San Juan (Abajo Mountains) deer unit: harvest, draw and public land
San Juan, Abajo Mountains is a 2,010-square-mile general-season deer unit in DWR's Southeastern Region of Utah. Hunters on its general-season buck deer hunts took 990 bucks in 2025, with 2,090 hunters afield across 3 hunts, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 72.1% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (694,698 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, 2016 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)State park (park rules)State sovereign land (lake and river beds)San Juan, Abajo MountainsNeighboring deer unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southeastern Region (Price office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,286,548 acres (2,010 square miles) |
| Public land | 72.1% (928,142 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 3 general-season, plus 1 limited-entry (DWR guidebook) |
| Bucks harvested, 2025 | 990 (2,090 hunters afield) |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 47 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 2,240 residents, 516 nonresidents (1,983 drew) |
| Towns in and near it | Blanding, Monticello, White Mesa, Bluff, Moab and Castle Valley |
When are the 2026 deer hunts on San Juan, Abajo Mountains?
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1521 | Archery | Aug. 15-Sept. 11 | 514 | 397 | 122 | 44 |
| DB1551 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Oct. 17-Oct. 25 | 1,311 | 999 | 286 | 112 |
| DB1581 | Muzzleloader | Sept. 23-Oct. 1 | 415 | 388 | 108 | 43 |
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 San Juan, Abajo Mountains deer unit?
DWR's harvest reports for the San Juan, Abajo Mountains general-season deer hunts, by weapon: bucks harvested, with hunters afield in brackets. In 2024, hunters took 797 bucks here.
| Year | Archery: bucks (hunters) | Muzzleloader: bucks (hunters) | Rifle: bucks (hunters) | All these hunts: bucks | All these hunts: hunters afield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 155 (412) | 177 (398) | 658 (1,280) | 990 | 2,090 |
| 2024 | 108 (362) | 152 (354) | 537 (1,085) | 797 | 1,801 |
| 2023 | 123 (360) | 191 (349) | 354 (813) | 668 | 1,522 |
| 2022 | 125 (372) | 180 (353) | 488 (1,052) | 793 | 1,777 |
| 2021 | 103 (325) | 168 (336) | 353 (747) | 624 | 1,408 |
| 2020 | 102 (346) | 146 (330) | 303 (747) | 551 | 1,423 |
| 2019 | 90 (460) | 114 (422) | 349 (1,058) | 553 | 1,940 |
| 2018 | 147 (444) | 205 (448) | 358 (1,053) | 710 | 1,945 |
| 2017 | 167 (440) | 201 (460) | 460 (1,078) | 828 | 1,978 |
| 2016 | 160 (430) | 240 (470) | 441 (993) | 841 | 1,893 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2016 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 San Juan, Abajo Mountains
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1521 | Archery | 476 | 412 | 155 | 37.6% | 6.4 | 3.8 |
| DB1551 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 1,460 | 1,280 | 658 | 51.4% | 3.9 | 3.5 |
| DB1581 | Muzzleloader | 467 | 398 | 177 | 44.5% | 4 | 3.6 |
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 San Juan, Abajo Mountains?
Yes. DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 limited-entry buck deer hunt on the San Juan, Abajo Mountains unit, drawn on bonus points. In 2025, those hunts had 13 permits and hunters took 8 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1085 | Muzzleloader | Oct. 28-Nov. 5 | 27 | 12 | 8 | 1 |
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1085 | Muzzleloader | 13 | 12 | 8 | 66.7% | 6.4 | 3.1 |
Sources: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook; DWR 2025 drawing results; DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
How many hunters apply for San Juan, Abajo Mountains deer permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 2,240 residents put a San Juan, Abajo Mountains deer hunt first and 1,784 drew a permit, 79.6% of them; 516 nonresidents applied first choice and 199 drew (38.6%). In 2024, 2,283 residents applied first choice and 1,482 drew. General-season buck deer permits are drawn on preference points.
| Hunt | DWR's hunt name | Resident applicants | Residents drawn | Nonresident applicants | Nonresidents drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1521 | General season, archery | 514 | 397 | 122 | 44 |
| DB1551 | General season, any legal weapon | 1,311 | 999 | 286 | 112 |
| DB1581 | General season, muzzleloader | 415 | 388 | 108 | 43 |
| Hunt | DWR's hunt name | Resident applicants | Residents drawn | Nonresident applicants | Nonresidents drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1521 | General season, archery | 496 | 331 | 154 | 37 |
| DB1551 | General season, any legal weapon | 1,339 | 834 | 271 | 106 |
| DB1581 | General season, muzzleloader | 448 | 317 | 126 | 37 |
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 San Juan, Abajo Mountains is public land?
72.1% of the San Juan, Abajo Mountains deer unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 928,142 of 1,286,548 acres. The largest share is BLM, 694,698 acres or 54% of the unit. 8,812 acres are tribal land, hunted only under the tribe's own rules. 6,922 acres are National Park Service land, closed to hunting.
| Manager | Acres | Share of San Juan, Abajo Mountains |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 694,698 | 54% |
| National forest | 132,284 | 10.3% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 101,160 | 7.9% |
| Tribal land (tribe's rules) | 8,812 | 0.7% |
| National park or monument (NPS, no hunting) | 6,922 | 0.5% |
| State sovereign land (lake and river beds) | 1,066 | 0.1% |
| Other public land (highways, other state land) | 193 | under 0.1% |
| State park (park rules) | 67 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 341,346 | 26.5% |
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.
What other hunts share the San Juan, Abajo Mountains 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 San Juan, Abajo Mountains it covers |
|---|---|---|
| San Juan | limited-entry bull elk | 64% |
| San Juan | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 64% |
| San Juan, Hatch Point | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 38% |
| San Juan, Montezuma Canyon | general-season any bull elk (over the counter) | 36% |
| San Juan, Lockhart | once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep | 21% |
How do you get to the San Juan, Abajo Mountains unit?
Highways through the unit: US 191 (about 74 miles inside it), US 491 (about 17 miles inside it) and US 163 (about 13 miles inside it). Towns inside: Blanding, Monticello and White Mesa. Nearby: Bluff (on the line), Moab (4 miles) and Castle Valley (13 miles). Rivers: Colorado River (29 miles) and San Juan River (21 miles).
Which deer units border or overlap San Juan, Abajo Mountains?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Bucks harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Sal Mountains | 2,477 | 78.4% | 673 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 deer hunts on San Juan, Abajo Mountains?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 3 general-season hunts on San Juan, Abajo Mountains: Archery Aug. 15-Sept. 11 (DB1521), Rifle (any legal weapon) Oct. 17-Oct. 25 (DB1551) and Muzzleloader Sept. 23-Oct. 1 (DB1581).
How many bucks were harvested on San Juan, Abajo Mountains in 2025?
990, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 2,090 hunters afield, 47 bucks for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 797.
How many people apply for San Juan, Abajo Mountains deer permits?
2,240 residents and 516 nonresidents made a San Juan, Abajo Mountains hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 1,784 residents and 199 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is San Juan, Abajo Mountains mostly public land?
Yes. 72.1% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (694,698 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map. Most of the rest is private land.
What is the closest town to the San Juan, Abajo Mountains deer unit?
Blanding, Monticello and White Mesa are inside the unit. Just outside: Bluff (on the line), Moab (4 miles) and Castle Valley (13 miles).
DWR's boundary description for San Juan, Abajo Mountains
Grand and San Juan counties: Boundary begins at US-163 and South Cottonwood Creek (near Bluff); north along this creek to Allen Canyon; north along this canyon bottom to Chippean Canyon; north along this canyon bottom to Deep Canyon; north along this canyon bottom to Mule Canyon; north along this canyon bottom to the Big Causeway; north from the Big Causeway to Trough Canyon; north along this canyon bottom to North Cottonwood Creek; north along this creek to Indian Creek; north along this creek to the Colorado River; north along this river to Kane Springs Creek; southeast along this creek to Hatch Wash; southeast along this wash to US-191; south on US-191 to Big Indian road; east on this road to Lisbon Valley road; southeast on this road to Island Mesa road; east on this road to the Utah-Colorado state line; south on this line to the Navajo Indian Reservation boundary; west and south along this boundary to the San Juan River; west along this river to US-163 at Mexican Hat; east on US-163 to South Cottonwood Creek. EXCLUDES ALL NATIVE AMERICAN TRUST LANDS WITHIN THIS BOUNDARY. EXCLUDES ALL NATIONAL PARKS. Excludes all CWMUs. USGS 1:100,000 Maps: Blanding, Bluff, La Sal, Moab. 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 La Sal Mountains