Elbow Ranch WMA: hunting, access and rules
Elbow Ranch WMA is a 3,768-acre wildlife management area owned by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in Piute County, in DWR's Southern Region, managed for big game habitat. DWR lists no seasonal closure dates for it. Within 3 miles of it, 88.2% of the land is public, mostly BLM.
Data updated October 2026. Property facts: DWR's public access properties layer. Units: DWR's 2026 boundaries. Land around it: UGRC, 2023.
National forestBLMState trust land (SITLA)DWR wildlife landState park (park rules)Other public land (highways, other state land)Elbow Ranch WMAGeneral-season deer unit lineLake or riverHighway
| Size | 3,768 acres (DWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Piute |
| DWR region | Southern Region |
| Managed for | Big game habitat |
| Seasonal closure | None listed by DWR |
| Access | Legal Access, Public Access |
| DWR property since | 1988 |
| Nearest towns | Marysvale (6 mi), Junction (7 mi) and Kingston (8 mi) |
| A point inside it | 38.3383, -112.1428 (latitude, longitude) |
What are the rules on Elbow Ranch WMA?
DWR lists no seasonal closure dates. Motorized vehicle use is restricted to existing roads. DWR lists no license or digital access permit requirement for this WMA yet.
DWR runs Elbow Ranch under its habitat management plan of 2005.
What is allowed where on a WMA: DWR's WMA map.
Which hunt units is Elbow Ranch WMA in?
Elbow Ranch WMA lies in 2 units with a page of their own; on the Monroe general-season deer unit as a whole, hunters took 446 bucks in 2025 (DWR):
Shares measured by FilledTag from DWR's 2026 unit boundaries and the WMA boundary. Harvest: DWR harvest reports, 2013 to 2025; each unit's page has it year by year.
What wildlife does DWR list for Elbow Ranch WMA?
Elk, deer, pronghorn, Rio Grande wild turkeys inhabit the WMA and use the large cottonwood trees near the old home site as a roosting area. Cottontail rabbits can be found throughout the WMA, and mourning doves and chukar partridge.
DWR's own words for the property's primary habitat and species.
What land surrounds Elbow Ranch WMA?
Within 3 miles of the WMA's boundary, 88.2% of the land is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (24,595 acres).
| Manager | Acres | Share of the 3-mile ring |
|---|---|---|
| BLM | 24,595 | 52.5% |
| National forest | 12,530 | 26.8% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 4,187 | 8.9% |
| State park (park rules) | 41 | 0.1% |
| DWR wildlife land | 2 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 5,468 | 11.7% |
Measured by FilledTag from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023).
What other WMAs are near Elbow Ranch WMA?
DWR's other wildlife management areas within 25 miles, as the crow flies from center to center: Marysvale WMA (567 acres, 9 miles northwest), City Creek WMA (124 acres, 10 miles southwest), Kingston Canyon WMA (689 acres, 10 miles south), White Horse Flat WMA (161 acres, 11 miles north), Monroe WMA (287 acres, 16 miles north) and Beaver WMA (1,950 acres, 22 miles west).
How do you get to Elbow Ranch WMA?
Highways within 8 miles: US 89. Nearest towns: Marysvale (6 miles), Junction (7 miles), Kingston (8 miles) and Circleville (13 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When is Elbow Ranch WMA closed?
DWR lists no seasonal closure dates for Elbow Ranch WMA. Its rules: Motorized vehicle use is restricted to existing roads.
Do you need a permit to enter Elbow Ranch WMA?
DWR lists no license or digital access permit requirement for this WMA yet, by DWR's 2026 listing for Piute County.
How much public land is around Elbow Ranch WMA?
88.2% of the land within 3 miles of the WMA is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (24,595 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
Which deer and elk units is Elbow Ranch WMA in?
The Monroe general-season deer unit and the Monroe limited-entry elk unit, by DWR's 2026 boundaries. Hunting on the WMA follows that unit's seasons and DWR's rules for the property.
Get a Utah hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Utah are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Utah included.
Sources: DWR property data, DWR's WMA page, DWR unit boundaries, UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023). FilledTag is not part of DWR.