Utah Deer — San Juan, Abajo Mtns
Utah San Juan, Abajo Mtns covers 1,286,922 acres and lies 197 miles south-east of Santaquin. 73% of it is public land, mostly BLM (54%) and national forest (10%). In 2025, 2,264 people hunted deer here and took 1,050 — 46% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1 nonresident tag here for 9 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in San Juan, Abajo Mtns, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
<1% Point builder
-
20% Long shot
-
100% Undersubscribed
-
31% Long shot
-
100% Undersubscribed
-
28% Long shot
-
100% Undersubscribed
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1085 ↗ Limited-entry Buck Deer - San Juan, Abajo Mtns Muzzleloader | <1% Point builder | — | 1 / 9 | Standard | Oct 28 – Nov 5, 2026 |
| DB1521 ↗ General Buck Deer - San Juan, Abajo Mtns Archery | 20% Long shot | 0 −2 since 2021 | — / 94 | Standard | Aug 15 – Sep 11, 2026 |
| DB1521 ↗ General Buck Deer - San Juan, Abajo Mtns Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 0 | — / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Aug 15 – Sep 11, 2026 |
| DB1551 ↗ General Buck Deer - San Juan, Abajo Mtns Rifle | 31% Long shot | 0 −1 since 2021 | — / 221 | Standard | Oct 17–25, 2026 |
| DB1551 ↗ General Buck Deer - San Juan, Abajo Mtns Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0 | — / 13 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 17–25, 2026 |
| DB1581 ↗ General Buck Deer - San Juan, Abajo Mtns Muzzleloader | 28% Long shot | 0 −2 since 2021 | — / 77 | Standard | Sep 23 – Oct 1, 2026 |
| DB1581 ↗ General Buck Deer - San Juan, Abajo Mtns Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 0 | — / 2 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 23 – Oct 1, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard license | $165 | $165 | $764 |
| Youth license | $165 | $165 | $764 |
Application window: opens Mar 19, closes Apr 23, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- BLM 695,047 ac · 54%
- Private 341,339 ac · 27%
- National Forest 132,349 ac · 10%
- State trust land 100,491 ac · 8%
- Tribal 9,076 ac · 1%
- National Park Service 6,928 ac · 1%
- State land 1,250 ac · 0%
- Other public 41 ac · 0%
How the hunting has gone
What Utah Division of Wildlife Resources publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources publishes these per hunt rather than per unit; the rows below add its own figures together, since a hunter holds one tag for the species in a season.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,264 | 1,050 | 46% |
| 2024 | 1,968 | 852 | 43% |
| 2023 | 1,933 | 856 | 44% |
| 2022 | 1,904 | 842 | 44% |
| 2021 | 1,776 | 806 | 45% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Muzzleloader 185 · 19% · 410 hunters, 45% success
- Archery 155 · 16% · 412 hunters, 38% success
- Firearm 658 · 66% · 1,280 hunters, 51% success
Boundary: Utah Big Game Hunt Boundaries 2025 (DWR hunt-unit / sub-unit boundaries, all species)
Harvest: 2025 Utah Big Game Harvest (preliminary) — single combined report, all species and hunt types