Panguitch Lake deer unit: harvest, draw and public land
Panguitch Lake is an 882-square-mile general-season deer unit in DWR's Southern Region of Utah. Hunters on its general-season buck deer hunts took 941 bucks in 2025, with 1,863 hunters afield across 4 hunts, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 77.9% public land open to hunting, most of it national forest (292,733 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 park or monument (NPS, no hunting)Tribal land (tribe's rules)Panguitch LakeNeighboring deer unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southern Region (Cedar City office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 564,533 acres (882 square miles) |
| Public land | 77.9% (439,737 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 4 general-season, plus 1 limited-entry (DWR guidebook) |
| Bucks harvested, 2025 | 941 (1,863 hunters afield) |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 51 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 3,917 residents, 807 nonresidents (1,478 drew) |
| Wildlife management areas | 4, 9,564 acres inside the unit |
| Towns in and near it | Parowan, Brian Head, Hatch, Panguitch, Cedar City and Enoch |
When are the 2026 deer hunts on Panguitch Lake?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 4 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1516 | Archery | Aug. 15-Sept. 11 | 718 | 276 | 176 | 32 |
| DB1546 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Oct. 17-Oct. 25 | 1,858 | 531 | 348 | 60 |
| DB1576 | Muzzleloader | Sept. 23-Oct. 1 | 472 | 257 | 98 | 29 |
| DB1594 | Early rifle | Oct. 7-Oct. 11 | 869 | 263 | 185 | 30 |
Source: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook, hunt tables, pages 43, 44, 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 Panguitch Lake deer unit?
DWR's harvest reports for the Panguitch Lake general-season deer hunts, by weapon: bucks harvested, with hunters afield in brackets. In 2024, hunters took 824 bucks here.
| Year | Archery: bucks (hunters) | Muzzleloader: bucks (hunters) | Early rifle: bucks (hunters) | Rifle: bucks (hunters) | All these hunts: bucks | All these hunts: hunters afield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 141 (384) | 141 (346) | 186 (348) | 473 (785) | 941 | 1,863 |
| 2024 | 121 (361) | 132 (327) | 161 (334) | 410 (725) | 824 | 1,747 |
| 2023 | 107 (299) | 147 (283) | 125 (218) | 199 (453) | 578 | 1,253 |
| 2022 | 57 (297) | 127 (257) | 127 (218) | 350 (558) | 661 | 1,330 |
| 2021 | 42 (231) | 87 (172) | 58 (138) | 122 (299) | 309 | 840 |
| 2020 | 100 (348) | 138 (350) | 102 (278) | 186 (537) | 526 | 1,513 |
| 2019 | 97 (458) | 198 (439) | 129 (330) | 234 (688) | 658 | 1,915 |
| 2018 | 144 (519) | 190 (497) | 410 (1,150) | 744 | 2,166 | |
| 2017 | 190 (530) | 257 (499) | 484 (1,128) | 931 | 2,157 | |
| 2016 | 133 (531) | 208 (528) | 457 (1,194) | 798 | 2,253 | |
| 2015 | 155 (552) | 211 (537) | 580 (1,265) | 946 | 2,354 | |
| 2014 | 143 (557) | 221 (531) | 485 (1,146) | 849 | 2,234 | |
| 2013 | 147 (535) | 225 (484) | 528 (1,160) | 900 | 2,179 |
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 Panguitch Lake
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1516 | Archery | 415 | 384 | 141 | 36.7% | 8.5 | 3.7 |
| DB1546 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 837 | 785 | 473 | 60.3% | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| DB1576 | Muzzleloader | 385 | 346 | 141 | 40.8% | 4.3 | 3.7 |
| DB1594 | Early rifle | 397 | 348 | 186 | 53.4% | 3.2 | 3.8 |
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 Panguitch Lake?
Yes. DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 limited-entry buck deer hunt on the Panguitch Lake unit, drawn on bonus points. In 2025, those hunts had 12 permits and hunters took 5 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1083 | Muzzleloader | Oct. 28-Nov. 5 | 34 | 11 | 23 | 1 |
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1083 | Muzzleloader | 12 | 11 | 5 | 45.5% | 6.7 | 3.5 |
Sources: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook; DWR 2025 drawing results; DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
How many hunters apply for Panguitch Lake deer permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 3,917 residents put a Panguitch Lake deer hunt first and 1,327 drew a permit, 33.9% of them; 807 nonresidents applied first choice and 151 drew (18.7%). In 2024, 3,778 residents applied first choice and 1,219 drew. General-season buck deer permits are drawn on preference points.
| Hunt | DWR's hunt name | Resident applicants | Residents drawn | Nonresident applicants | Nonresidents drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1516 | General season, archery | 718 | 276 | 176 | 32 |
| DB1546 | General season, any legal weapon | 1,858 | 531 | 348 | 60 |
| DB1576 | General season, muzzleloader | 472 | 257 | 98 | 29 |
| DB1594 | General season, any legal weapon | 869 | 263 | 185 | 30 |
| Hunt | DWR's hunt name | Resident applicants | Residents drawn | Nonresident applicants | Nonresidents drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1516 | General season, archery | 692 | 270 | 163 | 32 |
| DB1546 | General season, any legal weapon | 1,613 | 478 | 341 | 54 |
| DB1576 | General season, muzzleloader | 495 | 236 | 92 | 27 |
| DB1594 | General season, any legal weapon | 978 | 235 | 240 | 27 |
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 Panguitch Lake is public land?
77.9% of the Panguitch Lake deer unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 439,737 of 564,533 acres. The largest share is national forest, 292,733 acres or 51.9% of the unit. 6,006 acres are National Park Service land, closed to hunting.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Panguitch Lake |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 292,733 | 51.9% |
| BLM | 126,453 | 22.4% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 10,969 | 1.9% |
| DWR wildlife land | 9,582 | 1.7% |
| National park or monument (NPS, no hunting) | 6,006 | 1.1% |
| Other public land (highways, other state land) | 23 | under 0.1% |
| State park (park rules) | 9 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 118,758 | 21% |
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: Parowan Front WMA (7,521 acres), Panguitch Creek WMA (989 acres), Parowan Canyon WMA (892 acres) and Yankee Meadows WMA (162 acres).
What other hunts share the Panguitch Lake 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 Panguitch Lake it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Panguitch Lake/Zion, North | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 100% |
| Panguitch Lake | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| Panguitch Lake | limited-entry bull elk | 100% |
How do you get to the Panguitch Lake unit?
Highways through the unit: I-15 (about 17 miles inside it) and US 89 (about 9 miles inside it). Towns inside: Parowan, Brian Head, Hatch, Paragonah and Summit. Nearby: Panguitch (on the line), Cedar City (on the line), Enoch (on the line) and Alton (4 miles).
Which deer units border or overlap Panguitch Lake?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Bucks harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver, East | 799 | 87.1% | 663 (2025) |
| Beaver, West | 987 | 74% | 198 (2025) |
| Mt Dutton | 659 | 87.6% | 141 (2025) |
| Southwest Desert | 5,205 | 88.8% | 137 (2025) |
| Zion | 1,724 | 50.7% | 1,272 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 deer hunts on Panguitch Lake?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 4 general-season hunts on Panguitch Lake: Archery Aug. 15-Sept. 11 (DB1516), Rifle (any legal weapon) Oct. 17-Oct. 25 (DB1546), Muzzleloader Sept. 23-Oct. 1 (DB1576) and Early rifle Oct. 7-Oct. 11 (DB1594).
How many bucks were harvested on Panguitch Lake in 2025?
941, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 1,863 hunters afield, 51 bucks for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 824.
How many people apply for Panguitch Lake deer permits?
3,917 residents and 807 nonresidents made a Panguitch Lake hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 1,327 residents and 151 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is Panguitch Lake mostly public land?
Yes. 77.9% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it national forest (292,733 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map. Most of the rest is private land.
What is the closest town to the Panguitch Lake deer unit?
Parowan, Brian Head and Hatch are inside the unit. Just outside: Panguitch (on the line), Cedar City (on the line) and Enoch (on the line).
DWR's boundary description for Panguitch Lake
Garfield, Iron and Kane counties: Boundary begins at US-89 and SR-14; north on US-89 to SR-20; west on SR-20 to I-15; south on I-15 to SR-14; east on SR-14 to US-89. USGS 1:100,000 Maps: Beaver, Cedar City, Panguitch. Boundary questions? Call the Cedar City office, 435-865-6100.
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 Southern Region Utah draw deadlines Beaver, East Beaver, West Mt Dutton Southwest Desert Zion