Unit 820 Nine Mile, Jack Creek
A vast, roadless plateau-and-canyon wilderness above Nine Mile and Desolation Canyons — general-season mule deer, quality elk, and a once-in-a-lifetime bighorn subunit
Eastern Utah — West Tavaputs Plateau / Roan Cliffs · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
3,475
sq mi
Public land
70%
approx.
Elevation
4,500–10,100
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
The Nine Mile, Jack Creek unit sprawls across the northern West Tavaputs Plateau and Roan Cliffs country in Carbon, Duchesne, Emery and Uintah counties, north of the famous Nine Mile Canyon rock-art corridor and reaching toward the Duchesne River and US-40. This is enormous, dissected high country — pinyon-juniper mesas, sagebrush parks, aspen and conifer benches, and thousand-foot canyon rims dropping toward the Green River. It is a well-known general-season mule deer unit with growing deer numbers, holds a good elk herd, and contains the Jack Creek bighorn subunit, a herd of sheep transplanted into upper Desolation Canyon and hunted as a once-in-a-lifetime tag. Access is mostly public but genuinely remote, with locked private gates guarding some of the best country.
Terrain
A high, deeply dissected plateau rising from canyon bottoms below 4,500 ft to ridge-and-plateau country topping 9,000-10,000 ft, cut by Nine Mile Creek, Argyle Creek, and the tributaries draining into Desolation Canyon and the Green River. Long approaches, big vertical, and cliff-broken rims define it.
Cover: Sagebrush and desert grasses in the lower drainages and flats, vast pinyon-juniper woodland across the mid-elevation mesas, and aspen with mixed conifer on the highest benches. Riparian willow and cottonwood line the creek bottoms; recent burns create browse pockets that pull deer.
Landmarks: West Tavaputs Plateau · Roan Cliffs · Nine Mile Canyon · Desolation Canyon · Jack Creek / upper Desolation · Argyle Creek · Green River corridor (east edge)
Access
Roughly 70% public — predominantly BLM canyon and plateau land interlaced with SITLA state-trust sections (open to hunting) and a scattering of large private ranches and gas-field holdings. Locked gates on private ground block vehicle access to significant blocks of public land, so some interior country requires long walk-in approaches. The Uintah & Ouray Indian Reservation forms the eastern boundary along the Green River — not open to public hunting. Carry a current land-ownership GPS layer; the checkerboard and remoteness make navigation critical.
Managers: BLM, SITLA, private, USFS Ashley NF, tribal (Uintah & Ouray)
Access points: Nine Mile Canyon Road (Wellington/Myton corridor) · US-40 access on the north (near Duchesne/Myton) · Argyle Canyon road · Soldier Creek / Emma Park side · Sand Wash / Desolation Canyon river access
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityOne of Utah's better-known general-season mule deer units, with deer spread throughout in sporadic densities and generally growing numbers. The mix of browse-rich burns, pinyon-juniper security cover and remote canyon country produces solid bucks for hunters willing to get away from the roads.
- →Get well away from open roads and glass the canyon rims and pinyon-juniper benches at first and last light
- →Key on recent burn regrowth and browse pockets that concentrate deer
- →Scout ownership and gate access before the hunt — some of the best deer country sits behind long walk-ins
- →Hunt the transitions between sagebrush feeding parks and the broken cliff/PJ bedding terrain
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityThe West Tavaputs country holds a good elk herd, and the greater Nine Mile complex is known for quality bulls. Remote, lightly pressured pockets on the plateau and in the canyon heads let bulls reach mature age classes.
- →Work the aspen and conifer benches and the heads of the big canyon drainages
- →Locate bugling bulls at dawn from high glassing points, then close on the timber
- →Focus on remote basins behind locked gates and long approaches where pressure is light
- →Watch water and wallows during dry early-season windows
Bighorn Sheep
limited trophyThe Jack Creek subunit holds bighorn sheep transplanted into upper Desolation Canyon in 2000-2001, a herd of roughly a hundred animals living about 60 miles north of the Gray Canyon core herd with little interchange. First hunted in 2017, it is a once-in-a-lifetime tag in dry, cliff-broken desert-type canyon habitat.
- →Focus on the steep cliff bands and rim country of upper Desolation Canyon and its side drainages
- →Spend days behind a spotting scope locating and evaluating rams before committing to a stalk
- →Plan a genuine wilderness effort — access is long and rugged, often via the Desolation Canyon corridor
Cougar
common opportunityDeer- and elk-rich canyon country supports a solid cougar population, hunted with hounds on winter tracking snow.
- →Cut for tracks on plateau roads and canyon rims after fresh snow
- →Concentrate on deer wintering ranges in the lower canyons
Pro tips
- →Buy and load a current land-ownership map/GPS layer — the checkerboard of BLM, SITLA, private and the tribal boundary is unforgiving
- →Look past the roaded frontage: the biggest bucks and least-pressured bulls sit behind locked gates and long walk-ins
- →Respect the Uintah & Ouray Reservation line along the Green River on the east — it is closed to public hunting
- →Scout burn scars; regrowth browse concentrates deer in otherwise vast country
- →Be genuinely self-sufficient — this is remote enough that help and services are hours away
Watch out for
- !Locked private gates block vehicle access to large blocks of public land — some corners are 10+ mile walk-ins
- !Uintah & Ouray tribal land on the east is not open to public hunting
- !Clay roads become impassable when wet; storms can strand vehicles
- !Dry country — scarce water and lingering heat early
- !Vast and remote with no services or reliable cell coverage
- !Active oil and gas infrastructure and private ranch inholdings across the plateau
Logistics
Stage out of Duchesne or Myton on the north via US-40, or Price/Wellington on the south via the Nine Mile Canyon corridor — both put you at the edges of a very large, remote unit. Fuel up and provision in town; interior services are nonexistent and cell coverage disappears once you drop into the canyons. Plan for self-sufficient backcountry camping, high-clearance/4x4 travel, and long foot approaches, and carry a paper map plus a GPS ownership layer to stay off private and tribal ground.
Nearest towns: Duchesne, Myton, Price, Wellington, Helper
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: UDWR Nine Mile Bighorn Sheep Unit Management Plan · UDWR Nine Mile Deer Herd Unit Management Plan (#11) · GOHUNT — Utah Nine Mile Deer Unit Profile · Ninemile Canyon (Utah) — Wikipedia · Roan Cliffs — Wikipedia
FAQ
- How big is Unit 820 in Utah?
- Unit 820 (Nine Mile, Jack Creek) covers about 3,475 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,500 to 10,100 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 820?
- Approximately 70% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, SITLA, private, USFS Ashley NF, tribal (Uintah & Ouray). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 820?
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Utah agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 820 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.