Nine Mile

Low elevations have desert grasses and shrubs with willows and the invading tamarisk along creeks and rivers. Middle elevations have foothills covered with pinyon, juniper, sagebrush, mountain mahogany and intermittent oak brush with grassy ridges. High elevations consist of aspens, firs and spruces on and below long, flat ridges and high mountain peaks with lots of grassy and brushy openings that grow prime deer feed, such as bitterbrush and sagebrush with cliffrose growing in steep, rocky areas.

Several square miles of public land are reached by well-maintained public roads, but locked gates on private land block vehicle access to large, remote sections of public land in this unit more than any other unit in Utah. Private land makes walk-in access more difficult. Hunters must walk over 10 miles to reach some corners of this unit, such as the West Tavaputs Plateau and the canyons between the Green River and the ridges high above it. In Nine Mile, Argyle, and adjacent canyons, private land along public roads prevents hunters from accessing public land at higher elevations. There is also Ute Tribal Land within the unit that prohibits hunting and ATV access. If there’s one unit where a hunter needs a GPS showing land ownership to expand the area he can hunt, this is it.

Several hunters camp along public roads, but others find lodging in towns such as Duchesne, Price and Green River. Some of the best areas to hunt mature bucks are so remote that a hunter must stay in a backpack camps. Camping is restricted in lower Range Creek, a main canyon running south off Bruin Point into the Green River. Hunters need a daily access permit. The restricted area is open from early May through November. See http://nhmu.utah.edu/range-creek/visitor-permits.