Hardware Ranch (officially the Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area) is a working ranch owned by the U.S. state of Utah. It is located in the Blacksmith Fork Canyon, which is part of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest, about 15 mi (24 km) east of Hyrum, Utah. Elk are fed here through the winter to prevent them from coming to inhabited areas further down the canyon in search of food. Visitors pay for sleigh rides among the elk herds.
The state of Utah purchased the ranch in 1946 from the Box Elder Hardware Company,[1] using money from the Wildlife Restoration Act.[2] The original size of the ranch was 7,560 acres (30.6 km2; 11.81 sq mi),[2] but acquisitions by the state enlarged it to about 19,000 acres (77 km2; 30 sq mi).[3] During the first year only 120 Rocky Mountain Elk were fed over the winter,[1] but in 2008 that number is between 500 and 600.[4]