Unit 75 Oquirrh-Stansbury, West
Island mountain ranges rising 6,000 feet from the west-desert valleys — big-buck deer with a goat and pronghorn side
Northern Utah — West Desert / Stansbury & Oquirrh Mountains · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
752
sq mi
Public land
70%
approx.
Elevation
4,300–11,031
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
The western half of the Oquirrh-Stansbury unit is classic Great Basin sky-island country: the Stansbury Mountains and the west slope of the Oquirrhs jut abruptly out of Rush, Skull, and Tooele valleys, with more than 6,000 feet of vertical relief from desert flats to alpine peaks over 11,000 feet. Deseret Peak (11,031 ft) crowns the Deseret Peak Wilderness at the range's heart. It is a limited-entry deer unit where hunters see a lot of deer and some genuinely big bucks, with a transplanted mountain-goat herd on the high Stansbury cliffs, scattered elk, and pronghorn out on the surrounding desert valleys.
Terrain
Steep, isolated desert mountain ranges with more than 6,000 feet of relief — desert flats and rolling foothills rising through brushy canyons to timbered slopes and an alpine crest.
Cover: Shadscale, greasewood, and sagebrush on the valley flats and foothills, grading into oakbrush, maple, juniper, and aspen-conifer on the mid and upper slopes, with alpine meadow and rock on the highest peaks.
Landmarks: Deseret Peak (11,031 ft) · Deseret Peak Wilderness · Stansbury Mountains · Oquirrh Mountains (west slope) · Rush Valley · Skull Valley · South Willow Canyon
Access
Good public access with roads on all sides of the ranges — well-maintained dirt roads feeding into rougher 4WD tracks and ATV trails. The high Stansbury core is Deseret Peak Wilderness (foot and horse only). Large blocks of private land are mixed through the valleys and foothills, and Tooele Army Depot and Camp Williams are closed to hunting. SITLA and BLM ground on the desert edges is open to hunting.
Managers: USFS Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF, BLM, SITLA, private
Access points: South Willow Canyon (Deseret Peak Wilderness trailheads) · SR-36 and SR-73 through the middle of the unit · Rush Valley and Skull Valley approach roads · Oquirrh west-slope canyon roads · BLM/desert two-tracks off the valley floors
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityA limited-entry deer unit where hunters see good numbers of deer and have real potential at trophy-sized bucks. Mature bucks hold in the brushy canyons and timber pockets of the Stansbury and Oquirrh slopes.
- →Glass the oakbrush and maple foothills at first and last light
- →Work the steep canyon heads and timber benches where big bucks bed
- →Hike into the Deseret Peak Wilderness away from road access for older bucks
- →Focus on the transition zones between sage flats and the timbered slopes
Mountain Goat
limited trophyA transplanted mountain-goat herd occupies the high cliffs and cirques around Deseret Peak in the Stansburys — a coveted once-in-a-lifetime Utah tag in an unexpected island-range setting.
- →Glass the cliff bands and rock faces above South Willow Canyon
- →Plan a physical hike into the Deseret Peak Wilderness high country
- →Locate billies on the highest broken terrain and stalk from above
- →Hunt early before snow makes the alpine rock hazardous
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityScattered pockets of elk use the ranges, but numbers are modest and much of the elk range is tangled with private access. A patient hunter can still find bulls in the timbered upper canyons.
- →Glass upper aspen-conifer basins morning and evening
- →Focus on the wetter, timbered canyon heads
- →Secure private-land access early where elk winter on the foothills
Pronghorn
common qualityPronghorn range the open desert valleys — Rush, Skull, and Tooele valleys — around the base of the ranges, offering classic west-desert spot-and-stalk on the flats.
- →Glass the sage and grass flats from high points for feeding bucks
- →Use terrain folds and water sources to close the distance on open ground
- →Hunt near the limited desert water in early season
- →Judge horns carefully at distance before committing to a stalk
Cougar
common qualityLions follow the deer through the canyon and foothill country of both ranges; best hunted with hounds on tracking snow.
- →Cut canyon roads and foothill tracks for fresh sign after snow
- →Work the deer concentrations on the winter foothills
Pro tips
- →Hike past the road-accessible zones — the better bucks and the goats live in the steep Deseret Peak Wilderness core
- →Sort out private-land boundaries before the hunt; the valleys and foothills are a patchwork and Tooele Army Depot / Camp Williams are closed
- →Carry water everywhere — this is a dry, sky-island unit with limited reliable sources
- →Split your strategy: glass the timbered ranges for deer and goats, then work the open valleys for pronghorn
- →Use the abrupt 6,000-foot relief — glass from valley vantage points into the canyons before committing to a climb
Watch out for
- !Large private-land blocks mixed through the valleys and foothills — verify boundaries
- !Closed military ground: Tooele Army Depot and Camp Williams are off-limits to hunting
- !Scarce water and desert heat in early season
- !Steep, technical alpine terrain around Deseret Peak, especially once snow arrives
Logistics
Tooele and Grantsville sit at the base of the unit with full services, and Salt Lake City is a short drive east, so lodging, fuel, and gear are easy. Water is the desert constraint — carry your own for both hunter and stock, especially on the valley pronghorn ground. High-clearance 4WD helps on the rougher canyon and desert two-tracks, and the Deseret Peak core is a foot hunt.
Nearest towns: Tooele, UT, Grantsville, UT, Stansbury Park, UT, Salt Lake City, UT
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: GOHUNT — Oquirrh-Stansbury limited-entry mule deer unit profile (relief, terrain, access, private land) · onX Hunt — Utah Oquirrh-Stansbury limited elk unit (land management, closures) · USFS Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (Deseret Peak Wilderness) · UDWR Utah Hunt Planner
FAQ
- How big is Unit 75 in Utah?
- Unit 75 (Oquirrh-Stansbury, West) covers about 752 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,300 to 11,031 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 75?
- Approximately 70% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF, BLM, SITLA, private. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 75?
- Mule Deer, Mountain Goat, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Utah agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 75 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.