Utah's 2026 deer and elk seasons put rifle hunters on both sides of Highway 14 in October. The dates, the rules that keep the village quiet, and the one week the forest roads empty out.
Is Cedar Mountain Safe to Visit During Hunting Season? The 2026 Utah Dates From Duck Creek
Yes. Cedar Mountain stays open to everyone through the fall hunts, and most October visitors never lay eyes on a hunter. Utah set the 2026 general seasons on the two deer units around Duck Creek Village at Sept. 23 to Oct. 1 for muzzleloader, Oct. 7 to 11 for the early rifle hunt, and Oct. 17 to 25 for the general rifle hunt. General bull elk runs Oct. 3 to 16. Pack one orange layer, hold the dog close at dawn, and book a room before the last week of September.
CEDAR MOUNTAIN HUNTING SEASON 2026
Deer units at the village Panguitch Lake (north of Hwy 14), Zion (south of Hwy 14)
Archery deer Aug 15 to Sept 11
Muzzleloader deer Sept 23 to Oct 1
Early rifle deer Oct 7 to 11 (both units)
General rifle deer Oct 17 to 25
General bull elk, rifle Oct 3 to 9 and Oct 10 to 16 (any bull), Oct 3 to 15 (spike)
Muzzleloader elk Oct 28 to Nov 5
Legal shooting light 30 min before sunrise to 30 min after sunset
On Oct 17 at the village 7:09 a.m. to 7:22 p.m.
Orange rule for hunters one visible hat, shirt, jacket, coat, vest or sweater
Statewide 2026 buck permits about 86,000 general season deer permits
Village 8,400 feet, 30 miles east of Cedar City on Highway 14
No hunting Cedar Breaks National Monument
The unit line runs down Highway 14
Two general deer units meet at the road through town. Utah’s Zion unit, number 29, follows I-15 north to SR-14, then runs east on SR-14 to US-89. The Panguitch Lake unit picks up on the north side of that same pavement and reaches to SR-20. Duck Creek Village sits on the seam, which is why an October morning here can feel busy on one side of the highway and empty on the other.
The geography matters more than usual this fall. The Utah Wildlife Board approved early general season rifle hunts on twelve units for 2026, and Cedar Mountain holds two of them. Rifle traffic arrives in two waves, Oct. 7 to 11 and again Oct. 17 to 25, with elk hunters filling the two weeks in between.
A doe on the shoulder in the village, a few feet from the line between the two deer units. Photo: Duck Creek Village Inn.
The three weeks that feel different
Archery season opened Aug. 15 and closed Sept. 11, and it moves through the timber without much noise. The muzzleloader hunt, Sept. 23 to Oct. 1, brings the first line of camp trailers up the highway and out along the forest roads. October carries the weight: bull elk from the 3rd through the 16th, the early deer rifle hunt from the 7th through the 11th, then the general opener on the 17th. Trucks fill the pullouts before first light, the dispersed camps north of the village turn into small towns for a week, and the aspen color peaks right in the middle of it.
If you are hiking, riding, or driving
Wear something orange. Utah puts the requirement on hunters, one visible hat, shirt, jacket, coat, vest or sweater, and the same patch of color does the same job for you. Tie a strip on the dog and on the back of the pack. Riders on the Markagunt trail system share those roads with hunters all month, so a bright flag on the machine earns its keep in October.
Legal shooting light runs from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. On Oct. 17 that means 7:09 a.m. to 7:22 p.m. at this elevation, so a mid morning start puts you in the timber during the slowest hours of the hunting day. Hunters cannot fire from a vehicle, from or across any highway, or within 600 feet of a house, barn or corral without written permission from the owner, so the village core and the meadows behind it sit outside the shooting.
The other change comes at night. Pressure in the trees pushes deer and elk down toward the meadows and the road, and Highway 14 in October rewards a slower speed and a long look at the shoulders. The elk that bugle in September are the same animals crossing in front of headlights in October.
If you are the one hunting
Check the hunt number on your permit against the map at hunt.utah.gov before you set up camp, because the line between the two units runs through the middle of everything you can see from the village. Both Panguitch Lake and Zion sit on the 2026 chronic wasting disease surveillance list, so plan a check station stop with your buck. The division posts station locations at wildlife.utah.gov/cwd closer to the hunt, and the Southern Region office at 1470 N. Airport Road in Cedar City answers at 435-865-6100.
Cedar Breaks National Monument stays out of it. Park rules cover moving legal game through the monument on public roads, plus a permit to retrieve an animal wounded outside the boundary, and nothing beyond that.
Sleeping on the mountain in October
Drinking water at the Forest Service campground on Duck Creek runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day, so an October camp means hauling your own and waking up to frost on the tent. Our camping notes weigh that tradeoff. For a bed, a shower and a place to hang wet gear, our cabins and rooms sit on Highway 14 in the middle of the village, with the trailheads of both units inside a ten minute drive. October fills from both directions, hunters on one side and leaf traffic on the other, so the calendar tightens fast after the first week of the month.
Quick answers about the hunts
Is Cedar Mountain closed to hikers during hunting season? No. The Dixie National Forest stays open to everyone through the fall hunts, and the lakes, trails and forest roads keep their normal access.
Do I need to wear orange if I do not hunt? Utah law puts that requirement on hunters. We hand out the same advice to anyone walking timber in October, dogs included.
Can hunters shoot near Duck Creek Village? No. State law bans firing from a vehicle, from or across a highway, and within 600 feet of a house, barn or corral without written permission.
Does hunting happen inside Cedar Breaks? No. The monument allows transport of legal game on its public roads and a permit to retrieve an animal wounded outside its boundary.
Best week to dodge the hunts: Oct. 12 to 16, the five days between the early rifle hunt and the general opener. The week after the 25th works too, once the deer hunt clears the mountain.
