Unit 277 Nine Mile, Range Creek
Big, remote high-desert plateau country with genuine trophy elk potential — if you can walk past the locked gates.
Eastern Utah — West Tavaputs Plateau / Book Cliffs · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
1,550
sq mi
Public land
72%
approx.
Elevation
5,000–10,184
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
The Nine Mile, Range Creek unit sprawls across the West Tavaputs Plateau in Carbon, Duchesne and Emery counties, from the desert flats and pinyon-juniper benches near Wellington and Price up to the timbered rim at Bruin Point (10,184 ft). It ranges from bare desert soil through hundreds of square miles of pinyon-juniper to rugged canyon-and-plateau country cut by Nine Mile Canyon, Range Creek and the Desolation Canyon breaks. The unit is majority public land, but it is also famous for having some of the worst public-access frustration in Utah: large ranch holdings with locked gates block vehicle access to remote public ground, and reaching the back corners can mean hiking many miles. Deer numbers have rebounded into a solid general-season hunt, and the unit holds good elk with legitimate 300-class bull potential.
Terrain
A high, deeply dissected plateau. Desert flats and canyon bottoms near 5,000 ft climb through endless pinyon-juniper benches to timbered ridges topping out at Bruin Point (10,184 ft) on the West Tavaputs rim. Terrain is rugged and remote, laced with steep canyons that swallow cell signal.
Cover: Bare desert soil and sage on the low flats, vast pinyon-juniper across the mid-elevation benches, then aspen, mountain brush and Douglas-fir/spruce pockets on the high north slopes and rim.
Landmarks: Bruin Point (10,184 ft) / West Tavaputs Plateau rim · Nine Mile Canyon · Range Creek and the Range Creek WMA · Cottonwood Canyon / Water Canyon · Desolation Canyon breaks (Green River)
Access
The unit is roughly three-quarters public, mostly BLM with SITLA parcels, but access is the defining problem: locked private gates block roads that cross into large blocks of remote public land, more so than almost anywhere else in Utah, so some public corners require hiking 10+ miles. The Range Creek WMA is open to hunting but entry is capped at a limited number of permits per day. The main artery is Nine Mile Canyon Road (Soldier Creek Road) northeast off US-6/191 from Wellington; Range Creek is reached via Cottonwood Canyon or over Bruin Point through Water Canyon.
Managers: BLM, SITLA, UDWR (Range Creek WMA), private (large ranch holdings)
Access points: Nine Mile Canyon Road / Soldier Creek Road (from Wellington off US-6/191) · Cottonwood Canyon into Range Creek · Water Canyon over Bruin Point · BLM two-tracks off the Nine Mile corridor · Range Creek WMA (limited daily entry permit)
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityA general-season buck unit whose herd has rebounded into a fun, better-than-average public-land hunt. The best deer ground is the pinyon-juniper and mountain-brush transition between about 6,500 and 9,000 ft, but the easily-reached high country gets hammered while the remote basins behind private gates hold the older bucks.
- →Glass the pinyon-juniper edges and mountain-brush pockets at first and last light
- →Get away from the trailhead crowds — the deer that survive live where other hunters won't hike
- →Use satellite imagery to pre-plan legal foot routes into public ground blocked by private gates
- →Watch the aspen and brush stringers on north slopes below the Bruin Point rim
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityThe unit carries a good elk population with real potential for a 300-class bull. Most mature bulls live on large private tracts or in the remote, hard-to-reach sectors of public land, so the animals are there but the access filters the hunt.
- →Focus the timbered high country and canyon-head aspen near the West Tavaputs rim early in the season
- →Be ready to backpack into remote public basins the road hunters can't reach
- →Work water and wallows in the pinyon-juniper during warm, dry stretches
- →Glass the big canyon breaks at dawn as elk move off open feed into timber
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bears use the timbered canyons, oak/serviceberry pockets and aspen of the higher Tavaputs country. A legitimate spot-and-stalk and bait/hound opportunity in the rougher drainages.
- →Target berry-producing brush fields and oak pockets in late summer/early fall
- →Glass green canyon bottoms and north-slope timber at first light
Cougar
common opportunityCougars track the strong deer and elk herds through the canyon country. A good houndsman's unit where snow and access allow.
- →Cut for tracks along the Nine Mile corridor and canyon rims after fresh snow
- →Hunt the deer-wintering pinyon-juniper breaks
Pro tips
- →Solve access before you scout game — map every legal foot route into public land trapped behind private gates
- →Expect to hike; the animals that reach maturity here live where trucks can't go
- →Secure a Range Creek WMA daily entry permit early if that's your plan — daily entry is capped
- →Carry water, a full-size spare and tools — the canyons have no services and no cell coverage
- →Time a mid-hunt storm to move elk off the rim, but get off the clay roads before they turn to gumbo
Watch out for
- !Locked private gates block vehicle access to large blocks of public land — verify boundaries constantly
- !No cell service in most canyons — plan for full self-rescue
- !Clay/gumbo roads become impassable when wet
- !Range Creek WMA entry is limited to a small number of permits per day
- !Remote corners can require hiking 10+ miles one way
Logistics
Price and Wellington are the practical staging towns — fuel up, air down and carry water, a full-size spare and recovery/repair tools before heading up Nine Mile Canyon, because there are no services and no cell signal in the canyons. Camping is dispersed on BLM ground; Range Creek requires securing a limited daily entry permit in advance. Plan for long, slow dirt-road travel and self-sufficiency deep in the unit.
Nearest towns: Price, Wellington, Duchesne, Myton, Green River
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: GOHUNT Utah Nine Mile, Range Creek elk/deer unit profile · BLM Range Creek Herd Management Area (West Tavaputs Plateau, access via Nine Mile / Cottonwood Canyon / Bruin Point) · Ninemile Canyon, Utah — geography, Carbon/Duchesne counties, access from Wellington off US-6/191 · Utah Hunt Planner — Nine Mile, Range Creek (unit EB1002)
FAQ
- How big is Unit 277 in Utah?
- Unit 277 (Nine Mile, Range Creek) covers about 1,550 square miles, ranging from roughly 5,000 to 10,184 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 277?
- Approximately 72% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, SITLA, UDWR (Range Creek WMA), private (large ranch holdings). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 277?
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Black Bear, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Utah agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
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