Quick Tips
- This unit is located near Bryce Canyon National Park
- Good trout fishing at Otter Creek Reservoir
On The Ground
Terrain
Vegetation
Access
Camping and Lodging
Historical Temperatures
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This unit is located south of Otter Creek Reservoir and northeast of Panguitch, Utah. Highway 89 is the western boundary, with State Road 22 acting as the eastern boundary. This is a popular unit among hunters who like to backpack or use horses, but it can prove to be a strenuous hunt. This is also a good unit for glassing.
In the spring, the bear’s diet generally consists of grass, and forbs, and they will be relatively close to water sources. Most bear movement will take place during the early morning and evening hours. Their movement will continue to increase as hunts progress. The black bears’ mating season will reach its peak around the month of June. Expect bears to be covering ground and looking for opportunistic meals. Their diet will transition from grasses to more substantial foods such as acorns, pine nuts, and berries.
This is a rocky, steep unit with a lot of roadless area to hunt. Most of the deep canyons run east and west and have small creeks that run the length of them. A portion of the east end of the unit was burned leaving limited vegetation. Hunters can find glassing spots near roads that allow them to view parts of the roadless areas. There is very little private property in this unit with most of it located in the lower elevations. Kingston Canyon WMA is located on the north end of the unit and allows walk in access only.
High elevations contain dense Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pines, and some ponderosa pines. Middle elevations have Douglas fir, aspens, grass meadows, and sagebrush. Low elevations contain pinyon/juniper, sagebrush, oak brush, grasses and other browse. Water can be found in springs, small lakes and perennial streams.
This unit has limited access. ATVs are a good way to access this unit with many of the roads not being maintained for vehicle use. There are a few roads and ATV trails on the south end of the unit near Clarence Creek and East Hunt Creek. There is limited access on the east end of the unit, so most hunters use the hiking trail systems that run through the canyons. Forest Service Road 125 starts on the north end of the unit in Antimony and runs the length of the unit from north to south. Using this road, hunters can gain access to glassing points into the heart of the unit. Hunters can also use the roads near Sanford Creek and Smith Canyon on the east end of the unit, and the roads near Table Top Mountain on the north end of the unit. Most of the roads in this unit are not maintained and can be hazardous in cold weather conditions.
Panguitch and Antimony have lodging, gas, groceries, and other supplies. Camping is permitted on most public land.
ATVs are recommended, but not necessary
Snow and rain can delay travel
A lot of remote areas to hunt