On The Ground
This unit, which occupies the southwestern corner of the state bordering Nevada and Arizona, contains a few elk. Densities are low and scattered and hunters may encounter issues in initially locating elk.
This is one of the more difficult areas to hunt elk in Utah because numbers are low and scattered across a wide area with lots of cover.
Terrain
This unit consists of desert lowlands, agricultural valleys, desert hills, and convoluted mountain ranges that are mostly between 5,500 and 10,000 feet above sea level. Lowlands are mostly flat to slightly rolling. Hills such as the Antelope Range and Swett Hills typically rise 1,000 to 2,000 feet above the lowlands, which vary from less than 3,000 above sea level in the south to about 5,500 feet in the north. High points exceed 10,000 in the Pine Valley Mountains. Some mountains and eroded canyons are extremely steep with large cliffs and outcroppings.
Roughly 2,603 square miles
80% public land
Elevations from 4,200-10,365 feet
Vegetation
High country is timbered mostly with ponderosa pines and some aspens, while middle elevations are primarily canyon lands with grass meadows, sagebrush, bitterbrush and scrub oak. Low-elevation land is covered with pinyon pines, junipers, sagebrush and oak brush. Pockets of water are found throughout the unit with a few streams and creeks.
Access
Road access is good in most of the unit. Highway 18 runs north and south through the center of the unit. Several maintained dirt roads have few travel restrictions and a number of approved ATV trails reach good hunting areas, particularly in the south. Most roads are passable even when wet. Little prime elk habitat is private land, so hunters usually have no problems finding good areas to hunt on public land, such as the popular Bumble Bee Mountains and Ox Valley in the Dixie National Forest. Motor vehicles are not allowed in the wilderness and wilderness study areas. The Shivwits Indian Reservation, which is about 10 miles northwest of St. George, is not open to public hunting. Some private land is on valley floors, but this rarely prevent hunters from reaching public hunting grounds.
Camping and Lodging
Most campgrounds are maintained by the BLM, the state, and the Forest Service. Baker Dam near Veyo, Oak Grove, and Honeycomb Rocks are all campgrounds on the unit. The Pine Valley Recreation Area offers several campsites. Most hunters camp on public land along dirt roads, which is allowed almost anywhere except in popular areas, where camping is restricted to designated sites. Campers are asked to stay at least 200 feet from water and to drive no more than 150 feet from a road.
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