Utah Black Bear Mule Deer

Unit Nine Mile (Nine Mile)

Utah Hunting Guide — Black Bear, Mule Deer

The Nine Mile black bear unit covers the canyon country of east-central Utah between the Uintah Basin and the West Tavaputs Plateau. We cover this unit because it produced 45 bear tags out of 207 applicants over 3 years — one of the more accessible Utah bear draws (UDWR bear harvest data, accessed 2026-04-17). The mix of oak brush, pinyon-juniper, and aspen holds strong bear density.

View Draw Odds Utah Hunting Guide

Black Bear Hunting in Unit Nine Mile

Where to Find Bears in Nine Mile

Nine Mile bears key on food — spring green-up on south faces and fall mast on oak brush benches.

Spring Green-Up

May and early June — bears feed heavily on south-facing slopes where grass and forbs first emerge.

Oak Brush Benches

Fall bears pile into oak brush when acorns drop. Glassing edges from across a canyon is the most efficient find.

Riparian Draws

Chokecherry and serviceberry bottoms pull bears mid-summer. Trail cameras on known berry patches pay off.

How to Hunt Nine Mile Bears

We hunt Nine Mile bears primarily spot-and-stalk, with bait and hound hunts offered under separate draws.

Spot and Stalk

High points overlooking oak brush benches or spring green-up slopes are our primary strategy. A 15x binocular does most of the work.

Bait Stations

On bait hunts, run pre-season cameras 2-3 weeks before the season and rotate bait to keep bears patterning.

Calling

Predator-in-distress calls can pull curious bears in brushy country, especially in late spring.

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Black Bear Success Rates

Nine Mile bear success historically runs 25-40% for spot-and-stalk hunters per UDWR harvest summaries, rising significantly for bait and hound hunts. With 45 tags over 3 years, this is a relatively accessible Utah bear unit.

Black Bear Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Rifle— Limited Entry	7	36	19.4%	11

Data from 2024 draw results. Resident odds shown.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Utah's bear draw uses the same weighted bonus-point lottery — 50% of tags to the max-points pool, 50% to the weighted random pool. With 207 applicants and 45 tags over 3 years, Nine Mile is one of the more drawable Utah bear units, and low-point applicants have real random-pool odds.

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit Nine Mile

Nine Mile sits in east-central Utah's canyon country, straddling Carbon and Duchesne counties. We cover it because it is a mid-tier limited-entry mule deer unit with strong buck quality, roughly 22 tags against 170 applicants over three years (ProHunt draw database). Public land is a mix of BLM, SITLA, and private ranch ground, and we plan hunts around the Tavaputs Plateau benches and the Nine Mile Canyon rim.

Where to Find Mule Deer in Nine Mile

Nine Mile bucks live a classic canyon-country life — sagebrush flats on top, pinyon-juniper on the slopes, and cottonwood bottoms in the canyons.

Rim Benches

Mature bucks bed on shaded rim benches overlooking Nine Mile Canyon. Glass the benches at first light.

Oakbrush Pockets

Scattered oakbrush pockets on south-facing slopes hold bucks during the day.

Sagebrush Parks

Evening feeding happens in the sage parks on top of the plateau.

How We Hunt Nine Mile Mule Deer

Nine Mile rewards patient glassing and long boot miles.

Glass from Rimrock

We set up on rim points and glass benches across the canyon at first and last light. A good spotter is worth a week of hiking.

Still-Hunt the Oaks

Mid-day, we creep through oakbrush pockets on the leeward side. Bucks will bed where they can watch their back trail.

Rut Ambush

Late-season rifle and muzzleloader tags overlap the pre-rut. Doe groups in sage parks pull mature bucks from miles away.

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Mule Deer Success Rates

Muzzleloader20%

Any-weapon Nine Mile deer tags average 55-70% success per UDWR harvest summaries. Archery runs lower, closer to 25-35%. Winter range conditions drive year-over-year variance more than hunter effort.

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Muzzleloader— Limited Entry	6	34	17.6%	1

Data from 2024 draw results. Resident odds shown.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Nine Mile is drawn through Utah's 50% max-points / 50% weighted-random lottery. With roughly 22 tags against 170 applicants over three years, we plan for 6-10 bonus points in the max-points half and treat the weighted-random half as upside.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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Camp Sites

Dispersed camping on BLM and Ashley NF; limited developed sites

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Water

Creeks and springs — carry backup water in dry years

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Road Conditions

Mix of improved gravel and rough two-track; 4WD recommended

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Terrain Difficulty

Moderate — canyon country with steep glassing points

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Hunting Pressure

Moderate — one of Utah's more popular bear units

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Weather

Hot days in spring/summer hunts; early snow possible on fall hunts

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Cell Service

None in most of the unit

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Nearest Town

Price or Duchesne, UT

Note: We always pack for no cell service and keep a spare tire and plenty of water in the truck.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are spring and fall bear hunts separate tags on Nine Mile?

Yes — Utah divides bear hunts into spring and fall seasons with separate tag allocations. Check the current UDWR bear guidebook for unit-specific season dates and methods.

How many points do we need for Nine Mile mule deer?

We plan for 6-10 bonus points in Utah's 50% max-points pool. Weighted-random pulls can happen earlier.

Is Nine Mile a trophy unit?

It is a strong quality unit. We see 180-class bucks regularly with occasional outliers in the 190s.

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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 Black Bear Hunting — regulations and harvest — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources · supports: Utah splits bear tags into spring and fall hunts, Tags allocated through the Utah big game draw · accessed 2026-04-17
Utah Big Game Application Guidebook — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources · supports: Nine Mile listed as a Utah bear unit · accessed 2026-04-17
Utah Hunt Boundary Interactive Map — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — Hunt Planner · supports: Nine Mile boundary polygon · accessed 2026-04-17
Utah Big Game Harvest & Survey Data Index — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources · supports: Annual buck:doe ratio and harvest success for Nine Mile · accessed 2026-04-17