The CWMU program provides landowners with an economic incentive to keep their private range and forest lands as wildlife habitat instead of developing them.

CWMUs comprise more than two million acres of land in Utah. They'll provide more than 3,400 hunting permits in 2011. About 14 percent of those permits are available to the general public that are Utah residence through the state's big game drawing for bucks and bulls.

Hunting on CWMUs provides both public and private hunters with several advantages. Among those advantages are a better chance to take an animal and fewer hunters to compete with.

If you're a Utah resident, there are two ways to obtain a CWMU permit:

• you can apply for one in the state's public drawing
• you can obtain a permit voucher from the landowner or operator of the CWMU you want to hunt

CWMU landowner association members and operators—and their spouses and dependent children—cannot apply for CWMU permits in the public drawing.

If you're not a resident of Utah, you cannot apply for a CWMU permit in the public drawing. You can, however, obtain a permit voucher directly from the CWMU landowner or operator.

If you obtain a CWMU voucher, you can redeem the voucher for a permit by mailing the voucher to:

• CWMU Front Desk
• Division of Wildlife Resources
• P.O. Box 146301
• Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-6301
• (Please allow 10 to 14 days for processing.)

You can also redeem the voucher at any Division office.

If you obtain a CWMU permit, you may hunt only on the CWMU that's specified on your permit. You may take only one animal of the species and sex listed on the permit. You'll also incur a waiting period for the species you obtained a permit for. You may not obtain more than one pronghorn, one moose, one buck deer or one bull elk permit in a year. But you can obtain an antlerless deer or antlerless elk permit.

If you draw a permit to hunt a CWMU, you must contact the CWMU operator to obtain the following:

• The dates you'll be allowed to hunt within the legal CWMU hunting season framework. Both you and the operator must schedule around each of your individual needs—please be realistic and patient.
• A map of the CWMU showing access points and the acreage you'll be allowed to hunt. The CWMU should provide the same amount of acreage to both public and private hunters.
• A copy of the CWMU's rules. CWMUs are allowed to develop rules of conduct for their unit. Examples of these rules may include: no preseason scouting; checking into and out of the unit daily; limited vehicle access; no overnight camping; a marksmanship test; and limiting the number of hunting companions. If you fail to abide by these rules, you might be asked to leave the CWMU.

If you obtain a CWMU permit, you must report information about your hunt within 30 days after it ends.

This information is required even if you didn't harvest an animal. If you harvested an animal, this is an ideal time to return your tooth packet. Returning your tooth packet does not fulfill the harvest survey requirement.You can report information about your hunt online or by calling 1-800-221-0659.

If you wish to lodge a complaint against a CWMU, you should contact the Division of Wildlife Resources immediately. Biologists and conservation officers can supply you with a complaint form, or you can make the complaint in person or over the telephone. You and the operator should make every effort to resolve your issues before they escalate to the Division level. If your problem cannot be resolved locally, it may be passed on to a CWMU Advisory Committee for review and possible action.

CWMU trade lands are available to the public:

• Box Elder 1 (PDF)
• Box Elder 2 (PDF)
• Box Elder 3 (PDF)
• Carbon East (PDF)
• Rich (PDF)
• Utah Carbon (PDF)

In 2011, you'll also find some exciting big game hunting in areas that used to be off limits. Utah's Walk-In Access program now gives hunters, anglers and trappers unprecedented access to more than 84,000 acres of private property located in Northern, Northeastern and Central UDWR Regions. Also, on these Walk-In Access properties there are about 10 miles of stream and just over 2,000 acres of water for fishing access. For more information on Utah's Walk-In Access program—and to find the best big game hunting properties near you—visit wildlife.utah.gov/walkinaccess

Landowners that have an interest in this program must have a minimum of 5,000 contiguous acres to manage a deer, pronghorn or turkey and a minimum of 10,000 contiguous acres for elk or moose.

Numerous landowners may join together to form a single CWMU which must consist of private lands.

A management plan must be written by the CWMU with the help of an area biologist, the management plan acts as a contract between the landowner and the DWR.

Permit numbers are jointly determined by the CWMU and the DWR biologists and are split between the CWMU (private) and the public.

Public hunters must have hunting opportunity that is comparable to the private hunters this is a cornerstone of the CWMU program.

Landowners can obtain specific information from R657-37 which is the rule that governs the CWMU program from any Division office.