Locomotive Springs WMA: hunting, access and rules
Locomotive Springs WMA is an 18,459-acre waterfowl management area owned by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in Box Elder County, in DWR's Northern Region, managed for waterfowl habitat. DWR's seasonal closure: Interior closed the end of the waterfowl hunting season to Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt. Within 3 miles of it, 30.4% 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.
BLMState trust land (SITLA)DWR wildlife landState sovereign land (lake and river beds)Locomotive Springs WMAGeneral-season deer unit lineLake or riverHighway
| Size | 18,459 acres (DWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Box Elder |
| DWR region | Northern Region |
| Managed for | Waterfowl habitat |
| Seasonal closure | Interior closed the end of the waterfowl hunting season to Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt |
| Access | Legal Access, Public Access |
| DWR property since | 1931 |
| Nearest towns | Snowville (20 mi) and Howell (23 mi) |
| A point inside it | 41.6893, -112.9380 (latitude, longitude) |
What are the rules on Locomotive Springs WMA?
Seasonal closure: Interior closed the end of the waterfowl hunting season to Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt. Motorized travel is allowed only on main gravel roads and established parking lots. No dogs in the interior portion from the end of the waterfowl hunting season through the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt. DWR lists no license or digital access permit requirement for this WMA yet.
DWR runs Locomotive Springs under its habitat management plan of 2010.
What is allowed where on a WMA: DWR's WMA map.
Which hunt units is Locomotive Springs WMA in?
Locomotive Springs WMA lies in 3 units with a page of their own; on the Box Elder general-season deer unit as a whole, hunters took 1,123 bucks in 2025 (DWR):
| Unit | Hunt type | Share of the WMA in it |
|---|---|---|
| Box Elder | general-season deer | 100% |
| Box Elder, Promontory | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 68% |
| Box Elder, Snowville | limited-entry buck pronghorn | 22% |
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 Locomotive Springs WMA?
Locomotive Springs WMA (LSWMA) provides crucial year-round habitat for a variety of avian species, but particularly for waterfowl, passerines and shorebirds. Wintering Bald Eagles utilize the area for foraging and the area is used by Short-eared owl.
DWR's own words for the property's primary habitat and species.
What land surrounds Locomotive Springs WMA?
Within 3 miles of the WMA's boundary, 30.4% of the land is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (14,889 acres). State sovereign land (lake and river beds) covers 59.4% of the ring (34,880 acres); it is not counted above, and its own rules apply.
| Manager | Acres | Share of the 3-mile ring |
|---|---|---|
| State sovereign land (lake and river beds) | 34,880 | 59.4% |
| BLM | 14,889 | 25.3% |
| State trust land (SITLA) | 2,975 | 5.1% |
| DWR wildlife land | 3 | under 0.1% |
| Private and other land not shown | 6,003 | 10.2% |
Measured by FilledTag from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023).
How do you get to Locomotive Springs WMA?
No numbered highway within 8 miles. Nearest towns: Snowville (20 miles) and Howell (23 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When is Locomotive Springs WMA closed?
Interior closed the end of the waterfowl hunting season to Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt, by DWR's listing for the area. Motorized travel is allowed only on main gravel roads and established parking lots. No dogs in the interior portion from the end of the waterfowl hunting season through the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt.
Do you need a permit to enter Locomotive Springs WMA?
DWR lists no license or digital access permit requirement for this WMA yet, by DWR's 2026 listing for Box Elder County.
How much public land is around Locomotive Springs WMA?
30.4% of the land within 3 miles of the WMA is public land open to hunting, most of it BLM (14,889 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
Which deer and elk units is Locomotive Springs WMA in?
The Box Elder general-season deer 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.