Thousand Lakes limited-entry deer unit: draw, harvest and public land
Thousand Lakes is a 507-square-mile limited-entry deer unit in DWR's Southern Region of Utah. Limited-entry deer hunters here took 22 bucks on 64 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 63% public land open to hunting, most of it national forest (104,629 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)Thousand LakesNeighboring limited-entry deer unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southern Region (Cedar City office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 324,505 acres (507 square miles) |
| Public land | 63% (204,532 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 4 (DWR guidebook) |
| Bucks harvested, 2025 | 22 on 64 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 37 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 57 residents, 17 nonresidents (43 drew) |
| Towns in and near it | Lyman, Torrey, Bicknell, Loa, Emery and Koosharem |
When are the 2026 limited-entry deer hunts on Thousand Lakes?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 4 limited-entry 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1106 | Restricted archery | Aug. 15-Sept. 11 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| DB1107 | Restricted muzzleloader | Sept. 23-Oct. 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| DB1108 | Restricted rifle | Oct. 17-Oct. 25 | 46 | 25 | 12 | 3 |
| DB1109 | Multiseason | All limited-entry seasons |
Source: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook, hunt tables, pages 50, 51 and 53; 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 Thousand Lakes each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover Thousand Lakes' limited-entry deer hunts in 10 years from 2016 to 2025. In 2025, 60 hunters afield took 22 bucks, 37 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 2 from 4 hunters on 4 permits.
| Year | Hunts reported | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | Harvest per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 64 | 60 | 22 | 37 |
| 2024 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 50 |
| 2023 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| 2022 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 100 |
| 2021 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 80 |
| 2020 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100 |
| 2019 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 67 |
| 2018 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100 |
| 2017 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 60 |
| 2016 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 20 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2016 to 2025, every limited-entry deer 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 Thousand Lakes
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1106 | Restricted archery | 20 | 18 | 3 | 16.7% | 5.3 | 2.6 |
| DB1107 | Restricted muzzleloader | 20 | 18 | 5 | 27.8% | 4 | 2.6 |
| DB1108 | Restricted rifle | 22 | 22 | 12 | 54.5% | 3.8 | 4.1 |
| DB1109 | Multiseason | 2 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 3.5 | 4 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
Thousand Lakes by weapon, year by year
Bucks harvested of permits issued, by weapon, for each year DWR reported since 2018:
| Weapon | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multiseason | 2 of 2 | |||||||
| Muzzleloader | 2 of 4 | 1 of 4 | 5 of 5 | 4 of 5 | 4 of 4 | 2 of 3 | 4 of 4 | |
| Restricted archery | 3 of 20 | |||||||
| Restricted muzzleloader | 5 of 20 | |||||||
| Restricted rifle | 12 of 22 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2018 to 2025. An empty cell means DWR printed no hunt of that kind on this unit that year.
How many hunters apply for Thousand Lakes limited-entry deer permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 57 residents put a Thousand Lakes limited-entry deer hunt first and 36 drew a permit, 63.2% of them; 17 nonresidents applied first choice and 7 drew (41.2%). In 2024, 14 residents applied first choice and 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1106 | Limited-entry restricted archery buck deer | 9 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| DB1107 | Limited-entry restricted muzzleloader buck deer | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| DB1108 | Limited-entry restricted rifle buck deer | 46 | 25 | 12 | 3 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1106 | 1 to 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| DB1107 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| DB1108 | 3 to 13 | 0 to 3 | 14 to 15 | 11 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1036 | Limited-entry muzzleloader buck deer | 14 | 4 | 6 | 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 Thousand Lakes is public land?
63% of the Thousand Lakes limited-entry deer unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 204,532 of 324,505 acres. The largest share is national forest, 104,629 acres or 32.2% of the unit. 104,386 acres are National Park Service land, closed to hunting.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Thousand Lakes |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 104,629 | 32.2% |
| National park or monument (NPS, no hunting) | 104,386 | 32.2% |
| BLM | 88,935 | 27.4% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 10,968 | 3.4% |
| Other public land (highways, other state land) | 23 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 15,564 | 4.8% |
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 Thousand Lakes limited-entry 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 Thousand Lakes it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Fishlake/Thousand Lakes | limited-entry bull elk | 100% |
| Fishlake/Thousand Lakes | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| Plateau | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 100% |
How do you get to the Thousand Lakes unit?
No numbered highway crosses the unit. Towns inside: Lyman, Torrey, Bicknell and Fremont. Nearby: Loa (on the line), Emery (12 miles), Koosharem (15 miles) and Hanksville (17 miles). Rivers: Fremont River (22 miles).
Which limited-entry deer units border or overlap Thousand Lakes?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Bucks harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder/Kaiparowits | 5,344 | 75.7% | 693 (2025) |
| Fishlake | 684 | 83.1% | 436 (2025) |
| Manti/San Rafael | 7,649 | 81.5% | 2,518 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 limited-entry deer hunts on Thousand Lakes?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 4 limited-entry deer hunts on Thousand Lakes: Restricted archery Aug. 15-Sept. 11 (DB1106), Restricted muzzleloader Sept. 23-Oct. 1 (DB1107), Restricted rifle Oct. 17-Oct. 25 (DB1108) and Multiseason All limited-entry seasons (DB1109).
How many bucks were harvested on Thousand Lakes in 2025?
22, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 60 hunters afield on 64 permits, 37 bucks for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 2.
How many people apply for Thousand Lakes limited-entry deer permits?
57 residents and 17 nonresidents made a Thousand Lakes hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 36 residents and 7 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is Thousand Lakes mostly public land?
Yes. 63% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it national forest (104,629 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
What is the closest town to the Thousand Lakes limited-entry deer unit?
Lyman, Torrey and Bicknell are inside the unit. Just outside: Loa (on the line), Emery (12 miles) and Koosharem (15 miles).
DWR's boundary description for Thousand Lakes
Sevier and Wayne counties: Boundary begins at the junction of SR-24 and SR-72; east on SR-24 to the Caineville Wash road; north along the Caineville Wash road to the Cathedral Valley road; west on the Cathedral Valley road to Rock Springs Bench and the Last Chance Desert road; north on the Last Chance Desert road to the Blue Flats road; north and east on the Blue Flats road to the Willow Springs road; north on the Willow Springs road towards Windy Peak and the Windy Peak road; west on the Windy Peak road to SR-72; south on SR-72 to SR-24. Private lands within this boundary are open to general deer hunting. USGS 1:100,000 Maps: Salina, San Rafael Desert, Loa, Hanksville. 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 Boulder/Kaiparowits Fishlake Manti/San Rafael