Unit 607 Box Elder
Utah's far northwest corner — three isolated island ranges rising out of the West Desert, with general-season deer, a limited-entry elk sleeper and speed goats on the flats
Northwest Utah — Raft River / Grouse Creek / Pilot ranges · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
8,979
sq mi
Public land
70%
approx.
Elevation
4,200–9,925
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
The Box Elder unit fills the entire northwest corner of Utah, a vast sweep of Great Basin desert broken by three isolated mountain ranges: the east-west Raft River Mountains along the Idaho line, the narrow north-south Grouse Creek Mountains, and Pilot Peak on the Nevada border. It is a large general-season mule deer unit that quietly produces some of northern Utah's better public-land bucks, plus a limited-entry elk hunt (Box Elder, Grouse Creek) and pronghorn out on the desert basins around Park Valley and the Curlew. This is big, empty, mostly-public country — glassing sage flats, working aspen and mahogany pockets in the ranges, and covering long dirt miles between them.
Terrain
Broad desert basins near 4,200 ft studded with three range blocks. The Raft River Mountains run unusually east-west and top out at 9,925 ft (Bull Flat / Dunn Benchmark); the Grouse Creek Mountains are steep and narrow, topping near 9,000 ft at Red Butte; Pilot Peak stands alone on the Nevada line above 10,000 ft. Gentle grassy north/west slopes contrast with steeper, brushier south and east faces.
Cover: Salt-desert shrub, shadscale and sagebrush on the basins, grading into mountain sagebrush, mahogany, juniper and grassy parks, with aspen and scattered conifer stringers and high meadows on the Raft River and Grouse Creek high country.
Landmarks: Raft River Mountains · Grouse Creek Mountains · Pilot Peak · Bull Flat / Dunn Benchmark · Red Butte · Park Valley · Grouse Creek (town) · Curlew Valley
Access
Heavily public overall: the high Raft River Mountains include a Sawtooth National Forest (Raft River Division) block, the desert basins and much of the Grouse Creek and Pilot country are BLM, and SITLA state-trust sections (open to hunting) are scattered throughout. Private ground concentrates in the irrigated ranch valleys around Park Valley, Grouse Creek town, Yost and the Curlew — and mature elk in particular spend time on private-public mixes. Access is a network of graded county and BLM dirt roads with rough high-clearance and 4WD spurs into the ranges; there is no dense trailhead system.
Managers: BLM, USFS Sawtooth NF (Raft River Division), SITLA, private
Access points: I-84 / Snowville corridor on the east · Park Valley Road (SR-30) across the north · Grouse Creek Road · Raft River / Sawtooth NF access roads · Pilot Peak / Nevada-line desert routes · BLM basin and range two-tracks
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityThe unit's bread and butter. Box Elder is a large general-season deer unit that produces surprisingly good public-land bucks for hunters willing to get into the isolated ranges. Deer summer in the aspen, mahogany and high sage of the Raft River and Grouse Creek mountains and drop to the brushy foothills and basins as weather pushes them down.
- →Glass mahogany and aspen pockets and high sage benches at first and last light
- →Hunt the steeper south and east faces of the Raft River and Grouse Creek ranges where older bucks bed
- →Work the foothill transition as storms move deer off the tops
- →Cover country between the ranges — bucks are scattered across a lot of ground
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityA limited-entry any-bull elk hunt (Box Elder, Grouse Creek) with moderate trophy potential. Bulls live on a mix of public range timber/aspen and private ranch ground, so elk can be hard to pin down — scouting and good land-ownership maps matter. Tags draw more easily than Utah's top elk units.
- →Locate bulls in the aspen, mahogany and conifer stringers of the Raft River and Grouse Creek high country during the rut
- →Watch the public-private boundary around Park Valley and Grouse Creek ag ground
- →Glass high meadows and parks early and late
- →Scout hard ahead of the hunt — elk are patchy in this big unit
Pronghorn
common qualityThe wide desert basins around Park Valley, the Curlew and the flats between the ranges hold good pronghorn. Open, treeless country makes for classic spot-and-stalk speed-goat hunting.
- →Glass the open sage and grass basins from any rise at first and last light
- →Use terrain folds and washes to close on treeless country
- →Locate water sources and guzzlers — bands revolve around scarce desert water
- →Judge bucks carefully with a spotting scope before committing to a stalk
Black Bear
limited opportunityBlack bears occur at low density in the aspen, mahogany and berry-producing draws of the Raft River and Grouse Creek high country. It is a marginal, opportunistic bear hunt compared with Utah's forested plateaus.
- →Focus on aspen, chokecherry and mahogany pockets in the higher ranges
- →Glass green slopes and draws in spring
- →Key on mast and berry sources in the range interiors
Cougar
limited opportunityMountain lions follow the deer through the isolated ranges. Densities are low and hunting is typically tied to tracking snow in the higher mountain terrain.
- →Cut tracks along snowy ridgelines and canyon bottoms in the Raft River and Grouse Creek ranges
- →Focus on areas holding wintering deer
- →Work the range interiors after fresh snow
Pro tips
- →Treat the three ranges as separate hunts — pick one and learn it rather than bouncing across the whole unit
- →Get into the Raft River and Grouse Creek high country away from roads for the better general-season bucks
- →For elk, run good land-ownership maps and watch the Park Valley / Grouse Creek public-private lines
- →Scout and mark desert water and guzzlers for pronghorn — bands revolve around them
- →Carry extra fuel and water; services in the corner are minimal and far apart
Watch out for
- !Private irrigated ranch ground around Park Valley, Grouse Creek and Yost — verify boundaries, especially for elk
- !Minimal services and fuel in the far corner; long remote distances
- !Clay desert and range roads turn impassable when wet
- !High-clearance 4WD terrain and no dense trailhead network
- !Early-season heat and wind on the flats; early snow on the high ranges
- !Fire closures possible on the Sawtooth NF block in dry years
Logistics
Services are thin — Snowville (on I-84) and Tremonton to the east are the main fuel/grocery/lodging stops before you head into the corner; Park Valley and Grouse Creek are tiny outposts with little or no reliable fuel. Be self-sufficient: haul water, carry extra fuel, recovery gear and a satellite communicator. Distances between the three ranges are large and the interior is remote, with spotty to nonexistent cell coverage. High-clearance 4WD is strongly recommended for the range spurs.
Nearest towns: Snowville, Park Valley, Grouse Creek, Yost, Tremonton, Corinne
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: UDWR Deer Herd Unit #1 Box Elder Management Plan 2023 · UDWR Elk Herd Unit #1 Box Elder Management Plan 2023 · GOHUNT Utah Box Elder, Grouse Creek limited-entry elk unit profile · GOHUNT Utah Box Elder general mule deer unit profile · USFS Sawtooth National Forest (Raft River Division)
FAQ
- How big is Unit 607 in Utah?
- Unit 607 (Box Elder) covers about 8,979 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,200 to 9,925 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 607?
- Approximately 70% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, USFS Sawtooth NF (Raft River Division), SITLA, private. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 607?
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn, Black Bear, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Utah agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 607 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.