Unit 948 House/Tintic
A vast Great Basin sprawl of desert valleys and scattered ranges — big pronghorn country, healthy winter-range deer, and desert bighorn on the House Range cliffs
Central & Western Utah — West Desert (House Range, Tintic & Sevier Desert) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
7,602
sq mi
Public land
88%
approx.
Elevation
4,500–9,669
feet
Motorized
extensive
access
Overview
This is a huge West Desert unit covering thousands of square miles of Great Basin terrain, from the Tintic Mountains near the center of the state west across the Sevier Desert to the dramatic House Range. Much of the country is low desert rolling hills and broad valleys — outstanding winter range that grows healthy mule deer — broken by small, isolated mountain ranges. It is primarily an accessible public-land unit on BLM and SITLA ground, with easy road access on all sides. Beyond deer, the open desert is classic pronghorn habitat and the sheer limestone escarpment of the House Range holds desert bighorn sheep.
Terrain
Broad Great Basin valleys and playa (Sevier Lake) interrupted by isolated fault-block ranges. The House Range is the signature feature — Swasey Peak reaches 9,669 ft and Notch Peak drops in a sheer limestone cliff over 4,000 feet, one of the tallest in North America. The Tintic Mountains and other small ranges rise more modestly from the desert floor.
Cover: Salt desert shrub, sagebrush, greasewood and grass across the valleys; pinyon-juniper on the foothills and lower mountains; scattered pockets of mountain mahogany, aspen and limber pine on the highest peaks like Swasey.
Landmarks: Notch Peak (sheer limestone cliff, House Range) · Swasey Peak (9,669 ft) · House Range escarpment · Tintic Mountains · Sevier Lake / Sevier Desert · Wah Wah Valley · Tule Valley · Topaz Mountain / Thomas Range (rockhounding)
Access
Overwhelmingly public and easy to reach on paper — most of the unit is BLM desert with SITLA trust parcels mixed in, both open to hunting. There is road access on essentially all sides via well-maintained dirt roads that transition to rougher 4WD tracks and ATV trails into the ranges. Private property is concentrated around the farming communities and valley bottoms; the mountains and open desert are broadly accessible. The real limits are distance, fuel range and water, not locked gates.
Managers: BLM (Fillmore & West Desert districts), SITLA, private
Access points: Highway 6/50 corridor (Delta to the Nevada line) · House Range roads off Highway 50 (Notch Peak, Swasey, Marjum Pass) · Tintic Mountains access off SR-36 / Highway 6 near Eureka · Sevier Desert / Sevier Lake road network · Dugway and Tule Valley desert roads · BLM roads out of Delta and Hinckley
Species notes
Pronghorn
common qualityThe West Desert is prime pronghorn country. The wide-open sagebrush and salt-desert valleys hold good numbers of antelope, and the unit is a well-regarded pronghorn draw producing quality bucks in classic spot-and-stalk terrain.
- →Cover ground and glass the open sage and grass flats from high points at first light
- →Locate a mature buck, then use terrain folds, washes and rises to close the distance across open country
- →Watch water sources and green feed where bands concentrate in dry early-fall conditions
- →Judge horns carefully at distance with a spotting scope before committing to a stalk
Mule Deer
common qualityExtensive winter range across the desert hills and valleys supports healthy deer numbers, and the Tintic subunit alone estimates several thousand animals. Access is good and terrain is moderate, making this a strong, huntable deer unit that produces respectable bucks — a quality opportunity rather than a giant-only trophy hunt.
- →Focus on the pinyon-juniper foothills and mountain fringes where deer hold cover near desert feed
- →Glass ridgelines, draws and juniper edges at dawn and dusk
- →Hunt the isolated ranges (House, Tintic and smaller mountains) for older, less-pressured bucks
- →Use the extensive road network to cover country, then hunt on foot into the rougher pockets
- →Key on water and browse in dry years when deer concentrate near reliable sources
Bighorn Sheep
limited trophyDesert bighorn inhabit the rugged limestone country of the House Range, centered on the cliffs and canyons around Notch Peak and Swasey Peak. The desert sheep tag is a once-in-a-lifetime permit with very limited numbers — a rare, high-value draw in dramatic terrain.
- →Glass the steep limestone cliff bands, canyons and rims of the House Range from below
- →Spend full days behind a spotting scope evaluating rams before committing to broken terrain
- →Hunt escape-terrain edges early and late when sheep feed off the crags
- →Plan carefully for heat, remoteness and a near-total lack of water
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunitySmall, scattered elk numbers use the higher and more remote desert ranges. Elk are a minor, opportunistic part of this unit rather than a primary draw, concentrated where cover and water coincide in the isolated mountains.
- →Focus on the higher, better-watered ranges with the most cover
- →Glass timbered and mahogany pockets at first and last light
- →Locate bulls by bugle in the rut and hunt the fringes near water
Cougar
common opportunityMountain lions follow the deer and bighorn through the desert ranges and canyon country. Cougar is a winter, track-and-hound pursuit dependent on snow.
- →Cut fresh tracks on snow-dusted desert roads and range foothills after storms
- →Work the deer wintering concentrations and rocky canyons where lions travel
- →Hound hunting is the most effective method
Pro tips
- →Treat water as your primary planning constraint — for the animals you hunt and for yourself
- →Carry extra fuel and paper maps; distances are long and cell service is unreliable
- →Hunt the isolated ranges and rougher pockets on foot to escape the road-hunting crowd
- →For pronghorn, prioritize glassing and patient stalks over covering endless miles blind
- →Verify boundaries around the farming valleys where private ground concentrates near water
- →Watch the forecast — wet desert roads turn slick and can strand a vehicle far from help
Watch out for
- !Extreme remoteness — long drives, little or no cell service, few services past Delta
- !Scarce and unreliable water for animals and hunters alike
- !Private ground concentrated around valley farms and communities — verify boundaries there
- !Desert heat early and cold, muddy roads or high-country snow late
- !Vast, featureless country where it is easy to get turned around without good maps or GPS
Logistics
Delta is the main hub for the western half — fuel up, stock water and food, and plan long drives, because services thin out fast toward the Nevada line. Eureka and Nephi serve the Tintic (eastern) side. Nearly everything is dispersed camping on open BLM ground; there are few developed facilities out here. This is big, dry, empty country, so carry extra fuel, plenty of water, recovery gear and paper maps — cell service is spotty to nonexistent across most of the desert and interior ranges.
Nearest towns: Delta, Hinckley, Eureka, Nephi, Fillmore, Milford
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Utah sources:
Research sources: GOHUNT — Utah West Desert, Tintic Mule Deer Limited-Entry Unit Profile · UDWR West Desert Deer Herd Unit Management Plan · SummitPost — Utah Western Desert Ranges (House Range / Notch Peak) · HuntScore — Utah West Desert, Tintic Hunts
FAQ
- How big is Unit 948 in Utah?
- Unit 948 (House/Tintic) covers about 7,602 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,500 to 9,669 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 948?
- Approximately 88% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM (Fillmore & West Desert districts), SITLA, private. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 948?
- Pronghorn, Mule Deer, Bighorn Sheep, 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 948 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.