Unit Old Woman Plateau (Old Woman Plateau)

Utah Hunting Guide — Elk

We cover Old Woman Plateau because it is one of the small premium limited-entry bull units carved out of central Utah's Fishlake Plateau country. We treat it as a low-tag, high-quality unit where the scouting effort is the whole game — roughly 6 tags issued across the last 3 seasons against 172 applications (ProHunt draw database, 2023-2025). Public ground is dominated by Fishlake National Forest with SITLA inholdings, and we plan hunts around aspen benches, sage parks, and the Ivie Creek drainage.

View Draw Odds Utah Hunting Guide

Elk Hunting in Unit Old Woman Plateau

Where to Find Elk on Old Woman Plateau

Old Woman Plateau elk orient around aspen ridges, spring-fed meadows, and the transition from pinyon-juniper into mixed conifer.

Aspen Benches (8,500–9,500 ft)

Mature bulls bed in aspen pockets on north-facing benches during midday, sliding down into sage parks for evening feed.

Spring Meadows

Small spring-fed meadows on the plateau's eastern shoulder pull elk every evening. We mark each spring on our OnX scout before the hunt.

Travel Corridors

Saddles between drainages funnel elk between summer and transition range. Ambushing a saddle at first light can cut hours of walking.

How We Hunt Old Woman Plateau Elk

With tag numbers this low, we treat every hunt as a scouting-driven operation rather than a calling contest.

Glass the Aspen Edges

We set up on rimrock points at daylight and glass aspen edges across the plateau. A single bull visible at 1,500 yards usually reveals a group.

Rut Bugling from Benches

During the any-weapon rut hunt, location bugles from high benches are effective. We move on every response rather than trying to pull bulls across canyons.

Water and Wallow Sits

In dry Septembers we sit wallows on spring outlets. Bulls roll the wallow mid-morning, and an archery hunter in the right stand has an easy shot.

Pro Members Only

Unlock Pro tactics for Old Woman Plateau elk

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Elk Success Rates

Rifle28%

Limited-entry any-weapon tags routinely post 60-80% success because of the low tag count. Archery runs lower (20-35%) due to thick aspen cover during the rut. We lean on UDWR's big-game harvest data for the trailing three-year success window.

Elk Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Rifle— Limited Entry	2	67	3.0%	1

Data from 2024 draw results. Resident odds shown.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Old Woman Plateau is a premium limited-entry unit awarded through Utah's 50% max-points / 50% weighted-random lottery. Half of tags flow to the highest point pools, the other half ride a weighted-random roll where more points buy more lottery weight. With roughly 172 applicants chasing 6 tags over three years, we expect 15+ year build for a realistic pull, though a weighted-random tag can land earlier.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

⛺

Camp Sites

Dispersed camping on Fishlake National Forest. A handful of developed sites along UT-10.

💧

Water

Several reliable springs and creeks on the plateau — filter before drinking.

🛣️

Road Conditions

Mix of maintained Forest Service gravel and rough two-track. High-clearance 4WD recommended; impassable when wet.

🥾

Terrain Difficulty

Moderate. Rolling plateau with steep side canyons. Most glassing points sit within a mile of a road.

👥

Hunting Pressure

Very low during limited-entry hunts. Rifle deer overlap creates some general-season traffic on fringe roads.

🌦️

Weather

Early season mild; late-October muzzleloader and rifle hunts can see snow above 9,000 ft.

📱

Cell Service

Spotty Verizon on high points; plan on no service in drainages.

🏘️

Nearest Town

Salina (~35 minutes) and Richfield (~45 minutes) offer fuel, groceries, and lodging.

Note: We stage camp on Forest Road 009 near the north edge and push in from there each morning.

Pro Members Only

Unlock Pro logistics for Old Woman Plateau

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

How many points do we realistically need for Old Woman Plateau elk?

We plan for 12-18 bonus points in Utah's 50% max-points pool. The 50% weighted-random pool can hit earlier, but we treat it as a lottery rather than a plan.

Is Old Woman Plateau a true trophy unit?

It is a quality unit rather than a top-tier trophy unit like the Henrys or Book Cliffs. We consistently see mature 300-330 class bulls with occasional outliers in the 340s.

Plan Your Hunt with ProHunt Pro+AI

Unlock advanced tactics, the Tag-to-Trail Planner, AI hunt strategy assistant, and personalized camp and trip execution plans.

Upgrade to Pro+AI — $79/yr

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 — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources · supports: Old Woman Plateau listed as a limited-entry bull elk hunt with archery, muzzleloader, and any-weapon options, Tags allocated under Utah's 50% max-points / 50% weighted-random structure · accessed 2026-04-17
Utah Hunt Boundary Interactive Map — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — Hunt Planner · supports: Authoritative GIS polygon for Old Woman Plateau elk boundary on the Fishlake Plateau · accessed 2026-04-17
Utah Big Game Harvest & Survey Data Index — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources · supports: Annual harvest summaries for central Utah limited-entry bull elk hunts · accessed 2026-04-17