Unit 927 Oquirrh/Tintic
Front-range mountains at Salt Lake's doorstep — good animals hemmed in by Kennecott's private wall.
Northern Utah — Oquirrh & Tintic Mountains (Tooele / Utah / Juab counties) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
2,167
sq mi
Public land
55%
approx.
Elevation
4,700–10,620
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
The Oquirrh/Tintic unit wraps the mountains immediately southwest of the Salt Lake and Utah valleys — the Oquirrh Range (home to the massive Kennecott/Bingham Canyon mine) and the Tintic and East Tintic mountains around Eureka, down to the Rush and Cedar valley flats. It is a general-season buck deer unit with a strong quality-elk component, but access is defined by ownership: Rio Tinto/Kennecott controls a huge block of the northern and eastern Oquirrhs, pushing public hunters onto BLM, SITLA, and the Tintic ranges to the south and west.
Terrain
The Oquirrhs are a steep, timbered front range topped near 10,600 ft (Flat Top / Lowe Peak country); the Tintic and East Tintic mountains to the south are lower, drier, mineralized ranges of rolling pinyon-juniper hills. Broad sage valleys — Rush, Cedar, and Tooele — separate the ranges.
Cover: Valley sagebrush and grass; heavy pinyon-juniper and mountain mahogany on the mid-slopes; oakbrush, aspen, and scattered conifer in the higher, moister Oquirrh canyons.
Landmarks: Oquirrh Mountains · Bingham Canyon Mine (Kennecott) · Lowe Peak / Flat Top · Tintic Mountains · East Tintic Mountains · Eureka (mining district) · Rush Valley · Cedar Valley
Access
Access is the central challenge. Rio Tinto/Kennecott owns most of the northern and eastern Oquirrhs — the entire mine-side face is closed. Public hunting concentrates on the southern and western Oquirrhs, the BLM/SITLA-dominated Tintic and East Tintic ranges, and the North Oquirrh Management Area (BLM) important winter range. SITLA trust sections are generally open to hunting in Utah. Boundaries are complex and interlocked with private ranch and mining ground — verify land status carefully before hunting.
Managers: private, BLM, SITLA, USFS Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF
Access points: Ophir Canyon Road (south Oquirrhs) · Settlement Canyon (Tooele) · SR-73 Cedar Valley / Fairfield · US-6 through Eureka (Tintic) · BLM roads in Rush Valley and the Tintic district · North Oquirrh Management Area (BLM)
Species notes
Mule Deer
common opportunityGeneral-season buck deer unit with respectable numbers, but the biggest, oldest bucks often live out summer and fall on Kennecott private ground. Public hunters do well in the southern Oquirrhs and the Tintic/East Tintic ranges.
- →Hunt the southern Oquirrh canyons (Ophir, Settlement) and the Tintic pinyon-juniper benches away from the mine closure
- →Glass mahogany slopes and oakbrush draws at first and last light
- →Focus on public ground adjacent to the Kennecott boundary where bucks spill off private during pressure
- →Work the North Oquirrh winter range late in the season as deer concentrate
Rocky Mountain Elk
common qualityCore of the limited-entry Oquirrh-Stansbury elk unit — an under-the-radar quality draw producing mature 290-330-class bulls. The Oquirrhs hold good elk numbers, though many summer on Kennecott private ground and antler mass runs modest for the age class.
- →If drawn, glass the higher Oquirrh basins and dark timber at dawn for bugling bulls
- →Hunt the seam where public land meets the Kennecott boundary as elk move on and off private
- →Still-hunt oakbrush and aspen pockets in the mid-elevation Oquirrh canyons during the rut
- →Late any-weapon hunts produce as bulls shift to accessible wintering slopes
Pronghorn
common qualityRush and Cedar valleys hold open-country antelope on BLM flats — the Rush Valley area is a valued limited-entry buck pronghorn hunt right at the metro's edge.
- →Glass the valley sage basins from foothill vantage points
- →Use washes and terrain folds to stalk on open ground
- →Set up near water or fencelines during warm early hunts
- →Judge horn mass and prong length carefully before committing
Pro tips
- →Carry a current land-ownership map (onX/SITLA/BLM) — the Kennecott private boundary is huge, hard, and easy to trespass on by accident
- →Push south and west into the Tintic and East Tintic ranges to escape both the mine closure and the metro crowds
- →Hunt the public edges of the Kennecott boundary where mature deer and elk spill off private under pressure
- →The North Oquirrh Management Area is key winter range — time late hunts to concentrating animals
- →Weekday hunting is a real advantage this close to a million people
Watch out for
- !Rio Tinto/Kennecott private land closes most of the northern and eastern Oquirrhs — the biggest access trap in the unit
- !Complex interlocked private/BLM/SITLA boundaries — verify before every stalk
- !Higher hunter density near the Salt Lake/Utah valley metro
- !Active mining operations and posted closures around Bingham Canyon
- !Scattered private ranch ground in Rush and Cedar valleys
Logistics
This is the most accessible unit in the West Desert group — Tooele, Lehi, and the Salt Lake/Utah valley metro sit minutes away with full services, fuel, lodging, and processing. Eureka anchors the Tintic side. Day-hunting from home or a valley motel is realistic, but the interior mountain roads still demand high-clearance and current land-status maps.
Nearest towns: Tooele, Eureka, Stockton, Fairfield, Cedar Fort
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: Utah DWR — Hunt tables, maps and boundaries · GOHUNT — Utah Oquirrh/Tintic Unit Profile · Wasatch Magazine — Oquirrh Range access & private land · BLM — North Oquirrh Management Area
FAQ
- How big is Unit 927 in Utah?
- Unit 927 (Oquirrh/Tintic) covers about 2,167 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,700 to 10,620 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 927?
- Approximately 55% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: private, BLM, SITLA, USFS Uinta-Wasatch-Cache NF. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 927?
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Utah agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 927 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.