Utah Deer — Southwest Desert
Utah Southwest Desert covers 3,329,921 acres and lies 61 miles north of Cedar City and 95 miles north of Hurricane. 89% of it is public land, mostly BLM (77%) and state trust land (10%). In 2025, 438 people hunted deer here and took 156 — 36% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1 nonresident tag here for 30 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Southwest Desert, 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
-
24% Long shot
-
2% Point builder
-
100% Undersubscribed
-
14% Point builder
-
100% Undersubscribed
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1040 ↗ Limited-entry Buck Deer - Southwest Desert Muzzleloader | <1% Point builder | — | 1 / 30 | Standard | Oct 28 – Nov 5, 2026 |
| DB1524 ↗ General Buck Deer - Southwest Desert Archery | 24% Long shot | 0 −3 since 2021 | — / 16 | Standard | Aug 15 – Sep 11, 2026 |
| DB1554 ↗ General Buck Deer - Southwest Desert Rifle | 2% Point builder | 0 −4 since 2021 | — / 146 | Standard | Oct 17–25, 2026 |
| DB1554 ↗ General Buck Deer - Southwest Desert Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 1 | — / 4 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 17–25, 2026 |
| DB1584 ↗ General Buck Deer - Southwest Desert Muzzleloader | 14% Point builder | 0 −3 since 2021 | — / 15 | Standard | Sep 23 – Oct 1, 2026 |
| DB1584 ↗ General Buck Deer - Southwest Desert Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 0 | — / 1 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 2,566,403 ac · 77%
- Private 379,225 ac · 11%
- State trust land 318,125 ac · 10%
- National Forest 55,478 ac · 2%
- State land 10,389 ac · 0%
Nearby areas
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 | 438 | 156 | 36% |
| 2024 | 461 | 143 | 31% |
| 2023 | 279 | 76 | 27% |
| 2022 | 395 | 128 | 32% |
| 2021 | 671 | 123 | 18% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Muzzleloader 23 · 16% · 78 hunters, 29% success
- Archery 11 · 8% · 64 hunters, 17% success
- Firearm 106 · 76% · 245 hunters, 43% 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