Barney Top/Kaiparowits elk unit: draw, harvest and public land
Barney Top/Kaiparowits is a 3,389-square-mile limited-entry bull elk unit in DWR's Southern Region of Utah. Limited-entry bull elk hunters here took 7 bulls on 20 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 69.5% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (1,370,638 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, 2021 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)Other public land (highways, other state land)Barney Top/KaiparowitsNeighboring elk unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southern Region (Cedar City office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 2,169,013 acres (3,389 square miles) |
| Public land | 69.5% (1,508,176 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 2 (DWR guidebook) |
| Bulls harvested, 2025 | 7 on 20 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 39 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 91 residents, 95 nonresidents (20 drew) |
| Towns in and near it | Escalante, Henrieville, Big Water, Tropic and Cannonville |
When are the 2026 elk hunts on Barney Top/Kaiparowits?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 2 limited-entry bull elk 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB3135 | September archery | Sept. 1-Sept. 30 | 50 | 9 | 73 | 1 |
| EB3142 | HAMSS | Nov. 7-Nov. 30 | 41 | 9 | 22 | 1 |
Source: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook, hunt tables, pages 55 and 61; 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 bulls are taken on Barney Top/Kaiparowits each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover Barney Top/Kaiparowits' limited-entry bull elk hunts in 5 years from 2021 to 2025. In 2025, 18 hunters afield took 7 bulls, 39 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 7 from 19 hunters on 19 permits.
| Year | Hunts reported | Permits | Hunters afield | Bulls harvested | Harvest per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 20 | 18 | 7 | 39 |
| 2024 | 2 | 19 | 19 | 7 | 37 |
| 2023 | 2 | 20 | 19 | 9 | 47 |
| 2022 | 2 | 16 | 16 | 9 | 56 |
| 2021 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 38 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2021 to 2025, every limited-entry bull elk 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 Barney Top/Kaiparowits
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Bulls harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB3135 | September archery | 10 | 9 | 2 | 22.2% | 16.8 | 2.3 |
| EB3142 | HAMSS | 10 | 9 | 5 | 55.6% | 8.7 | 3.8 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
Barney Top/Kaiparowits by weapon, year by year
Bulls harvested of permits issued, by weapon, for each year DWR reported since 2021:
| Weapon | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAMSS | 5 of 10 | 4 of 10 | 8 of 10 | 5 of 8 | 3 of 8 |
| September archery | 2 of 10 | 3 of 9 | 1 of 10 | 4 of 8 | 2 of 5 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2021 to 2025. An empty cell means DWR printed no hunt of that kind on this unit that year.
How many hunters apply for Barney Top/Kaiparowits elk permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 91 residents put a Barney Top/Kaiparowits elk hunt first and 18 drew a permit, 19.8% of them; 95 nonresidents applied first choice and 2 drew (2.1%). In 2024, 84 residents applied first choice and 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB3135 | Limited-entry september archery bull elk | 50 | 9 | 73 | 1 |
| EB3142 | Limited-entry HAMSS bull elk | 41 | 9 | 22 | 1 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB3135 | 9 to 10 | 3 to 4 | 3 | |
| EB3142 | 9 to 11 | 1 to 4 | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EB3135 | Limited-entry september archery bull elk | 42 | 9 | 77 | 1 |
| EB3142 | Limited-entry HAMSS bull elk | 42 | 9 | 26 | 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 Barney Top/Kaiparowits is public land?
69.5% of the Barney Top/Kaiparowits elk unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 1,508,176 of 2,169,013 acres. The largest share is BLM, 1,370,638 acres or 63.2% of the unit. 617,512 acres are National Park Service land, closed to hunting.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Barney Top/Kaiparowits |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 1,370,638 | 63.2% |
| National park or monument (NPS, no hunting) | 617,512 | 28.5% |
| National forest | 119,678 | 5.5% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 17,596 | 0.8% |
| State sovereign land (lake and river beds) | 3,508 | 0.2% |
| State park (park rules) | 3,146 | 0.1% |
| DWR wildlife land | 264 | under 0.1% |
| Other public land (highways, other state land) | 31 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 36,640 | 1.7% |
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 Barney Top/Kaiparowits elk 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 Barney Top/Kaiparowits it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Boulder/Kaiparowits | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| Boulder/Kaiparowits | general-season deer | 100% |
| Kaiparowits | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 93% |
| Kaiparowits HAMSS | limited-entry deer | 93% |
| Kaiparowits, West | once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep | 30% |
| Kaiparowits, East | once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep | 29% |
| Escalante, East | once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep | 21% |
| Escalante, West | once-in-a-lifetime desert bighorn sheep | 12% |
How do you get to the Barney Top/Kaiparowits unit?
Highways through the unit: US 89 (about 6 miles inside it). Towns inside: Escalante and Henrieville. Nearby: Big Water (on the line), Tropic (on the line), Cannonville (on the line) and Bryce Canyon City (on the line). Rivers: Escalante River (86 miles), Colorado River (55 miles) and Paria River (21 miles).
Which elk units border or overlap Barney Top/Kaiparowits?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Bulls harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder | 1,849 | 86.8% | 96 (2025) |
| Mt Dutton | 659 | 87.6% | 59 (2025) |
| San Juan | 4,365 | 76.8% | 94 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 elk hunts on Barney Top/Kaiparowits?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 2 limited-entry bull elk hunts on Barney Top/Kaiparowits: September archery Sept. 1-Sept. 30 (EB3135) and HAMSS Nov. 7-Nov. 30 (EB3142).
How many bulls were harvested on Barney Top/Kaiparowits in 2025?
7, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 18 hunters afield on 20 permits, 39 bulls for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 7.
How many people apply for Barney Top/Kaiparowits elk permits?
91 residents and 95 nonresidents made a Barney Top/Kaiparowits hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 18 residents and 2 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is Barney Top/Kaiparowits mostly public land?
Yes. 69.5% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (1,370,638 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
What is the closest town to the Barney Top/Kaiparowits elk unit?
Escalante and Henrieville are inside the unit. Just outside: Big Water (on the line), Tropic (on the line) and Cannonville (on the line).
DWR's boundary description for Barney Top/Kaiparowits
Garfield and Kane counties: Boundary begins SR-12 and the Paria River in Cannonville; south on the Paria river to US-89; east on US-89 to the Utah/Arizona border; east on the Utah/Arizona border to Lake Powell; east and north on Lake Powell to Bullfrog creek and the Notom Road; north on the Notom Road to the Burr Trail; west on the Burr Trail to Boulder and SR-12; west on SR-12 to Main Canyon-Sweetwater Road; west on Main Canyon-Sweetwater Road to John’s Valley Road; south on John’s Valley Road to SR-12; east on SR-12 to Cannonville and the Paria River. USGS 1:100,000 Maps: Escalante, Navajo Mountain, Smoky Mountain. 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 Mt Dutton San Juan