Unit Cache, Meadowville (Cache, Meadowville)

Utah Hunting Guide — Elk

The Cache Meadowville subunit sits on the west side of Bear Lake in Rich County, covering the Meadowville area and the eastern Bear River Range from Laketown south toward Randolph. A mix of Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, SITLA, and private agricultural ground produces solid bull elk numbers with reasonable draw odds by Utah limited-entry standards.

View Draw Odds Utah Hunting Guide

Elk Hunting in Unit Cache, Meadowville

Where to Find Elk in Cache Meadowville

Elk in the Meadowville subunit shift between forest service high ground and private ag valley floors.

Bear River Range East Face (7,500–9,000 ft)

Timbered east face of the Bear River Range holds bulls through archery and early rifle. Look for north-facing benches with aspen transition and spring seeps.

Round Valley and Swan Creek Drainages

Round Valley and Swan Creek on the Bear Lake side hold resident herds with strong hay-field use in summer pushing into forest edges during hunting seasons.

Crawford Mountain Connection

Some bulls move between Meadowville and the adjacent Crawford Mountain unit across the Laketown valley — pay attention to cross-boundary movement late in the rut.

How to Hunt Cache Meadowville Elk

Meadowville is smaller than the big Cache subunits — learn it well and you can pattern specific bulls.

Glass Ag Edges at First and Last Light

Private hayfields in Round Valley pull elk morning and evening. Glass from forest service ground overlooking the valley — you can't hunt the private ground without permission, but public-land intercept routes work.

Forest Service Timber Pushes

Mid-day bulls bed in timbered benches above the valleys. Small push-and-stand drives through aspen pockets work well with 2–3 hunters.

Rut Calling in Round Valley

September rut pulls bulls into aggressive vocalization in the drainages around Round Valley. Still-hunt through aspen edges with cow calls and be ready for close-range encounters.

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Elk Success Rates

Rifle28%

Muzzleloader22%

Archery18%

Cache Meadowville limited-entry bull success typically runs 55–70% for any-weapon hunters and 30–40% for archers. The subunit benefits from relatively contained geography — tags holders rarely go home empty-handed. Average bull age at harvest is 4.5–5.5 years with occasional 6+ year-old bulls taken.

Elk Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Rifle— Limited Entry	14	55	25.5%	12
Muzzleloader— Limited Entry	7	18	38.9%	0
Archery— Limited Entry	2	0	0.0%	0

Data from 2024 draw results. Resident odds shown.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Cache Meadowville is a moderately competitive Utah limited-entry bull elk subunit. With roughly 166 tags per year against 867 applicants in a rolling 3-year window, residents often draw at 4–8 bonus points for any-weapon seasons, fewer for archery. UDWR uses a weighted bonus point draw — weighted by point count, not squared-points or pure preference.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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RV Sites

Bear Lake KOA and multiple commercial parks around Garden City. Trailer-friendly during hunting seasons.

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Camp Sites

Logan Canyon and Bear Lake SP developed campgrounds. Dispersed forest service camping on the Bear River Range side.

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Water

Good. Swan Creek, Round Valley Creek, and multiple springs. Bear Lake provides reliable recreational water access.

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Road Conditions

US-89 through Logan Canyon is paved. County roads in Round Valley and Meadowville are gravel and generally 2WD passable. Forest service spurs require high-clearance.

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Terrain Difficulty

Moderate. Elevations 6,000–9,000 ft. Hunting the timber face involves steady climbs but nothing brutal.

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Hunting Pressure

Moderate. General-season spike hunters work the forest service; limited-entry bull hunters overlap some but have the quality timber to themselves.

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Weather

Bear Lake can drive lake-effect snow in late rifle season. Early October can be ideal; late October routinely sees 6+ inches.

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Cell Service

Good around Bear Lake and US-89 corridor. Spotty in forest service interior.

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Nearest Town

Garden City (10 minutes to Bear Lake access), Laketown (15 minutes to Meadowville), Randolph (30 minutes to southern unit), Logan (45 minutes over Logan Canyon).

Note: Private land dominates the valley floors — respect boundaries and use the Utah hunt boundary app. Knocking on doors for ag permission can pay off for walk-in access.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many bonus points for Cache Meadowville elk?

Residents typically draw at 4–8 points for any-weapon and 2–4 for archery under Utah's weighted bonus point system. Non-residents face longer waits due to the 10% allocation cap.

Does the Meadowville subunit connect to the rest of Cache?

Yes — it's a subunit within the broader Cache management area. Boundaries are specific though, and tags are subunit-specific, so verify the Utah hunt boundary map before hunting.

Can I hunt the Bear Lake shoreline for elk?

No — most shoreline is private or state park. Public hunting is on UWC NF ground to the west and south; stay off posted private.

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-17.

Utah Big Game Application Guidebook and Field Regulations index — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources · supports: Cache Meadowville listed as limited-entry bull elk hunt, Multi-season format available depending on the year · accessed 2026-04-17
Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (Logan Ranger District) — USDA Forest Service — Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest · supports: Bear River Range east face administered by Logan Ranger District, Swan Creek and Round Valley access via UWC NF roads · accessed 2026-04-17
Utah Hunt Boundary Interactive Map — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — Hunt Planner · supports: Authoritative GIS polygon for Cache Meadowville elk subunit · accessed 2026-04-17
Utah Big Game Harvest & Survey Data Index — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources · supports: Annual Cache unit limited-entry elk harvest and success data · accessed 2026-04-17