Vernal pronghorn unit: draw, harvest and public land
Vernal is a 1,252-square-mile limited-entry buck pronghorn unit in DWR's Northeastern Region of Utah. Limited-entry buck pronghorn hunters here took 67 bucks on 113 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 66.5% public land open to hunting, most of it national forest (285,812 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 wildlife refugeNational park or monument (NPS, no hunting)Tribal land (tribe's rules)State park (park rules)State sovereign land (lake and river beds)VernalNeighboring pronghorn unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Northeastern Region (Vernal office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 801,220 acres (1,252 square miles) |
| Public land | 66.5% (532,995 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 3 (DWR guidebook) |
| Bucks harvested, 2025 | 67 on 113 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 64 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 347 residents, 146 nonresidents (110 drew) |
| Wildlife management areas | 2, 979 acres inside the unit |
| Towns in and near it | Naples, Vernal, Maeser, Dutch John, Ballard and Roosevelt |
When are the 2026 pronghorn hunts on Vernal?
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PB5017 | Archery | Aug. 15-Sept. 11 | 26 | 20 | 21 | 2 |
| PB5048 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Sept. 12-Sept. 20 | 259 | 59 | 93 | 7 |
| PB5072 | Muzzleloader | Sept. 23-Oct. 1 | 62 | 20 | 32 | 2 |
Source: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook, hunt tables, pages 62 and 64; 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 Vernal each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover Vernal's limited-entry buck pronghorn hunts in 13 years from 2013 to 2025. In 2025, 104 hunters afield took 67 bucks, 64 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 77 from 101 hunters on 101 permits.
| Year | Hunts reported | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | Harvest per 100 hunters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 113 | 104 | 67 | 64 |
| 2024 | 3 | 101 | 101 | 77 | 76 |
| 2023 | 3 | 91 | 90 | 79 | 88 |
| 2022 | 3 | 74 | 71 | 66 | 93 |
| 2021 | 2 | 58 | 57 | 54 | 95 |
| 2020 | 2 | 41 | 41 | 36 | 88 |
| 2019 | 2 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 100 |
| 2018 | 2 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 100 |
| 2017 | 2 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 100 |
| 2016 | 2 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 93 |
| 2015 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 92 |
| 2014 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 100 |
| 2013 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 100 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2013 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 Vernal
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Bucks harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PB5017 | Archery | 20 | 19 | 7 | 36.8% | 7.1 | 2.5 |
| PB5048 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 71 | 65 | 51 | 78.5% | 2.2 | 3.4 |
| PB5072 | Muzzleloader | 22 | 20 | 9 | 45% | 3.7 | 3.3 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
Vernal 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 | 7 of 20 | 13 of 19 | 13 of 16 | 11 of 14 | 8 of 11 | 7 of 8 | 7 of 7 | 5 of 5 |
| Muzzleloader | 9 of 22 | 13 of 20 | 17 of 18 | 12 of 14 | ||||
| Rifle (any legal weapon) | 51 of 71 | 51 of 62 | 49 of 57 | 43 of 46 | 46 of 47 | 29 of 33 | 25 of 26 | 20 of 21 |
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 Vernal pronghorn permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 347 residents put a Vernal pronghorn hunt first and 99 drew a permit, 28.5% of them; 146 nonresidents applied first choice and 11 drew (7.5%). In 2024, 264 residents applied first choice and 85 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PB5017 | Limited-entry archery buck pronghorn | 26 | 20 | 21 | 2 |
| PB5048 | Limited-entry ALW (rifle) buck pronghorn | 259 | 59 | 93 | 7 |
| PB5072 | Limited-entry muzzle buck pronghorn | 62 | 20 | 32 | 2 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PB5017 | 1 to 3 | 0 to 1 | 15 | 7 |
| PB5048 | 4 to 9 | 0 to 3 | 14 to 16 | 6 to 13 |
| PB5072 | 1 to 2 | 0 to 1 | 12 | 6 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PB5017 | Limited-entry archery buck pronghorn | 48 | 18 | 26 | 2 |
| PB5048 | Limited-entry ALW (rifle) buck pronghorn | 203 | 54 | 181 | 6 |
| PB5072 | Limited-entry muzzle buck pronghorn | 13 | 13 | 14 | 2 |
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 Vernal is public land?
66.5% of the Vernal pronghorn unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 532,995 of 801,220 acres. The largest share is national forest, 285,812 acres or 35.7% of the unit. 49,754 acres are tribal land, hunted only under the tribe's own rules. 30,936 acres are National Park Service land, closed to hunting.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Vernal |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 285,812 | 35.7% |
| BLM | 185,330 | 23.1% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 55,521 | 6.9% |
| Tribal land (tribe's rules) | 49,754 | 6.2% |
| National park or monument (NPS, no hunting) | 30,936 | 3.9% |
| National wildlife refuge | 5,228 | 0.7% |
| State park (park rules) | 4,317 | 0.5% |
| State sovereign land (lake and river beds) | 3,437 | 0.4% |
| DWR wildlife land | 1,025 | 0.1% |
| Bureau of Reclamation | 79 | under 0.1% |
| Other public land (highways, other state land) | 13 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 179,768 | 22.4% |
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: Stewart Lake WMA (645 acres) and Little Hole WMA (334 acres).
What other hunts share the Vernal 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 Vernal it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Vernal/Bonanza | general-season deer | 100% |
| Vernal/Bonanza | general-season any bull elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| Diamond Mountain/Vernal | once-in-a-lifetime bull moose | 100% |
| High Uintas Leidy Peak | once-in-a-lifetime mountain goat | 29% |
How do you get to the Vernal unit?
Highways through the unit: US 191 (about 51 miles inside it). Towns inside: Naples, Vernal, Maeser, Jensen and Lapoint. Nearby: Dutch John (on the line), Ballard (5 miles), Roosevelt (7 miles) and Myton (12 miles). Rivers: Green River (53 miles), Uinta River (17 miles) and Duchesne River (8 miles).
Which pronghorn units border or overlap Vernal?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Bucks harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Mountain/Bonanza | 1,227 | 77.5% | 82 (2025) |
| Nine Mile, Anthro-Myton Bench | 1,027 | 65.6% | 135 (2025) |
| North Slope, Three Corners/West Daggett | 618 | 89.1% | 52 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 pronghorn hunts on Vernal?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 3 limited-entry buck pronghorn hunts on Vernal: Archery Aug. 15-Sept. 11 (PB5017), Rifle (any legal weapon) Sept. 12-Sept. 20 (PB5048) and Muzzleloader Sept. 23-Oct. 1 (PB5072).
How many bucks were harvested on Vernal in 2025?
67, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 104 hunters afield on 113 permits, 64 bucks for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 77.
How many people apply for Vernal pronghorn permits?
347 residents and 146 nonresidents made a Vernal hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 99 residents and 11 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is Vernal mostly public land?
Yes. 66.5% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it national forest (285,812 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map. Most of the rest is private land.
What is the closest town to the Vernal pronghorn unit?
Naples, Vernal and Maeser are inside the unit. Just outside: Dutch John (on the line), Ballard (5 miles) and Roosevelt (7 miles).
DWR's boundary description for Vernal
Daggett and Uintah counties-: Boundary begins at the Dry Fork-Whiterocks drainage divide and the Daggett-Uintah county line (summit of the Uinta Mountains); east along the summit of the Uinta Mountains to US-191; north along US-191 to Cart Creek; north along Cart Creek to Flaming Gorge Reservoir; east along Flaming Gorge Reservoir to the Green River; east along the Green River to Gorge Creek; south along Gorge Creek to the USFS/private land boundary at the head of Davenport Draw; south along the USFS/private land boundary on the west side of Davenport Draw to the BLM boundary; south along the BLM boundary approximately one-third of a mile to the rim of Diamond Mountain;south and easterly along this rim until the rim intersects the Diamond Mountain road (Jones Hole Road); southwest along this road to the Brush Creek road; south along this road to the Island Park/Rainbow Park road; east along this road to the Dinosaur National Monument boundary; northeast along this boundary to the Utah-Colorado state line; south along this state line to the Green River; south along this river to the Duchesne River; north along this river to the Uinta River; north along this river to Whiterocks River; north along this river to the East Fork of the Whiterocks River; north along this river to Whiterocks Lake and USFS Trail #025; northeast on this trail to the Dry Fork-Whiterocks drainage divide; north atop this divide to the Daggett-Uintah county line (summit of the Uinta Mountains). EXCLUDING ALL NATIVE AMERICAN TRUST LAND WITHIN THIS BOUNDARY. USGS 1:100,000 Maps: Dutch John, Vernal. Boundary questions? Call the Vernal office, 435-781-9453.
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 Northeastern Region Utah draw deadlines Nine Mile, Anthro-Myton Bench North Slope, Three Corners/West Daggett