Utah Deer — West Desert, Swasey
Utah West Desert, Swasey covers 3,936,166 acres and lies 78 miles south-west of Grantsville and 87 miles south-west of Eagle Mountain. 94% of it is public land, mostly BLM (61%) and military (25%). In 2025, 337 people hunted deer here and took 85 — 25% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1 nonresident tag here for 2 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in West Desert, Swasey, 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-
32% Long shot
-
100% Undersubscribed
-
100% Undersubscribed
-
35% Long shot
-
100% Undersubscribed
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB1112 ↗ Limited-entry Buck Deer - West Desert, Swasey Muzzleloader | 32% Long shot | — | 1 / 2 | Standard | Oct 28 – Nov 5, 2026 |
| DB1617 ↗ General Buck Deer - West Desert, Swasey Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 3 +3 since 2025 | — / 1 undersubscribed | Standard | Aug 15 – Sep 11, 2026 |
| DB1618 ↗ General Buck Deer - West Desert, Swasey Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 0 −1 since 2025 | — / 4 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 23 – Oct 1, 2026 |
| DB1619 ↗ General Buck Deer - West Desert, Swasey Rifle | 35% Long shot | 0 −1 since 2025 | — / 32 | Standard | Oct 17–25, 2026 |
| DB1619 ↗ General Buck Deer - West Desert, Swasey Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 1 | — / 2 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 17–25, 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 2,415,155 ac · 61%
- Department of Defense 979,451 ac · 25%
- State trust land 265,093 ac · 7%
- Private 204,082 ac · 5%
- Tribal 48,777 ac · 1%
- National Wildlife Refuge 17,961 ac · 0%
- State land 5,274 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 | 337 | 85 | 25% |
What people carried (2025 harvest)
- Muzzleloader 13 · 17% · 58 hunters, 22% success
- Archery 21 · 27% · 55 hunters, 38% success
- Firearm 44 · 56% · 190 hunters, 23% 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