Book Cliffs (Bitter Creek) bison unit: draw, harvest and public land
Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek is a 2,199-square-mile once-in-a-lifetime bison unit in DWR's Northeastern Region of Utah. Once-in-a-lifetime bison hunters here took 14 bison on 17 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 58.5% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (613,199 acres), measured from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023).
Data updated October 2026. Seasons: DWR's 2026 guidebook. Harvest: DWR's reports, 2022 to 2025. Draw: DWR's 2024 and 2025 results. Land: UGRC, 2023.
BLMState trust land (SITLA)DWR wildlife landNational wildlife refugeTribal land (tribe's rules)State sovereign land (lake and river beds)Other public land (highways, other state land)Book Cliffs, Bitter CreekNeighboring bison unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Northeastern Region (Vernal office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,407,509 acres (2,199 square miles) |
| Public land | 58.5% (823,869 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 4 (DWR guidebook) |
| Bison harvested, 2025 | 14 on 17 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 93 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 1,912 residents, 0 nonresidents (17 drew) |
| Wildlife management areas | 4, 17,042 acres inside the unit |
| Towns in and near it | Green River, Ballard and Myton |
When are the 2026 bison hunts on Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 4 once-in-a-lifetime bison hunts on this unit, shown here with the 2025 draw for the same hunt number where DWR used it.
| Hunt number | Hunt | 2026 season | 2025 first-choice applicants (residents) | 2025 permits drawn (residents) | 2025 first-choice applicants (nonresidents) | 2025 permits drawn (nonresidents) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BI6532 | Archery | Aug. 15-Sept. 11 | 172 | 5 | ||
| BI6534 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Sept. 12-Sept. 20 | 907 | 5 | ||
| BI6535 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Oct. 3-Oct. 15 | 702 | 5 | ||
| BI6536 | Rifle (any legal weapon) (cow only) | Nov. 14-Nov. 29 | 131 | 2 |
Source: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook, hunt tables, page 65; boundaries from DWR Hunt Planner hunt table. DWR can change a season during the year: check the Utah Hunt Planner before you go.
How many bison are taken on Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek's once-in-a-lifetime bison hunts in 4 years from 2022 to 2025. In 2025, 15 hunters afield took 14 bison, 93 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 13 from 18 hunters on 18 permits.
| Year | Hunts reported | Permits | Hunters afield | Bison harvested | Harvest per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 93 |
| 2024 | 4 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 72 |
| 2023 | 4 | 20 | 20 | 11 | 55 |
| 2022 | 4 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 74 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2022 to 2025, every once-in-a-lifetime bison hunt DWR printed for this unit's name each year, added up by FilledTag. CWMU, landowner, conservation and sportsman permits are not included. Harvest per 100 hunters is worked out from DWR's own two numbers.
Each 2025 hunt on Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Bison harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BI6532 | Archery | 4 | 3 | 3 | 100% | 2 | 5 |
| BI6534 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 100% | 2.5 | 3.8 |
| BI6535 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 100% | 4.2 | 4.4 |
| BI6536 | Rifle (any legal weapon) (cow only) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | 4.3 | 4.7 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek by weapon, year by year
Bison harvested of permits issued, by weapon, for each year DWR reported since 2022:
| Weapon | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 3 of 4 | 4 of 5 | 2 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Rifle (any legal weapon) | 9 of 10 | 9 of 13 | 9 of 15 | 10 of 15 |
| Rifle (any legal weapon) (cow only) | 2 of 3 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2022 to 2025. An empty cell means DWR printed no hunt of that kind on this unit that year.
How many hunters apply for Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek bison permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 1,912 residents put a Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek bison hunt first and 17 drew a permit, 0.9% of them; no nonresident applied first choice. In 2024, 2,027 residents applied first choice and 13 drew. Limited-entry and once-in-a-lifetime permits are drawn on bonus points: DWR reserves half of each hunt's permits for the applicants with the most points and draws the rest at random (Utah Admin. Rule R657-62-8).
| Hunt | DWR's hunt name | Resident applicants | Residents drawn | Nonresident applicants | Nonresidents drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BI6532 | Bison archery (hunter's choice) | 172 | 5 | ||
| BI6534 | Bison (hunter's choice) | 907 | 5 | ||
| BI6535 | Bison (hunter's choice) | 702 | 5 | ||
| BI6536 | Bison (cow only) | 131 | 2 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BI6532 | 20 to 24 | 1 to 5 | ||
| BI6534 | 27 to 28 | 10 to 18 | ||
| BI6535 | 26 to 27 | 5 to 7 | ||
| BI6536 | 25 | 23 |
From DWR's 2025 drawing results, which list each point level's permits from the reserved half (most points first) and from the random half. A blank cell means no permit of that kind went to the group.
| Hunt | DWR's hunt name | Resident applicants | Residents drawn | Nonresident applicants | Nonresidents drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BI6532 | Bison archery (hunter's choice) | 183 | 4 | 362 | 1 |
| BI6534 | Bison (hunter's choice) | 996 | 4 | 745 | 1 |
| BI6535 | Bison (hunter's choice) | 687 | 4 | 511 | 1 |
| BI6536 | Bison (cow only) | 161 | 1 | 91 | 1 |
Source: DWR 2025 drawing results and DWR 2024 drawing results, first-choice applications only, as DWR reports them; DWR leaves out second to fifth choices. The share who drew in a past year is not a forecast for the next draw. Deadlines and fees: Utah draw deadlines and fees.
How much of Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek is public land?
58.5% of the Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek bison unit is public land open to hunting: 823,869 of 1,407,509 acres, the largest share BLM (613,199 acres). DWR uses the same boundary for its limited-entry buck pronghorn hunts; the land table by manager, the access notes and DWR's boundary description are on the Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek pronghorn page.
Measured by FilledTag inside DWR's 2026 boundary from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023).
What other hunts share the Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek bison unit's ground?
Utah draws a separate map of units for each species and hunt type. These units cover part of the same ground, measured from DWR's 2026 boundaries:
| Unit | Hunt type | Share of Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Book Cliffs | limited-entry deer | 100% |
| Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek/East | limited-entry bull elk | 100% |
| Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek/East | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| Book Cliffs, North | limited-entry deer | 100% |
| Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 100% |
| Nine Mile, Jack Creek | once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep | 60% |
Which bison units border or overlap Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Bison harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book Cliffs, Little Creek/South | 1,380 | 95.7% | 25 (2025) |
| Nine Mile | 2,574 | 69.1% | 0 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 bison hunts on Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 4 once-in-a-lifetime bison hunts on Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek: Archery Aug. 15-Sept. 11 (BI6532), Rifle (any legal weapon) Sept. 12-Sept. 20 (BI6534), Rifle (any legal weapon) Oct. 3-Oct. 15 (BI6535) and Rifle (any legal weapon) (cow only) Nov. 14-Nov. 29 (BI6536).
How many bison were harvested on Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek in 2025?
14, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 15 hunters afield on 17 permits, 93 bison for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 13.
How many people apply for Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek bison permits?
1,912 residents and 0 nonresidents made a Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 17 residents and 0 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
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Where these numbers come from
- Harvest, permits, hunters, days and satisfaction: DWR harvest reports, 2013 to 2025 (2025 preliminary).
- 2026 hunts and season dates: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook; boundary names: DWR Hunt Planner hunt table.
- Applicants and permits drawn: DWR drawing results, 2024 and 2025.
- Unit boundary: DWR 2026 hunt unit boundaries. Public land: UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023). WMAs: DWR public access properties (WMAs). Walk-In Access: DWR Walk-In Access properties (December 17, 2025).
- Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, places.
FilledTag is not part of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Numbers are copied from DWR and the State of Utah, or measured from their maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
Utah hunting units Northeastern Region Utah draw deadlines Book Cliffs, Little Creek/South