Manti/San Rafael deer unit: harvest, draw and public land
Manti/San Rafael is a 7,649-square-mile general-season deer unit in DWR's Southeastern Region of Utah. Hunters on its general-season buck deer hunts took 2,518 bucks in 2025, with 6,422 hunters afield across 3 hunts, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 81.5% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (2,605,481 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, 2013 to 2025. Draw: DWR's 2024 and 2025 results. Land: UGRC, 2023.
National forestBLMState trust land (SITLA)DWR wildlife landNational wildlife refugeBureau of ReclamationNational park or monument (NPS, no hunting)Tribal land (tribe's rules)Military land (closed)State park (park rules)State sovereign land (lake and river beds)Other public land (highways, other state land)Manti/San RafaelNeighboring deer unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southeastern Region (Price office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 4,895,451 acres (7,649 square miles) |
| Public land | 81.5% (3,990,875 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 3 general-season, plus 1 limited-entry (DWR guidebook) |
| Bucks harvested, 2025 | 2,518 (6,422 hunters afield) |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 39 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 12,182 residents, 808 nonresidents (5,478 drew) |
| Wildlife management areas | 21, 73,469 acres inside the unit |
| Towns in and near it | Ephraim, Wellington, Gunnison, Mount Pleasant, Green River and Salina |
When are the 2026 deer hunts on Manti/San Rafael?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 3 general-season buck deer 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1503 | Archery | Aug. 15-Sept. 11 | 2,042 | 1,003 | 148 | 112 |
| DB1533 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Oct. 17-Oct. 25 | 8,419 | 2,951 | 573 | 328 |
| DB1563 | Muzzleloader | Sept. 23-Oct. 1 | 1,721 | 1,002 | 87 | 82 |
Source: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook, hunt tables, pages 43, 45 and 46; 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 bucks are taken on the Manti/San Rafael deer unit?
DWR's harvest reports for the Manti/San Rafael general-season deer hunts, by weapon: bucks harvested, with hunters afield in brackets. In 2024, hunters took 2,107 bucks here.
| Year | Archery: bucks (hunters) | Muzzleloader: bucks (hunters) | Rifle: bucks (hunters) | All these hunts: bucks | All these hunts: hunters afield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 250 (1,168) | 347 (1,194) | 1,921 (4,060) | 2,518 | 6,422 |
| 2024 | 256 (1,305) | 321 (1,203) | 1,530 (3,782) | 2,107 | 6,290 |
| 2023 | 291 (1,346) | 379 (1,164) | 975 (2,840) | 1,645 | 5,350 |
| 2022 | 282 (1,277) | 424 (1,167) | 1,684 (3,452) | 2,390 | 5,896 |
| 2021 | 275 (1,203) | 377 (1,099) | 1,115 (2,559) | 1,767 | 4,861 |
| 2020 | 274 (1,347) | 313 (1,236) | 861 (2,939) | 1,448 | 5,522 |
| 2019 | 269 (1,227) | 321 (1,173) | 770 (2,831) | 1,360 | 5,231 |
| 2018 | 267 (1,354) | 461 (1,271) | 1,178 (2,969) | 1,906 | 5,594 |
| 2017 | 256 (1,406) | 440 (1,396) | 1,098 (3,190) | 1,794 | 5,992 |
| 2016 | 232 (1,536) | 440 (1,456) | 1,222 (3,433) | 1,894 | 6,425 |
| 2015 | 279 (1,519) | 430 (1,417) | 1,185 (3,335) | 1,894 | 6,271 |
| 2014 | 237 (1,397) | 378 (1,372) | 1,128 (3,277) | 1,743 | 6,046 |
| 2013 | 207 (1,482) | 416 (1,450) | 1,166 (3,289) | 1,789 | 6,221 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2013 to 2025. "All these hunts" adds DWR's archery, muzzleloader, early rifle and rifle rows (restricted muzzleloader and restricted rifle hunts in those columns); youth and Dedicated Hunter rows and extended archery are not in these tables. 2025 is DWR's preliminary report.
Each 2025 hunt on Manti/San Rafael
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1503 | Archery | 1,325 | 1,168 | 250 | 21.4% | 7.7 | 3.5 |
| DB1533 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 4,507 | 4,060 | 1,921 | 47.3% | 4 | 3.5 |
| DB1563 | Muzzleloader | 1,346 | 1,194 | 347 | 29.1% | 4.2 | 3.2 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary). DWR works out percent success from its survey answers, so it can differ a little from harvest divided by hunters.
Are there limited-entry deer hunts on Manti/San Rafael?
Yes. DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 limited-entry buck deer hunt on the Manti/San Rafael unit, drawn on bonus points. In 2025, those hunts had 40 permits and hunters took 33 bucks (DWR).
| Hunt number | Hunt | 2026 season | 2025 first-choice applicants (residents) | 2025 permits drawn (residents) | 2025 first-choice applicants (nonresidents) | 2025 permits drawn (nonresidents) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1079 | Muzzleloader | Oct. 28-Nov. 5 | 197 | 37 | 37 | 4 |
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1079 | Muzzleloader | 40 | 40 | 33 | 82.5% | 5.5 | 3.5 |
Sources: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook; DWR 2025 drawing results; DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
How many hunters apply for Manti/San Rafael deer permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 12,182 residents put a Manti/San Rafael deer hunt first and 4,956 drew a permit, 40.7% of them; 808 nonresidents applied first choice and 522 drew (64.6%). In 2024, 12,363 residents applied first choice and 4,872 drew. General-season buck deer permits are drawn on preference points.
| Hunt | DWR's hunt name | Resident applicants | Residents drawn | Nonresident applicants | Nonresidents drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1503 | General season, archery | 2,042 | 1,003 | 148 | 112 |
| DB1533 | General season, any legal weapon | 8,419 | 2,951 | 573 | 328 |
| DB1563 | General season, muzzleloader | 1,721 | 1,002 | 87 | 82 |
| Hunt | DWR's hunt name | Resident applicants | Residents drawn | Nonresident applicants | Nonresidents drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1503 | General season, archery | 2,280 | 1,078 | 193 | 134 |
| DB1533 | General season, any legal weapon | 8,404 | 2,770 | 514 | 382 |
| DB1563 | General season, muzzleloader | 1,679 | 1,024 | 86 | 84 |
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 Manti/San Rafael is public land?
81.5% of the Manti/San Rafael deer unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 3,990,875 of 4,895,451 acres. The largest share is BLM, 2,605,481 acres or 53.2% of the unit. 279,838 acres are National Park Service land, closed to hunting.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Manti/San Rafael |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 2,605,481 | 53.2% |
| National forest | 865,127 | 17.7% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 440,161 | 9% |
| National park or monument (NPS, no hunting) | 279,838 | 5.7% |
| DWR wildlife land | 80,106 | 1.6% |
| State park (park rules) | 13,851 | 0.3% |
| State sovereign land (lake and river beds) | 2,111 | under 0.1% |
| Other public land (highways, other state land) | 1,208 | under 0.1% |
| Military land (closed) | 78 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 607,490 | 12.4% |
Measured by FilledTag inside DWR's 2026 boundary from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023). State trust land (SITLA) is open to hunting where it can be reached legally; many sections touch no public road. A permit does not allow hunting on CWMUs, tribal land or national parks.
DWR wildlife management areas inside the unit: Gordon Creek WMA (15,603 acres), Twelve Mile WMA (9,181 acres), Starvation WMA (7,720 acres), Dairy Fork WMA (4,869 acres), Lower San Rafael River WMA (4,068 acres), North Hollow WMA (3,624 acres), Lasson Draw WMA (2,875 acres), Six Mile WMA (2,806 acres), Desert Lake WMA (2,802 acres) and Lake Fork WMA (2,766 acres), and 11 more.
DWR's Walk-In Access program has 2 active hunting properties on private land in the unit, about 1,106 acres. Each has its own rules: DWR Walk-In Access.
What other hunts share the Manti/San Rafael deer 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 Manti/San Rafael it covers |
|---|---|---|
| San Rafael, Desert | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 45% |
| San Rafael, South-Dirty Devil | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 45% |
| Manti | limited-entry bull elk | 33% |
| Manti | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 33% |
| Wasatch Mountains/Central Mountains | once-in-a-lifetime bull moose | 33% |
| San Rafael, Dirty Devil | once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep | 27% |
| San Rafael, North | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 25% |
| San Rafael, North | general-season any bull elk (over the counter) | 22% |
| San Rafael, North | once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep | 22% |
| San Rafael, South | once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep | 18% |
How do you get to the Manti/San Rafael unit?
Highways through the unit: US 50 and I-70 (one road, about 187 miles inside it), US 6 (about 63 miles inside it), US 89 (about 45 miles inside it), US 191 (about 41 miles inside it) and UT 96 (about 9 miles inside it). Towns inside: Ephraim, Wellington, Gunnison, Manti, Ferron and Castle Dale. Nearby: Mount Pleasant (on the line), Green River (on the line), Salina (on the line) and Price (on the line). Rivers: San Rafael River (104 miles), Price River (85 miles) and Dirty Devil River (78 miles).
Which deer units border or overlap Manti/San Rafael?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Bucks harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder/Kaiparowits | 5,344 | 75.7% | 693 (2025) |
| Fillmore | 1,978 | 70.4% | 873 (2025) |
| Fishlake | 684 | 83.1% | 436 (2025) |
| La Sal Mountains | 2,477 | 78.4% | 673 (2025) |
| Nebo | 1,472 | 49.1% | 1,417 (2025) |
| Nine Mile | 2,574 | 69.1% | 402 (2025) |
| Wasatch Mountains, East | 1,631 | 54.2% | 1,658 (2025) |
| Wasatch Mountains, West | 1,220 | 59% | 1,175 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 deer hunts on Manti/San Rafael?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 3 general-season hunts on Manti/San Rafael: Archery Aug. 15-Sept. 11 (DB1503), Rifle (any legal weapon) Oct. 17-Oct. 25 (DB1533) and Muzzleloader Sept. 23-Oct. 1 (DB1563).
How many bucks were harvested on Manti/San Rafael in 2025?
2,518, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 6,422 hunters afield, 39 bucks for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 2,107.
How many people apply for Manti/San Rafael deer permits?
12,182 residents and 808 nonresidents made a Manti/San Rafael hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 4,956 residents and 522 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is Manti/San Rafael mostly public land?
Yes. 81.5% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (2,605,481 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
What is the closest town to the Manti/San Rafael deer unit?
Ephraim, Wellington and Gunnison are inside the unit. Just outside: Mount Pleasant (on the line), Green River (on the line) and Salina (on the line).
DWR's boundary description for Manti/San Rafael
Carbon, Emery, Sanpete, Sevier and Utah counties: Boundary begins US-6 and US-89 in Spanish Fork Canyon; southeast on US-6 to I-70; east on I-70 to the Green River; south along this river to the Colorado River; south along this river (and the west shore of Lake Powell) to SR-95; north on SR-95 to SR-24 (hunters may harvest deer within 2 miles south of SR-24 between SR-95 and the Notom Road); west on SR-24 to Caineville and the Caineville Wash road; north on this road to the Cathedral Valley road; west on this road to Rock Springs Bench and the Last Chance Desert road; north on this road to the Blue Flats road; north and east on this road to the Willow Springs road; north on this road towards Windy Peak and the Windy Peak road; north on this road to I-70; west on I-70 to US-89; north on US-89 to US-6 in Spanish Fork Canyon. Excludes all CWMUs. USGS 1:100,000 Maps: Hanksville, Hite Crossing, Huntington, La Sal, Loa, Manti, Nephi, Price, Salina, San Rafael Desert. Boundary questions? Call the Price office, 435-613-3700.
From DWR's 2026 unit layer.
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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 Southeastern Region Utah draw deadlines Boulder/Kaiparowits Fillmore Fishlake La Sal Mountains Nebo Nine Mile