Utah Bison

Utah is one of the few states that supports truly wild, free-ranging bison herds. The Henry Mountains and Book Cliffs/Bitter Creek herds are fully self-sustaining and spend nearly their entire lives on public lands open to hunting. The Book Cliffs Little Creek herd is more transitional, moving between public BLM lands and the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. Recent tag reductions and the elimination of some hunts have allowed bison numbers on public land in this area to rebound compared to the past few years.

In 2020, Utah introduced an over-the-counter bison hunt along the Green River in Desolation Canyon. While the inaugural season was successful, harvest rates have dropped sharply over the past three years, making this hunt largely unproductive. It was designed to limit bison movement from reservation onto public lands, and that objective appears to have been met. This hunt should only be considered by hunters with very few bison points, as purchasing the permit forfeits all accrued points and prevents future bison applications.

Utah’s bison population remains relatively lean compared to the early 2000s, but there are still enough animals on the landscape to offer quality hunts. That said, bison hunts are consistently challenging, and success often depends on time, effort, and professional support. For non-residents already applying for other species, adding a bison application is certainly worth considering.

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