT Maps Draw Odds Filtering 2.0

Important dates and information

  • The deadline to apply is April 27, 2023 at 11 p.m. MST. Apply online here.
  • Applicants can also apply via telephone by calling any Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) office.
  • Apply for bonus points only prior to April 27 at 11 p.m. MST deadline.
  • Applicants that miss the initial deadline can apply for bonus/preference points only during the June 7 to 22 antlerless application period. 
  • Applicants can modify their applications free of charge during the entire application timeframe.
  • Applicants can withdraw their application free of charge prior to the April 27 deadline.
  • Results will be emailed or available online on or shortly before May 31.
  • Hunters must have a valid hunting or combination hunting/fishing license to apply.
  • Hunting licenses are valid for 365 days from the date of purchase. If you time it correctly you can apply for two consecutive years on one license. You do not need an active hunting license to hunt — just to apply.
  • Applicants must be 12 years old by Dec. 31, 2023 to apply.
  • Hunters must be 12 years old to hunt.
  • Hunters born after Dec. 31, 1965 must have taken an approved hunter’s education course.
  • Group applications are allowed. Up to four applicants can apply together as a group for limited entry elk and antelope. 
  • Nonresidents may apply and build bonus points for all available species.
  • Residents may only apply for one limited entry species: elk, antelope or deer. They may also apply for one once-in-a-lifetime species: moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat or bison. They can also apply for general season deer and the dedicated hunter program if they are not already enrolled.
  • Applicants can surrender a permit that they drew. If you surrender the permit 30 days prior to opening day you will have your accrued bonus point(s) back but you will not receive a point for the current year.
  • A group application can also surrender their permits, but all members must surrender the permits 30 days prior to opening day to receive their points back. 
  • If you draw a limited entry elk permit, you may not apply again for five years.
  • If you draw a limited entry antelope permit, you may not apply again for two years.

Utah elk and antelope fees 2023

ItemResidentNonresident

365-day
hunting license

$34

$72

365-day
hunting license (youth 14 to 17)

$16

$29

365-day
hunting license (youth 13 under)

$11

N/A

365-day hunt/fish
combination license

$38

$98

365-day hunt/fish
combination license (youth 14 to 17)

$20

$33

Application fee
per species

$10

$15

Limited entry elk

$285

$1,000

Multi-season limited entry elk

$513

$1,805

General spike or any bull elk permit 

$50

$593

General multi-season spike bull elk

$150

$800

Youth general season elk

$50

$593

Limited entry antelope

$55

$337

Note: Applicants need to buy either a hunting license or combination hunting/fishing license to apply. Applicants will not be charged the cost of the permit unless they are successful in the draw.


The Utah Draw System

Hunting license to apply

Every applicant will need to have a valid hunting license to apply for hunts or even bonus points only. That hunting license is valid for 365 days from the date of purchase. Applicants can buy one hunting license every two years and apply if they time it correctly. For example, if you purchase a hunting license and apply on the last day of this application period and then apply early in next year's application period, you could apply for two years on one hunting license. You do not need a valid hunting license to actually hunt; you only need it to apply in the draw.

Permit split/allocation

The permit split offers 90% to residents and 10% to nonresidents. For limited entry elk units with three weapon types, permits are allocated in the following percentages: 25% for archery, 15% for muzzleloader and 60% for any legal weapon. Within the any legal weapon elk season, percentages of permits will be recommended as 10% for the early any weapon season, 30% for the mid any weapon season, 17% for the late any weapon season and 3% for the multi-season. 

Important notice: The percentages of permits allocated for each season has changed from previous years with the new statewide elk plan. This change will reduce the number of permits primarily for the early rifle (any weapon) season. The application period in 2023 was moved back to give applicants a chance to review tag allocations for the hunts they plan to apply for. UDWR will release the number of recommended permits for each hunt on April 5, 2023. Be aware that these permit numbers may be different from the number of permits that were allocated in 2022, which is what is currently displayed in your Insider account. When you evaluate the odds of the hunts you are planning to apply for it is imperative to review the detailed draw odds pages for those hunts and compare the number of permits that were allocated at each point level with the 2023 UDWR recommended permit numbers. In some cases (primarily early rifle limited entry elk seasons), the number of permits is going to be less than it has been. This change is very likely going to impact draw odds negatively. The mid-October seasons are probably going to have the best odds for rifle hunters. The new late season archery hunts probably have the best archery season odds; however, be cautious as those are late season spot and stalk hunts that will have lower harvest success rates.

Bonus points

Utah has a hybrid draw system for limited entry elk and antelope permits where they allocate 50% of the permits for each hunt to the applicants with the most bonus points and 50% are randomly allocated. The random draw takes into consideration the number of points each applicant has, meaning you get more chances in the random draw with each point you have. For example, if I have zero points I get one chance, but if I have ten points I get 11 chances (one for each point I have and one for this year’s application). If there is an odd number of permits (for example, three), the bulk go to high point holders and only one will be randomly allocated. If there is one permit only, it will be randomly drawn.

Bonus points are given for each year an applicant applies for a limited entry or once-in-a-lifetime species and is unsuccessful in the draw. Applicants can also apply for bonus points only until the April 27 deadline. Applicants who miss the deadline can apply for bonus points only during the antlerless application timeframe from June 7 to 22. Bonus points are species specific, meaning you cannot apply bonus points for limited entry elk that an applicant has accrued toward a limited entry deer or antelope hunt.

Group applications

Applicants can apply as a group for limited entry elk and antelope. Up to four applicants can apply on a group application. Group applicants will have their bonus points totaled and averaged and rounded down to the whole number. For example, if a group of three applies with three, five and nine bonus points, that application will go into the draw with five points (3+5+9=17/3=5.666 rounded to 5). Residents and nonresidents can apply as a group together on the same application. A group application is treated as a single application in the draw, meaning that if an application is successful in the draw, all applicants on that application will receive permits. Be aware that Utah will not over allocate their permit quotas to satisfy a group application. For example, if there is one permit remaining for any given hunt and a group application of two is drawn, they will bypass that application and move to the next single applicant. For resident/nonresident combo group applications, there must be enough nonresident permits to cover the nonresident applicants on the application. If there was an application with two nonresidents and two resident applicants and there was only one nonresident permit available for the hunt they applied for, that application has no chance at being successful in the draw. 

Hunt choices

Applicants can select two hunt choices when applying for limited entry hunts. Every single applicant's first choice is considered before moving to any applicant's second choice. Essentially, it is very rare for a limited entry permit to be drawn as a second choice. To draw a hunt as a second choice, it would mean that there were permits remaining after every single applicant's first choice was considered. Be aware that if you draw a permit as a second choice you will lose any accumulated bonus points.

Draw order:

Utah’s draw goes in the following order from first to last:

  1. Buck deer (multi-season premium limited entry, premium limited entry, multi-season limited entry, limited entry, Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit (CWMU) and management buck deer)
  2. Bull elk (multi-season limited entry, limited entry and CWMU)
  3. Buck antelope (limited entry and CWMU)
  4. Once-in-a-lifetime species (bighorn sheep, moose, mountain goat and bison)
  5. General buck deer (lifetime license holders)
  6. General buck deer (dedicated hunters)
  7. General buck deer (youth)
  8. General buck deer
  9. Youth any bull elk

Utah does not allow applicants to draw multiple limited entry tags in the same draw/year. You also cannot draw a limited entry and a once-in-a-lifetime (moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat or bison) permit in the same year. In the rare case that an applicant has enough points to draw both a limited entry permit and a once-in-a-lifetime permit, they should decide which hunt they want to pursue. With the order of the draw, they would draw the limited entry hunt and their once-in-a-lifetime species application will not be considered in the draw.

Permit return

Successful applicants who wish to return a permit that they have drawn can do so 30 days prior to the start of their hunt. In this case, they can have their bonus points reinstated; however, they would not earn one for that year's application. The cost of the limited entry permit will be refunded as long as it is returned 30 days prior to the hunt. If applicants drew a permit as part of a group, all members of the group must surrender their permits in order to have all of the applicants’ bonus points reinstated. Hunting licenses and application fees are nonrefundable.


Snowpack and drought in Utah

Utah gets approximately 95% of its water from snowpack and the amount in 2023 is quite possibly the highest in the last 30 years. Every portion of the state is over 150% of normal snow water equivalent and the southern portion of the state is over 200% in most areas. The southern two-thirds of the state has larger chunks of higher quality winter range and far fewer people. Because of that, wildlife populations in those portions of the state have fared better this winter while the Wasatch Front and northern portions of the state will likely see mortality in the calf and fawn crop at a higher rate than normal. The good news is that 2023 is likely to yield one of the best antler growth years in the southern end of the state in several years. The northern Utah units will not have great antler growth due to the long winter and deep snows. Bulls will be putting initial nutrition into recouping body condition and with the lack of early green growth, antler growth is likely to be stunted.

Antelope shed their shealth/horn in mid-November. Before they shed the horn, a new horn will have begun to grow from beneath it from the bone core. From the time bucks shed the sheath until late March, the bucks will be putting growth into the prong and upper portion of the horn. From early April to July, the growth is added below the prong and mass is added near the base of the skull. By late July and into early August, the horn will have finished growing and bucks will begin to rut from as early as mid-August to late September. The time from December to the end of March is critical for prong length and height in general. The months of April to July are critical for mass and length below the prong. With that, it is understandable that more mild conditions from the months of November to April are beneficial for antelope horn growth. If the winter is more severe and the bucks are putting more nutrition into maintaining body condition, the long prongs and mass above the prong are not likely to be there. Generally speaking, this winter has been more severe and I would not anticipate a great growth year for antelope for some higher elevations herds and northern Utah. The desert units of southwestern and eastern Utah should fare much better and, with continued moisture, the horn growth in those units should be great.

2023

Utah snow water equivalent update from April 3, 2023. Source: National Resources Conservation Service

Utah drought monitor status from March 28, 2023. Source: United States Drought Monitor

2022

Utah snow water equivalent update from February 7, 2022. Source: National Resources Conservation Service
 

2022 Utah drought monitor status from February 1. Source: United States Drought Monitor

2021

Utah snow water equivalent from February 9, 2021. Source: National Resources Conservation Service

2021 Utah drought monitor status from January 11. Source: United States Drought Monitor


Utah's 2023 elk breakdown

Over the last 20 plus years, Utah has been — and remains — a phenomenal elk state. It’s well known for producing record book bulls and offering some of the highest quality elk hunting in the West. The allure for elk in Utah really began in the early to mid 2000s and, from approximately 2003 to 2010, several 400” plus bulls were taken almost every year. Since then, the trophy quality has slipped. As we move into a brand new 10-year elk plan, we are unlikely to see the number of trophy bulls available again in the foreseeable future.

In late 2022, Utah signed a new 10-year elk plan. The overarching objective was to increase the opportunity for more hunters to experience elk hunting in Utah. The demand to hunt elk has increased and more hunters are willing to sacrifice some quality to hopefully obtain a permit.  In order to offer more hunters the chance to hunt elk, the state had to find ways to offer more permits and maintain harvest at a level that remains within objectives. One of the management adjustments the state has adopted is that they have a new age class management strategy for limited entry elk units. They have also created new hunts and adjusted the percentage of tags that are allocated across the rifle hunts. They have also created a new hunt structure for the OTC any bull hunt and transitioned under-performing limited entry units to OTC any bull units. I’ll dive into those later. For now, let’s look at the changes in age class for limited entry units.

Limited entry elk units have been managed for a desired age class of bulls that are harvested from each unit. New studies suggest that most bulls reach approximately 96% of antler growth by age 6.5. Data comparing age and main beam antler length for elk harvested in Utah show similar trends with 97% of length being achieved by 6.5 years old and length not increasing after an elk reaches 8.5 years old. With this information, Utah has determined that they likely have a surplus of bulls that could be harvested in some units. Previously I have included the age objectives for each unit within this strategy article. When a hunter draws a limited entry elk permit they receive a packet with instructions to return teeth from the bull they harvest. Returned teeth are tested to determine the age of the bull. UDWR would then average the age of bulls harvested for each year with recommended permit numbers for the coming year based on a three-year rolling average age. The new management plan still utilizes the same system, but they have adjusted the age class for the units, lowering some of the top units. Generally speaking, adjusting the age class should allow UDWR to allocate more permits in some of the better known units. More permits have the potential to lower the age class over time and, in reality, the trophy quality of those units is likely to dip slightly. Below are the age class structures for 2023 for each unit and the previous age class prior to this year.

2023 Utah bull elk age class objective 6.5 to 7 years

UnitPrevious age
objective
2021 average
age
Three-year
average age

Beaver, East

7.5 to 8

8.4

8.2

Plateau, Boulder

7.5 to 8

7.8

7.5

Fillmore, Pahvant

7.5 to 8

7.5

7.6

San Juan

7.5 to 8

7.7

7.7

Book Cliffs, Little Creek Roadless

7.5 to 8

8.3

7.4

 

2023 Utah bull elk age class objective 6 to 6.5 years

UnitPrevious age
objective
2021 average
age
Three-year
average age

Southwest Desert,
South

6.5 to 7 

6.6

7.0

Panguitch Lake

6.5 to 7

6.7

6.4

Mt Dutton

6.5 to 7

7.5

6.7

Monroe

6.5 to 7

7.7

7.4

Cache, South

6.5 to 7

7.1

6.3

Cache, Meadowville

6.5 to 7

7.0

5.9

Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek/East

6.5 to 7

5.2

5.7

 

2023 Utah bull elk age class objective 5.5 to 6 years

UnitPrevious age
objective
2021 average
age
Three-year
average age

Central Mtns, Manti

5.5 to 6

6.5

6.5

Central Mtns, Nebo/San Pitch Mtns

5.5 to 6

7.2

6.5

La Sal, La Sal Mtns

5.5 to 6

6.2

6.0

La Sal, Dolores Triangle

5.5 to 6

N/A

4.0

North Slope,
Three Corners

5.5 to 6

5.5

5.4

South Slope, 
Diamond Mtn

6 to 6.5 

7.4

7.4

Plateau, Fishlake/Thousand Lakes

5.5 to 6

6.9

6.7

Wasatch Mtns

5.5 to 6

5.9

6.1

Box Elder, Grouse Creek

4.5 to 5

6.4

5.7

Box Elder, Pilot Mtn

4.5 to 5 

5.7

6.9

Statewide, the elk population is estimated at 84,390 in 2021 with an objective of 78,990.

Utah limited entry winter elk populations and bull:cow ratios

UnitPopulation
objective
Population
(2021)
Bull:cow
ratios

Beaver

1,050

850

84:100

Box Elder

675

700

68:100

Book Cliffs

7,500

5,500

14:100

Cache

2,300

3,350

13:100

Central Mtns, Manti

12,000

9,900

27:100

Central Mtns, Nebo

1,450

1,700

48:100

Fillmore

1,600

1,350

17:100

La Sal

2,500

2,100

27:100

Monroe

1,000

1,100

39:100

Mt Dutton

1,500 to 2,000

1,400

40:100

North Slope, Three Corners

700

600

73:100

Panguitch Lake

1,100 to 1,300

840

24:100

Plateau, Boulder/Kaiparowits

1,200 to 1,700

1,200

27:100

Plateau, Fishlake/Thousand Lakes

5,000 to 5,900

5,450

19:100

San Juan

1,300

1,400

45:100

South Slope, Diamond Mtn/Vernal

3,000

3,800

22:100

Southwest Desert

975

975

14:100

Wasatch

8,400

10,100

30:100

West Desert, Deep Creek

350

200

NA 

Limited entry elk seasons

Utah has created new limited entry elk seasons for this upcoming year. The biggest additions are October mid rifle hunts and December archery hunts. In addition to those hunts, they have also made some adjustments to season length and date. The early archery season will now run later into September, offering the best rut hunt days bowhunters in Utah will have ever had. The bow hunt will start Aug. 23 and end Sept. 19. Given the later dates, I would anticipate that many applicants with a good number of bonus points will be tempted to burn those on an archery hunt where they get the first crack at bulls and have much better rut dates. I anticipate seeing higher point creep than normal in the early archery hunts.

The early rifle elk hunt begins just after the archery hunt with season dates of Sept. 20 to 24. The early rifle hunt was shortened this year to just five days. The dates are prime for bugling bulls and I would anticipate that harvest success will still be very high. Data suggests that 80% of tag holders fill their permit within the first three days of the early rifle hunt. The early rifle season is still the best rifle hunt, but preseason scouting is going to make the difference with the shortened season.

Many years, one the best rut hunts occurs during the limited entry muzzleloader dates, which are Sept 25 to Oct. 6. It’s not uncommon for the archery and early rifle dates to be extremely hot and elk movement can be limited. Later muzzleloader dates sometimes cool off and calling is still very effective. Additionally, as of now, muzzleloader hunters can still utilize a modern muzzleloader with magnified scope. Once again, harvest success is typically very high and the quality is good during the muzzleloader hunts.

The mid-season October rifle hunt is new in 2023 to limited entry elk areas. The season dates will run Oct 7 to 19. A few factors worth noting are that these dates occur along with the general season rifle spike elk hunt, which has the same dates. The October limited entry hunt will generally have better odds than both the early rifle and late rifle hunts, but hunters will be sharing the field with potentially hundreds and even thousands of general season spike hunters. The added hunting pressure will move elk around and it will be challenging to continue to find a target bull day after day. I anticipate that harvest success will still be high for this hunt, but the quality of bulls available will be lower. One consideration worth noting is that the OTC spike elk hunters in the field are often good resources for information since limited entry tags are so hard to come by.

The late limited entry rifle hunts run Nov. 11 to 19. During this timeframe, the bigger bulls will have transitioned away from cow/calf herds and often find remote, secluded feeding and bedding pockets to attempt to put weight on before winter. Depending on the unit, the late hunts can be very good if there is open country to glass. Many of the mature bulls will have broken and chipped tines after the rut. The late hunts traditionally require a few less points to draw; however, be aware that they can be challenging with cold weather and finding a target bull is tough. The late hunts occur after the early seasons and, in many cases, the biggest bulls on the units will have been harvested.

New for 2023: there will be late season archery elk hunts. The limited entry late archery hunts will occur Dec. 2 to 17. Arizona and New Mexico have been utilizing late archery hunts to offer hunters a chance to draw with fewer points than the early hunts. I would anticipate the late archery hunts to require fewer points, but for the better units it may still require eight to 15 points. In Arizona and New Mexico, the harvest success for these types of hunts is often 10% to 20% and I believe it will be similar in Utah. However, in saying that, most of the areas of Utah are more open and bulls are more susceptible to spot and stalk hunting. Once again, the weather will be cold, snowy and the bigger bulls will likely be broken and hard to find. I would suggest die-hard spot and stalk archery hunters with a few points strongly consider these hunts. I am hearing the permit number for the late archery hunts is likely to be low — perhaps five or fewer.

Utah also offers multi-season and handgun, archery, muzzleloader and shotgun (HAMS) hunts for some units. Multi-season allows the lucky applicants to hunt all of the seasons on a unit until they have filled their permit. These permits allow those individuals to be very selective and they represent the best opportunity to hunt and harvest a big bull. Some units have HAMS hunts. Those hunts have long season dates, are in tougher units to hunt and you are limited to using a handgun, archery equipment, muzzleloader or a shotgun. The HAMS units might be good hunt options for applicants who do not have a lot of points and are more interested in the opportunity to hunt with primitive weapons than killing a trophy bull.

Top hit list hunts to consider for 350" or better bulls

UnitTrophy
potential
Harvest
success
Resident points
to draw (2022)
Nonresident points
to draw (2022)

Beaver, East

380”+

Archery: 53%
Muzzleloader: 100%
Rifle: 96%
Mid rifle: new 
Late rifle: 93%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 50%

28% with 17
100% with 23
58% with 26
New hunt
36% with 22
New hunt
100% with 27

100% with 23
Random only
50% with 25
New hunt
51% with 21
New hunt 
No permits 

Plateau, Boulder

380”+

Archery: 50%
Muzzleloader: 80%
Rifle: 100%
Mid rifle: new 
Late rifle: 77%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 100%

39% with 16
24% with 22
26% with 24
New hunt
36% with 22
New hunt
100% with 18

100% with 24
Random only
40% with 26
New hunt
100% with 22
New hunt
No permits

San Juan

380”+

Archery: 41%
Muzzleloader: 58%
Rifle: 96%
Mid rifle: new 
Late rifle: 90%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 75%

23% with 17
46% with 24
26% with 24
New hunt
31% with 17
New hunt
25% with 27

25% with 22
Random only
33% with 26
New hunt
100% with 26
New hunt
No permits

Panguitch Lake

360”+

Archery: 64%
Muzzleloader: 73%
Rifle: 100%
Mid rifle: new 
Late rifle: 100%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 100%

100% with 13
85% with 19
51% with 22
New hunt
100% with 19
New hunt
Random only

Random only
Random only
Random only
New hunt
Random only 
New hunt
No permits

Fillmore, Pahvant

380”+

Archery: 39%
Muzzleloader: 63%
Rifle: 74%
Mid rifle: new 
Late rifle: 83%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 100%

71% with 14
81% with 22
71% with 25
New hunt
100% with 20
New hunt
100% with 27

Random only
Random only
100% with 25
New hunt
Random only
New hunt
No permits 

Mt Dutton

360”+

Archery: 43%
Muzzleloader: 93%
Rifle: 94%
Mid rifle: new 
Late rifle: 90%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 100%

100% with 10
78% with 17
68% with 22
New hunt
68% with 22
New hunt
100% with 26

Random only
Random only
100% with 24
New hunt
Random only
New hunt
No permits 

Monroe

360”+

Archery: 55%
Muzzleloader: 100%
Rifle: 96%
Mid rifle: new 
Late rifle: 80%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 100%

38% with 16
100% with 24
17% with 25
New hunt
62% with 22
New hunt
50% with 27

Random only
Random only
50% with 25
New hunt
Random only
New hunt 
No permits 

*Random odds vary by the number of bonus points. Review the odds within your Insider account. 
*New season permit quotas are likely to impact maximum point draw odds. Review the proposed 2023 permit numbers and compare them to the number of permits allocated in 2022 to further evaluate chances of drawing. 

Mid-tier limited entry elk hunts to consider for 2023

UnitTrophy
potential
Harvest
success
Resident points
to draw (2022)
Nonresident points
to draw (2022)

Central Mtns,
Manti

350”+

Archery: 40%
Muzzleloader: 69%
Rifle: 82%
Mid rifle: 60%
Late rifle: 75%
Late archery: new
Multi: 89%

16% with 7
91% with 13
54% with 18
87% with 15
92% with 12
New hunt
17% with 23

52% with 17
100% with 20
72% with 22
100% with 20
20% with 18
New hunt
35% with 22

Southwest Desert,
South

350”+

Archery: 58%
Muzzleloader: 87%
Rifle: 93%
Mid rifle: new 
Late rifle: 92%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 100%

100% with 9
40% with 17
76% with 21
New hunt
100% with 15
New hunt
51% with 25

52% with 18
Random only
100% with 24
New hunt
35% with 21
New hunt
No permits

Central Mtns,
Nebo/San Pitch Mtns

350”+

Archery: 60%
Muzzleloader: 78%
Rifle: 100%
Mid rifle: new 
Late rifle: 93%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 100%

77% with 10
100% with 17
76% with 21
New hunt
69% with 13
New hunt
51% with 26

100% with 16
Random only
51% with 24
New hunt 
Random only
New hunt
No permits 

Plateau, Fishlake/Thousand Lakes

340”+

Archery: 31%
Muzzleloader: 76%
Rifle: 79%
Mid rifle: 58% 
Late rifle: 88%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 88%

63% with 7
63% with 12
14% with 16
100% with 12
87% with 13
New hunt
52% with 21

68% with 17
27% with 19
41% with 22
100% with 18
100% with 20
New hunt
Random only 

Book Cliffs,
Little Creek

360”+

Archery: 50%
Muzzleloader: 0%
Rifle: 50%
Mid rifle: new  
Multi: 100%

52% with 13
Random only 
100% with 23
New hunt
Random only 

No permits
No permits
Random only 
New hunt 
No permits 

Wasatch Mtns

340”+

Archery: 25%
Muzzleloader: 58%
Rifle: 67%
Mid rifle: 56% 
Late rifle: 78%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 82%

93% with 6
26% with 10
62% with 15
86% with 10
20% with 9
New hunt
39% with 21

100% with 12
73% with 17
64% with 20
16% with 13
70% with 16
New hunt
100% with 21

Box Elder, Pilot

340”+

Archery: 50%
Rifle: 93%

60% with 5
52% with 20

No permits
Random only 

Cache, South

340”+

Archery: 14%
Muzzleloader: 80%
Rifle: 57%
Mid rifle: new
Late rifle: 71%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 100%

100% with 11
26% with 15
51% with 20
New hunt 
100% with 18
New hunt
Random only 

Random only 
Random only 
Random only 
New hunt
Random only 
New hunt
No permits 

Book Cliffs/Bitter Creek East

340”+

Archery: 35%
Muzzleloader: 92%
Rifle: 83%
Mid rifle: new
Late rifle: 69%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 33%

83% with 7
100% with 15
100% with 20
New hunt 
69% with 13
New hunt
100% with 23

100% with 19
Random only 
26% with 23
New hunt
100% with 19
New hunt
No permits 

North Slope, Three Corners

350”+

Archery: 60%
Muzzleloader: 100%
Mid rifle: 80%
Multi: 50%

25% with 8
32% with 11
39% with 16
Random only 

Random only 
No permits
Random only
No permits 

La Sal, La Sal Mtns

340”+

Archery: 31%
Muzzleloader: 65%
Rifle: 80%
Mid rifle: new
Late rifle: 55%
Late archery: new 
Multi: 83%

50% with 6
30% with 10
100% with 14
New hunt
48% with 8
New hunt
69% with 18

35% with 17
51% with 20
100% with 23
New hunt
52% with 17
New hunt
No permits 

South Slope, Diamond Mtn

330”+

Archery: 69%
Muzzleloader: 92%
Rifle: 91%
Mid rifle: 90%
Late rifle: new
Late archery: new 
Multi: 100%

76% with 7
37% with 13
43% with 16
43% with 14
New hunt 
New hunt
100% with 25

100% with 16
Random only 
51% with 22 
100% with 21
New hunt 
New hunt
No permits 

Box Elder, Grouse Creek

330”+

Muzzleloader: 80%
Rifle: 63%
Mid rifle: 46% 

100% with 10
23% with 15
100% with 13 

Random only 
52% with 18
Random only 

 

Other intriguing limited entry elk hunts to consider for 2023

UnitTrophy
potential
Harvest
success
Resident points
to draw (2022)
Nonresident points
to draw (2022)

Cache, North

330”+

Archery: 44%
HAMS: 50% 

71% with 7
100% with 11

54% with 13
100% with 11

Plateau, Barney Top/Kaiparowits

360”+

Archery: 50%
HAMS: 63%

57% with 9
61% with 9

Random only
Random only 

Southwest Desert, North

340”+

Archery: 71%
HAMS: 100%

100% with 8
100% with 8

Random only 
Random only 

West Desert, Deep Creek

350”+

Archery: 53%
HAMS: 80% 

100% with 7
80% with 13 

Random only
Random only 

September archery and HAMS hunts

In 2021, Utah began offering some new hunts on the Cache/North, Plateau/Barney Top/Kaiparowits, Southwest Desert/North and West Desert/DeepCreek. The archery hunts in these units run Sept. 1 to 30. These same units also offered a HAMS hunt Nov. 11 to 30. These hunts are included in the table above. 

Looking at the draw odds, those hunts have required close to the same number of bonus points of other limited entry mid-tier archery hunts. Something to consider when considering the archery hunts in these units is that the harvest success is generally good. The added days in the heart of the rut produce higher chances of success. The HAMS hunts also have had very good harvest success. In both cases, the trophy potential is generally less than it is on other limited entry units since the populations are lower. The HAMS and archery hunts on these units are intriguing, but they may not be a good fit for everyone. Weapons are limited to handgun, archery, primitive muzzleloader, or shotgun. For applicants who are looking for a unique hunt where pressure is limited, these may be worth considering.

OTC elk hunt options

As previously stated, one of the primary goals with the new elk plan was to increase elk hunting opportunity. In 2023, there has been a significant amount of change in the OTC elk hunting in Utah. Utah offers OTC elk hunts under two different categories: general any bull and general spike elk. There are archery, rifle, muzzleloader and, even, multi-season spike bull permits. For spike bull, there is a multi-season permit option. The multi-season spike elk permit allows the hunter to hunt all seasons until they have harvested a spike.

The general archery permits are not specific to a unit and hunters who purchase a general season elk permit can hunt either spike elk units and/or any bull units. Archery hunters can harvest a spike or cow elk on almost every spike elk unit or they can harvest any bull or a cow elk on any bull units. The number of archery general season permits is unlimited.

Rifle and muzzleloader hunters must choose between buying a spike elk permit or any bull permit. Rifle hunters or muzzleloader hunters who buy a general spike tag can harvest a spike only on any of the open spike elk units. The general any bull elk rifle or muzzleloader permits are only valid for bull elk in general any bull units. In 2023, there will be an early rifle any bull hunt and a late rifle any bull hunt. There is a 15,000 permit cap that is shared between the early rifle any bull hunt and the any bull muzzleloader hunt. The 15,000 permits will sell out quickly. The late any bull rifle hunt is unlimited in the number of permits that can be sold.

The rifle spike bull and muzzleloader spike bull permits have a shared cap of 15,000 permits. Out of those 15,000 permits, 4,500 can be sold as multi-season permits. Once again, these permits will sell out quickly. Hunters should plan on buying permits the day they go on sale in order to have the best chance at getting a permit. 

The following table breaks down hunt dates and the dates that permits go on sale.

Utah general elk permits 2023

HuntSeason
dates
Sale
date

General season spike elk (archery)

Aug. 19 to Sept. 8

July 11

General season any bull elk (archery)

Aug. 19 to Sept 20

July 11

Youth general season elk 

Valid for all general seasons 

July 11

General season any bull elk (early rifle)

Oct. 7 to 13

July 13

General season any bull elk (late rifle)

Oct. 14 to 20

July 13

General season spike bull elk (rifle)

Oct. 7 to 19 

July 20 

General season spike bull elk (muzzleloader) 

Nov. 1 to 9 

*

General season any bull elk (muzzleloader)

Nov. 1 to 9 

*

* At this time UDWR doesn't have the sale date listed

Insiders can explore the general season any bull and spike elk hunts in Utah by selecting Utah under Filtering 2.0. They can then select Elk, Any Bull or Elk, Spike to research the units, harvest success, season dates and public land percentages to help them finetune their search for an OTC elk hunt opportunity.

In the table below are the top general season rifle spike units with the most current harvest data from 2021. The muzzleloader and archery hunts reflect a similar pattern in the top units for those hunts as well. If you are considering an OTC spike elk hunt, consider one of these areas.

Top general season rifle spike bull elk hunts

UnitSpikes
harvested
Harvest
success
Total
population

Central Mtns, Manti

227

14.4%

9,900

Central Mtns, Nebo 

107

19.6%

1,700

Plateau, Fishlake 

120

13.6%

5,450

Wasatch Mtns

112

9.3%

10,100

Book Cliffs

75

21.4%

5,500

Monroe

70

14.9%

1,100

Cache 

70

12%

3,350

Panguitch Lake

65

12.8%

840

La Sal, La Sal Mtns

60

17.5%

2,100

Southwest Desert

56

15.1%

975

Below are the top general season any bull elk units based on the most recent harvest success from 2021. These areas also reflect the best options for archery and muzzleloader any bull elk. Also, it should be noted that for 2023, there have been additional units that were previously limited entry elk units that are now general any bull units. Those units were either not meeting management objectives as limited entry units or the populations are low. The additional hunts that are now general any bull are: Paunsaugunt (rifle and muzzleloader), Nine Mile/Anthro, Book Cliffs/Floy Canyon, Box Elder/Sawtooth, Central Mtns/Moroni Hills. The West Desert/Deep Creek unit will become an OTC any bull unit in 2024. Please refer to your Insider account or UDWR booklet or website for boundary descriptions.   

Top general season rifle any bull elk hunts

UnitBulls
harvested
Harvest
success
Total
population

South Slope, Yellowstone

245

18%

7,400

North Slope, Summit

166

11.5%

750

South Slope, Vernal

125

11.2%

3,800

North Slope, West Daggett

83

12.3%

1,300

South Slope, Bonanza

71

18.3%

N/A

Ogden

62

19.5%

2,200

Chalk Creek 

58

14%

4,400

Nine Mile, Range Creek

58

20.7%

2,100

Morgan-South Rich

50

21.7%

6,700

Zion

33

10.4%

800

Box Elder, Hansel Mtn

29

19.9%

N/A

Managing elk points and expectations

2023 maximum bonus points for elk: 30

No applicant applied for a hunt with more than 28 points in 2022.

Utah limited entry elk bonus points going into the 2023 draw

PointsResidentNonresident

1

9,999

4,802

2

8,787

3,901

3

7,035

3,174

4

6,437

3,134

5

5,656

2,638

6

5,552

2,432

7

4,043

1,872

8

3,468

1,604

9

2,906

1,471

10

2,385

1,215

11

2,049

1,248

12

1,802

1,233

13

1,490

1,300

14

1,381

1,997

15

1,229

870

16

1,154

875

17

955

748

18

907

695

19

740

565

20

658

446

21

567

327

22

507

306

23

404

211

24

328

119

25

264

81

26

189

44

27

74

19

28

38

8

29

14

3

30

7

0

Total 

71,025

37,338

Find your draw odds


Utah's 2023 antelope breakdown

Utah is a good antelope destination — although in terms of trophy potential and overall permit numbers, it doesn’t compare to a state like Wyoming. It does offer ample amounts of public land to hunt and while there are not a good number of book caliber bucks harvested every year, there are always a few. In 2023, throughout the Southern and east and west desert units the trophy potential is likely to be very good due to the amounts of moisture the state has received this winter. In recent years, UDWR has begun to offer more permits in the draw based on studies that suggest that bucks achieve growth potential at a younger age than previously thought (seems to be a trend here.) Utah offers archery, muzzleloader and rifle hunts and manages for high harvest success rates. Hunts occur from early August to September, meaning that every hunter will have the opportunity to hunt during the rut.  It’s worth noting that the archery hunt success is generally very good across the board and the odds of drawing those hunts is better.

Most nonresident applicants are buying a hunting license to be able to apply for deer, elk and once-in-a-lifetime species and may not consider antelope. I highly suggest nonresidents also apply for antelope for the minimal $15 application fee. With half of the permits randomly allocated, you have a chance in the draw and antelope hunting is good in Utah.

Resident applicants have to pick the limited entry species that they apply for. They cannot apply for limited entry deer, elk and antelope in the same year. In my opinion, I recommend resident applicants pick either limited entry elk or deer until they draw and only apply for limited entry antelope in the years where they are on a waiting period for the other species. Of course, there are those of you who are just antelope enthusiasts and, in that case, apply for antelope!

Utah limited entry antelope preseason populations
and buck:doe ratios

UnitPopulation
(2021)
Buck:doe
ratio

Beaver

140

47:100

Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek

96

22:100

Book Cliffs, South

263

32:100

Box Elder, Promontory

32

73:100

Box Elder, Puddle Valley

156

41:100

Box Elder, Snowville

251

57:100

Box Elder, West

59

39:100

Cache, North Rich

182

46:100

Fillmore, Black Rock Desert

295

26:100

La Sal, South Cisco

81

35:100

Morgan–South Rich

182

46:100

Mt Dutton/Paunsaugunt

121

29:100

Nine Mile, Anthro

292

127:100

Nine Mile, Range Creek

114

28:100

North Slope, Three Corners/West Daggett

210

41:100

Panguitch Lake

182

28:100

Pine Valley

187

34:100

Plateau

322

54:100

San Juan, Hatch Point

71

19:100

San Rafael, Desert

50

56:100

San Rafael, North

241

60:100

South Slope, Bonanza/Diamond Mtn

204 

61:100

South Slope, Vernal

336

140:100

Southwest Desert

448

40:100

West Desert, Riverbed

215

51:100

West Desert, Rush Valley

206

39:100

West Desert, Snake Valley

95

36:100

 

Top units to consider for 75" or better antelope

UnitTrophy
potential
Harvest
success
Resident points
to draw (2022)
Nonresident points
to draw (2022)

San Rafael, North 

80”+

Archery: 71%
Muzzleloader: 96%
Rifle: 97%
50% with 2
93% with 5
25% with 8
14% with 13
100% with 14
100% with 19

Book Cliffs, South 

80’+

Archery: 80%
Rifle: 96%
42% with 3
100% with 7
Random only
100% with 20

Fillmore, Oak Creek South

80”+

Archery: 75%
Muzzleloader: 67%
Rifle: 97%
42% with 2
69% with 4
100% with 7
Random only
Random only
100% with 14

Beaver

80”+

Archery: 57%
Rifle: 97%
68% with 2
29% with 6
No permits
100% with 14

West Desert,

Snake Valley

75’+

Archery: 73%

Rifle: 74%

83% with 2
95% with 7
Random only
100% with 14

West Desert,

Riverbed

75”+

Archery: 90%
Rifle: 95%
53% with 6
27% with 11
Random only
100% with 14

Nine Mile,

Anthro Myton Bench

75”+

Archery: 95%
Muzzleloader: 100%
Rifle: 99%
67% with 2
49% with 2
75% with 5
39% with 13
38% with 13
54% with 13

West Desert, Rush Valley

75”+

Archery: 71%
Rifle: 89%
100% with 4
18% with 9
Random only
42% with 13

Southwest Desert 

75”+

Archery: 56%
Muzzleloader: 77%
Rifle: 85% 
70% with 1
54% with 3
80% with 7
68% with 13
100% with 12
100% with 14
 

*There are several more hunts that applicants can apply for that are not within the table above. Be aware: no limited entry antelope hunt had 100% draw odds for nonresidents with less than 12 bonus points in 2022. 

Managing antelope points and expectations

2023 maximum bonus points for antelope: 24

Utah antelope bonus points going into the 2023 draw

UnitResidentNonresident

1

2,441

2,751

2

1,812

1,998

3

1,312

1,772

4

990

1,557

5

681

1,310

6

544

1,135

7

346

833

8

191

732

9

111

666

10

60

599

11

30

560

12

20

626

13

6

660

14

4

1,265

15

3

47

16

0

36

17

1

18

18

2

6

19

1

14

20

2

8

21

0

7

22

0

1

23

1

7

24

1

3

Total

8,557

16,611


Conclusion

Utah is a great elk and antelope state, but for nonresidents, permits can be hard to draw. The cost to apply is relatively inexpensive in comparison to some other western states and with random odds to draw I believe it’s worth applying. With the new elk hunt structure and options, some hunts will be easier to draw. If you are new to applying for elk hunts in Utah, I would suggest the archery hunt(s) and possibly the new mid-season rifle elk hunts. Several units have large elk populations and issue more permits and those are typically your best best for better odds. The trophy potential is not quite as good on those units as it is on the top tier options, but it’s still really good if you are willing to scout and hunt hard.

I would consider antelope as a great option for residents to apply for while they are on waiting periods for either limited entry deer or elk. The odds are good to draw an antelope hunt with very few points. The archery odds are very good and harvest success rates are high. Nonresidents should consider applying for antelope hunts as well. The cost is only $15 for the application fee if you are already applying for the other species that Utah offers. The odds of drawing an antelope permit for a nonresidents is not good, but once again, with random odds I believe it’s worth the cost. Good luck in the 2023 draw!

Find your draw odds

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