Hardware WMA: hunting, access and rules
Hardware WMA is a 14,466-acre wildlife management area owned by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in Cache County, in DWR's Northern Region, managed for big game winter range. DWR's note on closures: Open year-round. Exception: meadow where elk are fed in the winter and surrounding area. Within 3 miles of it, 55.2% of the land is public, mostly national forest.
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)Hardware WMAGeneral-season deer unit lineLake or riverHighway
| Size | 14,466 acres (DWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Cache |
| DWR region | Northern Region |
| Managed for | Big game winter range |
| Seasonal closure | Open year-round. Exception: meadow where elk are fed in the winter and surrounding area |
| Access | Legal Access, Public Access |
| DWR property since | 1945 |
| Nearest towns | Millville (9 mi), Hyrum (9 mi) and Providence (9 mi) |
| A point inside it | 41.6254, -111.5694 (latitude, longitude) |
What are the rules on Hardware WMA?
Seasonal closure: Open year-round. Exception: meadow where elk are fed in the winter and surrounding area. Motorized travel allowed on designated roads only. WMA roads in Curtis Creek and Hardware Plateau are closed to motorized use. Pole Hollow Road (FR150) is closed to motorized vehicles September 15 to June 15 annually. DWR lists no license or digital access permit requirement for this WMA yet.
DWR runs Hardware under its habitat management plan of 2018.
What is allowed where on a WMA: DWR's WMA map.
Which hunt units is Hardware WMA in?
Hardware WMA lies in 5 units with a page of their own; on the Cache general-season deer unit as a whole, hunters took 899 bucks in 2025 (DWR):
| Unit | Hunt type | Share of the WMA in it |
|---|---|---|
| Cache | general-season deer | 72% |
| Ogden | general-season deer | 28% |
| Cache, South | limited-entry bull elk | 72% |
| Cache | once-in-a-lifetime bull moose | 72% |
| Ogden | once-in-a-lifetime bull moose | 28% |
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 Hardware WMA?
HRWMA provides crucial winter habitat for a variety of terrestrial species, but particularly for big game, upland game, and sensitive species. Principle big game species that utilize HRWMA include rocky mountain elk, mule deer, moose, and pronghorn.
DWR's own words for the property's primary habitat and species.
What land surrounds Hardware WMA?
Within 3 miles of the WMA's boundary, 55.2% of the land is public land open to hunting, most of it national forest (45,869 acres).
| Manager | Acres | Share of the 3-mile ring |
|---|---|---|
| National forest | 45,869 | 54.7% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 369 | 0.4% |
| DWR wildlife land | 59 | 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 37,563 | 44.8% |
Measured by FilledTag from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023).
What other WMAs are near Hardware WMA?
DWR's other wildlife management areas within 25 miles, as the crow flies from center to center: Millville-Providence WMA (5,874 acres, 9 miles west), East Fork Little Bear WMA (233 acres, 12 miles southwest), Cinnamon Creek WMA (8,148 acres, 12 miles south), Bud Phelps WMA (272 acres, 20 miles west), Middle Fork WMA (16,725 acres, 21 miles south) and Causey WMA (646 acres, 22 miles south).
How do you get to Hardware WMA?
No numbered highway within 8 miles. Nearest towns: Millville (9 miles), Hyrum (9 miles), Providence (9 miles) and Paradise (9 miles). DWR also lists it under the older name Hardware Ranch WMA.
Questions hunters ask
When is Hardware WMA closed?
Open year-round. Exception: meadow where elk are fed in the winter and surrounding area, by DWR's listing for the area. Motorized travel allowed on designated roads only. WMA roads in Curtis Creek and Hardware Plateau are closed to motorized use. Pole Hollow Road (FR150) is closed to motorized vehicles September 15 to June 15 annually.
Do you need a permit to enter Hardware WMA?
DWR lists no license or digital access permit requirement for this WMA yet, by DWR's 2026 listing for Cache County.
How much public land is around Hardware WMA?
55.2% of the land within 3 miles of the WMA is public land open to hunting, most of it national forest (45,869 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
Which deer and elk units is Hardware WMA in?
The Cache general-season deer unit and the Cache, South 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.