Unit 615 Nine Mile
Anthro Mountain, the West Tavaputs Plateau and the deep canyon country from Nine Mile to Range Creek — quality mule deer, a limited-entry Anthro elk bull, and some of Utah's most rugged, remote backcountry.
Eastern Utah — West Tavaputs Plateau & Nine Mile Canyon · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
2,579
sq mi
Public land
60%
approx.
Elevation
4,200–10,100
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
Nine Mile spans the West Tavaputs Plateau and the maze of canyons draining east toward the Green River in Carbon, Duchesne and Uintah counties — anchored by Anthro Mountain and the high plateau on the north and cut by Nine Mile Canyon, Range Creek, Argyle Canyon and Desolation-country tributaries on the south and east. It is enormous, wild and lightly roaded: a small band of aspen-and-conifer summer range on the plateau tops giving way to hundreds of square miles of pinyon-juniper, rock and sheer canyon. The unit is respected for producing mature mule deer bucks out of its rough hideouts and carries a limited-entry Anthro elk hunt for quality bulls, with much of the best country locked behind private ranches or long walks.
Terrain
Rugged Tavaputs Plateau country — a high, timbered tableland (Anthro Mountain) shattered by immense canyon systems dropping thousands of feet to desert flats and the Green River, with cliff bands, benches and rocky backcountry throughout.
Cover: Aspen, spruce-fir and mountain brush on the limited high plateau summer range, vast pinyon-juniper across the mid-elevations and canyon rims, and sagebrush, greasewood and bare badland soil on the low desert flats.
Landmarks: Anthro Mountain · West Tavaputs Plateau · Nine Mile Canyon · Range Creek · Argyle Canyon · Desolation Canyon / Green River · Pleasant Valley · Book Cliffs (south rim)
Access
Large BLM and SITLA holdings across the plateau and canyon country are broken up by big private ranches and Ute tribal ground, and access is the defining challenge of the unit. Anthro Mountain and Pleasant Valley are largely reached from the north, but much of the high plateau is private or tribal; Range Creek is state-managed research land with restricted, permit-only access; and reaching remote sections toward the Green River can mean walking more than ten miles from the nearest road. The Nine Mile Canyon backway is the main paved-then-graded artery. Know land status cold before you hunt here.
Managers: BLM, SITLA, private, Ute Indian Tribe (Uintah & Ouray Reservation), State of Utah (Range Creek field station)
Access points: Nine Mile Canyon Backway (from Wellington/Myton) · Argyle Canyon / Pleasant Valley roads · Soldier Creek / Anthro Mountain approaches · SR-123 / Sunnyside toward the Book Cliffs rim · BLM two-tracks off the plateau
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityA general-season unit with a reputation for growing mature bucks in its rough, hard-to-reach canyons, where age structure builds in the country hunters can't easily get to. High summer range is limited, so deer concentrate on the plateau tops in summer and shift to the juniper breaks and lower benches with weather.
- →Glass the aspen and mountain-brush edges of Anthro and the plateau tops early season
- →Hunt the roughest pinyon-juniper and rimrock breaks where old bucks hide from pressure
- →Be willing to walk miles off the roads into the canyon backcountry
- →Work the plateau-to-canyon transition as storms push deer down
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityThe Anthro country carries a limited-entry elk hunt managed for quality bulls, plus any-bull opportunity — elk hold in the aspen and timber of Anthro Mountain and the plateau and use the habitat treatments and burns.
- →Bugle-locate rutting bulls in the Anthro aspen and timber pockets at first and last light
- →Hunt meadow-timber edges and the plateau parks
- →Work habitat treatments and burns for feed-drawn elk
- →Get back off the limited road network into the quiet drainages
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bears work the aspen, oakbrush and berry pockets of Anthro Mountain and the plateau; hunted on the limited-entry side.
- →Focus on aspen benches, oakbrush and berry-and-mast feed on the plateau
- →Check riparian corridors and spring greenup in the canyon heads
- →Glass open feed slopes and treatments at dawn and dusk
Cougar
common opportunityMountain lions thrive in the deer-rich canyon and rimrock country; hunted, typically with snow for tracking.
- →Cut tracks on plateau and canyon roads after fresh snow
- →Concentrate in the canyon systems where deer winter
- →Work rimrock and canyon travel corridors
Pro tips
- →Access is everything here — map the BLM, SITLA, private-ranch and tribal boundaries before you go; Range Creek is permit-only state land
- →The mature bucks live where people don't walk — plan for long hikes into the canyon backcountry
- →Run high-clearance/4WD and carry recovery gear; wet clay roads strand vehicles
- →Hunt Anthro and the plateau tops early, then follow deer and elk down the juniper breaks as storms build
- →Carry plenty of water and be self-sufficient — this is remote, thinly-serviced country
Watch out for
- !Large private ranches and Ute tribal ground block access across the plateau and canyons
- !Range Creek is restricted, permit-only state research land
- !Plateau and canyon clay roads become impassable when wet
- !Remote country with long distances to help, fuel and water
- !SITLA and private boundaries interwoven — confirm status before hunting
Logistics
Price and Wellington on US-6/US-191 are the main staging hubs with full services, fuel and lodging, and give the southern approach to Nine Mile Canyon; Duchesne and Myton stage the northern plateau, and Sunnyside sits at the Book Cliffs edge. The Nine Mile Canyon Backway is the paved-and-graded spine — long, remote and slow — while plateau and canyon two-tracks demand high-clearance and often 4WD, and turn to impassable clay when wet. Fuel up and carry recovery gear; you can be a long way from help.
Nearest towns: Price, Wellington, Duchesne, Myton, Sunnyside
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: UDWR Nine Mile Deer Herd Unit Management Plan (#11) · UDWR Nine Mile, Anthro Elk Boundary Recommendations (RAC) · UDWR Utah Hunt Planner — Big Game Boundaries
FAQ
- How big is Unit 615 in Utah?
- Unit 615 (Nine Mile) covers about 2,579 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,200 to 10,100 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 615?
- Approximately 60% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, SITLA, private, Ute Indian Tribe (Uintah & Ouray Reservation), State of Utah (Range Creek field station). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 615?
- 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.
Put Unit 615 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.