Salt Creek WMA: hunting, access and rules
Salt Creek WMA is a 6,205-acre waterfowl management area owned by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in Box Elder County, in DWR's Northern Region, managed for waterfowl, upland game habitat. DWR's seasonal closure: Closed the end of the waterfowl hunting season until the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt. Within 3 miles of it, 5.6% of the land is public, mostly DWR wildlife land.
Data updated October 2026. Property facts: DWR's public access properties layer. Units: DWR's 2026 boundaries. Land around it: UGRC, 2023.
BLMDWR wildlife landState sovereign land (lake and river beds)Salt Creek WMAGeneral-season deer unit lineLake or riverHighway
| Size | 6,205 acres (DWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Box Elder |
| DWR region | Northern Region |
| Managed for | Waterfowl, upland game habitat |
| Seasonal closure | Closed the end of the waterfowl hunting season until the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt |
| Access | Legal Access, Public Access |
| DWR property since | 1955 |
| Nearest towns | Tremonton (3 mi), Elwood (4 mi) and Garland (5 mi) |
| A point inside it | 41.6498, -112.2469 (latitude, longitude) |
What are the rules on Salt Creek WMA?
Seasonal closure: Closed the end of the waterfowl hunting season until the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt. Motorized travel is allowed only on gravel roads and established parking lots. No dogs 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 Salt Creek under its habitat management plan of 2010.
What is allowed where on a WMA: DWR's WMA map.
Which hunt units is Salt Creek WMA in?
Salt Creek WMA lies in 2 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 | 100% |
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 Salt Creek WMA?
Salt Creek WMA provides crucial year-round habitat for a variety of avian species, but particularly for waterfowl, pheasants and shorebirds. Wintering bald eagles utilize the area for foraging and the area is used by short-eared owl, burrowing owl.
DWR's own words for the property's primary habitat and species.
What land surrounds Salt Creek WMA?
Within 3 miles of the WMA's boundary, 5.6% of the land is public land open to hunting, most of it DWR wildlife land (2,462 acres).
| Manager | Acres | Share of the 3-mile ring |
|---|---|---|
| DWR wildlife land | 2,462 | 5.3% |
| State sovereign land (lake and river beds) | 305 | 0.7% |
| BLM | 131 | 0.3% |
| Private and other land not shown | 43,260 | 93.7% |
Measured by FilledTag from UGRC's statewide land ownership map (last edited 2023).
What other WMAs are near Salt Creek WMA?
DWR's other wildlife management areas within 25 miles, as the crow flies from center to center: Public Shooting Grounds WMA (13,356 acres, 5 miles southwest), Coldwater Canyon WMA (1,043 acres, 10 miles east), Bud Phelps WMA (272 acres, 17 miles east), Willard Spur WMA (13,441 acres, 18 miles south), Brigham Face WMA (4,595 acres, 18 miles southeast) and Harold Crane WMA (9,848 acres, 22 miles south).
How do you get to Salt Creek WMA?
Highways within 8 miles: I-84 and I-15. Nearest towns: Tremonton (3 miles), Elwood (4 miles), Garland (5 miles) and Bear River City (5 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When is Salt Creek WMA closed?
Closed the end of the waterfowl hunting season until the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt, by DWR's listing for the area. Motorized travel is allowed only on gravel roads and established parking lots. No dogs from the end of the waterfowl hunting season through the Thursday before the Youth Waterfowl Hunt.
Do you need a permit to enter Salt Creek 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 Salt Creek WMA?
5.6% of the land within 3 miles of the WMA is public land open to hunting, most of it DWR wildlife land (2,462 acres), measured from UGRC's land ownership map.
Which deer and elk units is Salt Creek 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.