Nine Mile (Gray Canyon) Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep unit: draw, harvest and public land
Nine Mile, Gray Canyon is a 511-square-mile once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep unit in DWR's Southeastern Region of Utah. Once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunters here took 5 sheep on 6 permits in 2025, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary). The unit is 83.9% public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (237,247 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, 2017 to 2025. Draw: DWR's 2024 and 2025 results. Land: UGRC, 2023.
BLMState trust land (SITLA)DWR wildlife landTribal land (tribe's rules)Military land (closed)State park (park rules)State sovereign land (lake and river beds)Other public land (highways, other state land)Nine Mile, Gray CanyonNeighboring Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep unitsLake or riverHighway
| DWR region | Southeastern Region (Price office) |
|---|---|
| Size | 327,280 acres (511 square miles) |
| Public land | 83.9% (274,634 acres) |
| 2026 hunts on this unit | 1 (DWR guidebook) |
| Sheep harvested, 2025 | 5 on 6 permits |
| Harvest per 100 hunters, 2025 | 100 (from DWR's figures) |
| 2025 first-choice applicants | 806 residents, 2,339 nonresidents (6 drew) |
| Towns in and near it | Green River, East Carbon, Wellington, Price and Elmo |
When are the 2026 Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunts on Nine Mile, Gray Canyon?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunt 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS6712 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | Oct. 31-Nov. 30 | 806 | 4 | 2,339 | 2 |
Source: 2026 Utah Big Game Application Guidebook, hunt tables, page 67; 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 sheep are taken on Nine Mile, Gray Canyon each year?
DWR's harvest reports cover Nine Mile, Gray Canyon's once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunts in 9 years from 2017 to 2025. In 2025, 5 hunters afield took 5 sheep, 100 for every 100 hunters. In 2024: 5 from 6 hunters on 6 permits.
| Year | Hunt | Permits | Hunters afield | Sheep harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | RS6712 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 100% | 7.8 | 4.2 |
| 2024 | RS6712 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 83.3% | 6.3 | 3.8 |
| 2023 | RS6712 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 100% | 6.6 | 5 |
| 2022 | RS6712 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 75% | 15.5 | 3.8 |
| 2021 | RS6712 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 66.7% | 12.2 | 3.2 |
| 2020 | RS6712 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 100% | 6.5 | 5 |
| 2019 | RS6712 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 100% | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| 2018 | RS6712 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 100% | 8.8 | 4.8 |
| 2017 | RS6712 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 100% | 4.6 | 4.9 |
Source: DWR harvest reports, 2017 to 2025, every once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunt DWR printed for this unit's name each year. 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 Nine Mile, Gray Canyon
| Hunt | Weapon | Permits | Hunters afield | Sheep harvested | DWR's percent success | Average days | Satisfaction (1 to 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS6712 | Rifle (any legal weapon) | 6 | 5 | 5 | 100% | 7.8 | 4.2 |
Source: DWR 2025 harvest report (preliminary).
Nine Mile, Gray Canyon by weapon, year by year
Sheep harvested of permits issued, by weapon, for each year DWR reported since 2018:
| Weapon | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle (any legal weapon) | 5 of 6 | 5 of 6 | 5 of 5 | 3 of 4 | 4 of 6 | 6 of 6 | 9 of 9 | 8 of 8 |
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 Nine Mile, Gray Canyon Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep permits?
In DWR's 2025 draw, 806 residents put a Nine Mile, Gray Canyon Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunt first and 4 drew a permit, 0.5% of them; 2,339 nonresidents applied first choice and 2 drew (0.1%). In 2024, 823 residents applied first choice and 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS6712 | Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep | 806 | 4 | 2,339 | 2 |
| Hunt | Residents, reserved permits: points | Residents, random permits: points | Nonresidents, reserved permits: points | Nonresidents, random permits: points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS6712 | 25 | 6 to 16 | 28 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RS6712 | Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep | 823 | 6 |
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 Nine Mile, Gray Canyon is public land?
83.9% of the Nine Mile, Gray Canyon Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep unit is public land open to hunting under its manager's rules: 274,634 of 327,280 acres. The largest share is BLM, 237,247 acres or 72.5% of the unit. 86 acres are tribal land, hunted only under the tribe's own rules.
| Manager | Acres | Share of Nine Mile, Gray Canyon |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 237,247 | 72.5% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 37,387 | 11.4% |
| State sovereign land (lake and river beds) | 1,192 | 0.4% |
| Other public land (highways, other state land) | 204 | 0.1% |
| State park (park rules) | 134 | under 0.1% |
| Military land (closed) | 91 | under 0.1% |
| Tribal land (tribe's rules) | 86 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 50,939 | 15.6% |
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 Nine Mile, Gray Canyon Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep 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 Nine Mile, Gray Canyon it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Nine Mile, Range Creek | general-season any bull elk (over the counter) | 100% |
| Nine Mile, Range Creek | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 100% |
| Nine Mile | general-season deer | 100% |
| Nine Mile | once-in-a-lifetime bison | 100% |
How do you get to the Nine Mile, Gray Canyon unit?
Highways through the unit: US 191 and US 6 (one road, about 29 miles inside it) and US 50 and I-70 (one road, about 8 miles inside it). Towns inside: Green River and East Carbon. Nearby: Wellington (9 miles), Price (13 miles), Elmo (16 miles) and Helper (19 miles). Rivers: Price River (24 miles) and Green River (23 miles).
Which Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep units border or overlap Nine Mile, Gray Canyon?
| Unit | Square miles | Public land | Sheep harvested (DWR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book Cliffs, South | 1,291 | 95.4% | 6 (2025) |
| Nine Mile, Jack Creek | 3,468 | 56% | 4 (2025) |
Questions hunters ask
When are the 2026 Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunts on Nine Mile, Gray Canyon?
DWR's 2026 guidebook lists 1 once-in-a-lifetime Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunt on Nine Mile, Gray Canyon: Rifle (any legal weapon) Oct. 31-Nov. 30 (RS6712).
How many sheep were harvested on Nine Mile, Gray Canyon in 2025?
5, by DWR's 2025 harvest report (preliminary): 5 hunters afield on 6 permits, 100 sheep for every 100 hunters. In 2024 the count was 5.
How many people apply for Nine Mile, Gray Canyon Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep permits?
806 residents and 2,339 nonresidents made a Nine Mile, Gray Canyon hunt their first choice in DWR's 2025 draw; 4 residents and 2 nonresidents drew (DWR 2025 drawing results).
Is Nine Mile, Gray Canyon mostly public land?
Yes. 83.9% of the unit is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (237,247 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
What is the closest town to the Nine Mile, Gray Canyon Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep unit?
Green River and East Carbon are inside the unit. Just outside: Wellington (9 miles), Price (13 miles) and Elmo (16 miles).
DWR's boundary description for Nine Mile, Gray Canyon
Carbon, Duchesne, and Emery counties: Boundary begins at exit 164 on I-70 near the town of Green River; west on I-70 to US-6; north and west on US-6 to SR-123; east and north on SR-123 through the town of Sunnyside to the Water Canyon/Bruin Point Road; northeast on this road to the summit at Bruin Point and the headwaters of Range Creek; southeast along the Range Creek drainage bottom to the Green River; south along the Green River to Swasey's Boat Ramp and the Hastings Road; south on this road to SR-19; south and east on SR-19 to Exit 164 on 1-70 near the town of Green River. Excludes all CWMUs. USGS 1:100,000 Maps: Huntington, Price. Boundary questions? Call 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 Book Cliffs, South Nine Mile, Jack Creek