Unit 304 Cache, Wellsville
Cache Valley's classic northern-Utah general-deer country, wrapped around the steep Wellsvilles and the moose-rich Bear River Range
Northern Utah — Cache Valley & Bear River Range · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
505
sq mi
Public land
60%
approx.
Elevation
4,500–9,980
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
The Cache, Wellsville unit is UDWR's Deer Herd Unit #2, stitching together three distinct pieces of far-northern Utah: the abrupt Wellsville Mountains (among the steepest ranges in the U.S.) and Clarkston Mountain on the west, the farm-fringed Cache Valley itself, and the timbered Bear River Range climbing east out of Logan Canyon toward the Wyoming line in Rich County. Mule deer are the everyday draw on a general-season tag, but the unit's marquee tag is a once-in-a-lifetime bull moose — the Bear River Range and Logan Canyon drainages hold one of Utah's better moose populations. Elk, black bear and cougar round out the mix, with Hardware Ranch WMA anchoring the elk winter range in Blacksmith Fork Canyon.
Terrain
From the ~4,500 ft Cache Valley floor up the sheer west face of the Wellsvilles and across the high, forested Bear River Range, which crests near Naomi Peak (9,980 ft). Deep glacial canyons — Logan, Blacksmith Fork, Green — cut east into the range, while Rich County opens into high sage-and-aspen rangeland toward Wyoming.
Cover: Sagebrush-grass foothills and maple/oakbrush on the Wellsville and valley-edge winter range; dense aspen, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce and lodgepole through the Bear River Range high country, with willow-choked riparian bottoms and beaver ponds that hold moose.
Landmarks: Wellsville Mountains (Box Elder Peak, ~9,372 ft) · Naomi Peak / Mount Naomi Wilderness · Logan Canyon (US-89) · Tony Grove Lake · Blacksmith Fork Canyon · Hardware Ranch WMA · Clarkston Mountain · Bear Lake / Rich County high country
Access
The Bear River Range high country is almost entirely Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest with a dense trail and forest-road network off Logan Canyon (US-89), Blacksmith Fork and Green Canyon. The Wellsville crest is wilderness — foot access only — and its lower slopes and Cache Valley winter range are heavily private farmland requiring permission. Rich County to the east is a checkerboard of private ranch, BLM and SITLA state-trust ground (SITLA is open to hunting). Expect to knock on doors for valley-floor and foothill winter-range access.
Managers: USFS Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF (Logan RD), BLM, SITLA, private
Access points: Logan Canyon (US-89) to Tony Grove, Franklin Basin, Beaver Mountain · Blacksmith Fork Canyon / Hardware Ranch road · Green Canyon (north of Logan) · Wellsville Mountains trailheads (Coldwater Canyon, Deep Canyon) · Hyrum / Paradise foothill access · SR-30 and SR-16 into Rich County
Species notes
Mule Deer
common opportunityA general-season unit with a healthy migratory deer herd that summers high in the Bear River Range and Wellsvilles and pours onto the valley-edge winter range each fall. It's an opportunity unit rather than a trophy destination, but the country is productive and access is broad on the national forest.
- →Hunt the aspen/conifer edges and open parks high in the Bear River Range early, then follow deer down the west slope as storms push them toward winter range
- →Coldwater Canyon on the Wellsvilles is a historic migration funnel — glass the maple and oakbrush benches
- →Work the transition zone where forest meets sage on the range's west face at first and last light
- →Late-season storms concentrate deer on the lower foothills near Hyrum and Paradise — secure private-land permission ahead of time
Moose
common qualityThe unit's prize. The willow bottoms, beaver ponds and aspen pockets of the Bear River Range hold one of Utah's stronger moose herds, and the bull tag is a once-in-a-lifetime permit with very long draw odds. Bulls here can be excellent for a Utah hunt.
- →Glass willow-lined riparian bottoms and beaver ponds in Logan Canyon side-drainages and Franklin Basin at dawn and dusk
- →Check aspen stands and mountain-meadow edges where bulls loaf during the day
- →Blacksmith Fork and the Tony Grove area are traditional moose pockets worth scouting
- →If you draw, invest heavily in preseason glassing — moose are patternable and you can locate a target bull for weeks
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityElk use the timbered Bear River Range and the Blacksmith Fork/Hardware Ranch complex, which is managed as elk winter range. A managed herd offers solid limited-entry and general opportunity depending on the season structure.
- →Work the dark timber and aspen pockets high in the Bear River Range, backing off to the meadow edges morning and evening
- →The Hardware Ranch WMA area concentrates elk as snow builds — hunt the surrounding forest before they pile onto the closed feed ground
- →Locate bugling bulls in the spruce-fir stringers of the upper canyons during the rut
Black Bear
limited opportunityBlack bears inhabit the timbered canyons and oakbrush of the Bear River Range and Wellsville foothills, with opportunity tied to Utah's controlled bear seasons.
- →Focus on oakbrush and chokecherry draws when mast and berries ripen
- →Glass avalanche chutes and open forest openings in the high country at dawn
Cougar
common opportunityA stable cougar population follows the deer herd across the range, huntable primarily as a winter tracking/hound pursuit.
- →Cut tracks on forest roads and canyon bottoms after fresh snow
- →Concentrate on the deer winter range where lions follow migrating herds
Pro tips
- →Treat this as two hunts: broad public forest in the Bear River Range, versus permission-only private on the Cache Valley winter range and Wellsville foothills
- →For the once-in-a-lifetime moose tag, scout willow bottoms and beaver complexes for weeks — a located bull is a killed bull
- →Coldwater Canyon on the Wellsvilles is the classic deer migration corridor — time it to a storm
- →Hardware Ranch and Blacksmith Fork concentrate elk as snow builds; hunt the surrounding forest edges
- →Rich County's checkerboard rewards a good GIS land-ownership layer — SITLA sections are open, adjacent ranch ground is not
Watch out for
- !Heavy private farmland on the Cache Valley floor and Wellsville lower slopes — winter-range access requires permission
- !Mount Naomi and Wellsville wilderness areas are foot-access only
- !Rich County land ownership is a checkerboard — verify SITLA vs. private ranch before hunting
- !Early snow can strand vehicles on high forest roads
- !Recreation traffic (US-89, Beaver Mountain, Tony Grove, Bear Lake) can be heavy near the corridors
Logistics
Logan is a full-service base — lodging, groceries, gas, outfitters and a hospital — 20 minutes from the mouth of Logan Canyon and the core forest access. Brigham City serves the west/Wellsville side, and Garden City/Randolph cover the Rich County east side near Bear Lake. Cell coverage is good in Cache Valley and along US-89 but drops in the interior canyons and Rich County backcountry. Forest roads are generally good gravel; the Wellsville crest and Mount Naomi Wilderness are foot-access only.
Nearest towns: Logan, Hyrum, Wellsville, Smithfield, Brigham City, Garden City, Randolph
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: UDWR Deer Herd Unit Management Plan #2 (Cache) · UDWR Utah Moose Statewide Management Plan · Bear River Range — Wikipedia · Middle Bear-Logan Watershed (Hardware Ranch elk / moose) · UDWR Hunt Planner
FAQ
- How big is Unit 304 in Utah?
- Unit 304 (Cache, Wellsville) covers about 505 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,500 to 9,980 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 304?
- Approximately 60% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF (Logan RD), BLM, SITLA, private. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 304?
- Mule Deer, Moose, 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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