Southwest Desert pronghorn unit: draw, harvest and public land
Southwest Desert is a 5,205-square-mile limited-entry buck pronghorn unit in DWR's Southern Region of Utah. Limited-entry buck pronghorn hunters here took 145 bucks on 182 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 88.8% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (2,569,718 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, 2014 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)Southwest DesertNeighboring pronghorn unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southern Region (Cedar City office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 3,331,118 acres (5,205 square miles) |
| Public land | 88.8% (2,956,769 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 3 (DWR guidebook) |
| Bucks harvested, 2025 | 145 on 182 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 84 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 801 residents, 893 nonresidents (170 drew) |
| Wildlife management areas | 1, 10,260 acres inside the unit |
| Towns in and near it | Minersville, Milford, Cedar City, Hinckley and Enoch |
When are the 2026 pronghorn hunts on Southwest Desert?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 3 limited-entry buck pronghorn 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PB5018 | Archery | Aug. 15-Sept. 11 | 67 | 30 | 79 | 4 |
| PB5024 | Muzzleloader | Sept. 23-Oct. 1 | 40 | 30 | 54 | 4 |
| PB5049 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Sept. 12-Sept. 20 | 694 | 92 | 760 | 10 |
Source: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook, hunt tables, pages 62 and 63; 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 Southwest Desert each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover Southwest Desert's limited-entry buck pronghorn hunts in 12 years from 2014 to 2025. In 2025, 173 hunters afield took 145 bucks, 84 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 130 from 161 hunters on 164 permits.
| Year | Hunts reported | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | Harvest per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 182 | 173 | 145 | 84 |
| 2024 | 3 | 164 | 161 | 130 | 81 |
| 2023 | 3 | 150 | 147 | 101 | 69 |
| 2022 | 3 | 151 | 145 | 112 | 77 |
| 2021 | 3 | 160 | 154 | 117 | 76 |
| 2020 | 3 | 150 | 145 | 128 | 88 |
| 2019 | 3 | 132 | 128 | 103 | 80 |
| 2018 | 3 | 126 | 123 | 107 | 87 |
| 2017 | 3 | 123 | 120 | 106 | 88 |
| 2016 | 3 | 109 | 104 | 86 | 83 |
| 2015 | 3 | 104 | 101 | 79 | 78 |
| 2014 | 2 | 100 | 96 | 80 | 83 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2014 to 2025, every limited-entry buck pronghorn 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 Southwest Desert
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PB5018 | Archery | 35 | 31 | 28 | 90.3% | 5 | 4.3 |
| PB5024 | Muzzleloader | 35 | 35 | 25 | 71.4% | 3.4 | 4 |
| PB5049 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 112 | 107 | 92 | 86% | 2.4 | 4 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
Southwest Desert 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 28 of 35 | 23 of 31 | 11 of 29 | 16 of 28 | 16 of 31 | 21 of 29 | 18 of 25 | 15 of 23 |
| Muzzleloader | 25 of 35 | 26 of 31 | 16 of 29 | 22 of 29 | 23 of 31 | 25 of 29 | 18 of 25 | 23 of 25 |
| Rifle (any legal weapon) | 92 of 112 | 81 of 102 | 74 of 92 | 74 of 94 | 78 of 98 | 82 of 92 | 67 of 82 | 69 of 78 |
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 Southwest Desert pronghorn permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 801 residents put a Southwest Desert pronghorn hunt first and 152 drew a permit, 19% of them; 893 nonresidents applied first choice and 18 drew (2%). In 2024, 805 residents applied first choice and 139 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PB5018 | Limited-entry archery buck pronghorn | 67 | 30 | 79 | 4 |
| PB5024 | Limited-entry muzzle buck pronghorn | 40 | 30 | 54 | 4 |
| PB5049 | Limited-entry ALW (rifle) buck pronghorn | 694 | 92 | 760 | 10 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PB5018 | 2 to 5 | 0 to 2 | 16 to 17 | 13 to 16 |
| PB5024 | 2 to 7 | 0 to 2 | 15 to 16 | 10 to 11 |
| PB5049 | 6 to 13 | 0 to 6 | 16 | 8 to 10 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PB5018 | Limited-entry archery buck pronghorn | 57 | 28 | 70 | 3 |
| PB5024 | Limited-entry muzzle buck pronghorn | 52 | 28 | 39 | 3 |
| PB5049 | Limited-entry ALW (rifle) buck pronghorn | 696 | 83 | 789 | 9 |
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 Southwest Desert is public land?
88.8% of the Southwest Desert pronghorn unit is public land open to hunting: 2,956,769 of 3,331,118 acres, the largest share BLM (2,569,718 acres). DWR uses the same boundary for its general-season deer hunts; the land table by manager, the access notes and DWR's boundary description are on the Southwest Desert deer page.
Measured by FilledTag inside DWR's 2026 boundary from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023).
What other hunts share the Southwest Desert pronghorn 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 Southwest Desert it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Desert | general-season spike elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| Southwest Desert | general-season deer, with its limited-entry hunts | 100% |
| Southwest Desert, South | limited-entry bull elk | 51% |
| Southwest Desert, North | limited-entry bull elk | 49% |
Which pronghorn units border or overlap Southwest Desert?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Bucks harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver | 1,786 | 79.9% | 46 (2025) |
| Fillmore, Oak Creek South | 1,478 | 67.5% | 70 (2025) |
| Panguitch Lake/Zion, North | 985 | 79.6% | 39 (2025) |
| Pine Valley | 2,606 | 71% | 23 (2025) |
| West Desert, Riverbed | 3,665 | 72% | 91 (2025) |
| West Desert, Snake Valley | 5,564 | 68% | 94 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 pronghorn hunts on Southwest Desert?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 3 limited-entry buck pronghorn hunts on Southwest Desert: Archery Aug. 15-Sept. 11 (PB5018), Muzzleloader Sept. 23-Oct. 1 (PB5024) and Rifle (any legal weapon) Sept. 12-Sept. 20 (PB5049).
How many bucks were harvested on Southwest Desert in 2025?
145, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 173 hunters afield on 182 permits, 84 bucks for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 130.
How many people apply for Southwest Desert pronghorn permits?
801 residents and 893 nonresidents made a Southwest Desert hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 152 residents and 18 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
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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 Fillmore, Oak Creek South Panguitch Lake/Zion, North Pine Valley West Desert, Riverbed West Desert, Snake Valley