Unit 930 La Sal, Moab Valley
A small, targeted late-season buck hunt in the red-rock foothills right around Moab, created to manage chronic wasting disease.
Southeastern Utah — Moab / Spanish Valley · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
72
sq mi
Public land
55%
approx.
Elevation
3,900–8,000
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
The La Sal, Moab Valley sub-unit is a compact management unit carved out of the larger La Sal Mountains deer unit, wrapped around the town of Moab and Spanish Valley just below the western foothills of the La Sal Mountains. It was established primarily as a chronic wasting disease (CWD) tool: late-season hunts here are aimed at removing older-age-class bucks, the animals most likely to carry and spread the disease. It is not a wilderness trophy destination but a small-footprint, close-to-town hunt over a patchwork of BLM and SITLA public land threaded with heavy private development, best approached as a focused management opportunity rather than a big-country adventure.
Terrain
Red-rock desert and Spanish Valley floor around Moab (roughly 4,000 ft) rising quickly west into slickrock rims and east into the pinyon-juniper foothills and aspen benches of the La Sal Mountains front.
Cover: Desert scrub, blackbrush and sagebrush on the lower valley and slickrock, grading up through pinyon-juniper woodland into mountain brush and lower-elevation aspen on the La Sal foothills; cottonwood and willow line the creek bottoms.
Landmarks: Spanish Valley · Moab Rim · La Sal Mountains front · Pack Creek · Mill Creek · Ken's Lake · Behind the Rocks area
Access
A close-quarters mix of BLM and open SITLA state trust land broken up by extensive private residential and ranch ground through Spanish Valley and around Moab, so land status matters on nearly every stalk. Paved and improved roads (US-191, Spanish Valley Drive, La Sal Mountain Loop Road, Ken's Lake and Pack Creek roads) give easy access to the public edges, with BLM two-tracks reaching the slickrock benches. Expect other recreation traffic — this is a heavily used tourism corridor.
Managers: BLM, SITLA, private, USFS Manti-La Sal NF (upper edge)
Access points: US-191 through Moab and Spanish Valley · La Sal Mountain Loop Road · Ken's Lake / Pack Creek access · Spanish Valley Drive · BLM roads into Behind the Rocks and the Moab Rim benches
Species notes
Mule Deer
common opportunityThe entire reason the unit exists — a late-season, management-focused buck hunt targeting older bucks to slow CWD transmission around Moab and Spanish Valley. Deer concentrate on the winter-range foothills and valley edges as weather pushes them down.
- →Glass the pinyon-juniper foothills and sage benches on the La Sal front at dawn and dusk
- →Hunt winter range and valley edges where deer drop with late-season cold
- →Work public parcels carefully against the private mosaic — confirm boundaries before you move
- →Watch feeding movements between the mountain front and the valley floor
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityElk from the La Sal Mountains drift onto the upper foothills of the unit seasonally but are not the focus here and are largely tied to the higher country above the valley.
- →Focus on the upper timbered and aspen edges toward the La Sal Mountains front
- →Check green foothill draws early and late
- →Expect elk to move up out of the unit with pressure
Cougar
limited opportunityMountain lions work the slickrock and foothill deer range around Moab.
- →Cut for tracks on the foothill and rim roads after fresh snow
- →Focus on deer wintering areas along the mountain front
Pro tips
- →Treat this as a targeted management hunt, not a backcountry trophy trip — success is about being on winter range at the right time.
- →Map the private-vs-public mosaic through Spanish Valley before opening day; boundaries are tight and development is everywhere.
- →Time your effort to the first hard cold fronts that move deer onto the La Sal foothills.
- →Respect the heavy tourism and residential traffic — hunt away from trailheads, homes and busy recreation zones.
- →Follow CWD sampling and carcass-handling guidance, since managing the disease is the whole point of the hunt.
Watch out for
- !Extensive private residential and ranch ground throughout Spanish Valley and around Moab
- !Heavy tourism and recreation traffic in a busy corridor
- !Small unit footprint with limited public acreage
- !CWD-management context — follow sampling and carcass rules
- !Slick mountain-front roads after snow
Logistics
Moab is a full-service tourism town with abundant fuel, lodging, groceries and outfitting right in the unit — the easiest logistics of any Utah hunt. Lodging fills fast in shoulder seasons, and public camping ranges from developed BLM campgrounds to dispersed sites; be mindful of the dense recreation and residential use throughout Spanish Valley.
Nearest towns: Moab, Spanish Valley, Monticello, Castle Valley
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: GOHUNT — Utah La Sal, Moab Valley Unit Profile · UDWR La Sal, Moab Valley Buck Deer Unit Boundary Recommendation (2024) · UDWR Utah Big Game Application Guidebook 2026
FAQ
- How big is Unit 930 in Utah?
- Unit 930 (La Sal, Moab Valley) covers about 72 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,900 to 8,000 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 930?
- Approximately 55% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, SITLA, private, USFS Manti-La Sal NF (upper edge). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 930?
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Cougar. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Utah agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 930 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.