CWMU voucher
Set by the operator
Obtained directly from the landowner or CWMU operator. Price tracks the unit's quality and the species, and there is an established market for them.
Reference only · Utah
Utah CWMU & Landowner Permits
Utah runs the most formalised private-land access program in the West. A Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit is a private property — or a group of them — that receives an allocation of hunting permits from the state in exchange for opening part of that allocation to publicly drawn hunters. It has put more than two million acres of private ground into public hunting, and it is the closest thing that exists to the arrangement HunterPass is trying to make ordinary.
Status
Not a launch region
Reference only
CWMU acreage
2M+ acres
Private land opened to public hunting
Typical splits
90/10 – 70/30
Operator / public draw
Vouchers
Direct from operator
Including nonresidents
Reference only
Utah is not a launch region. Its CWMU program is one of the two clearest landowner-tag economies in the country, and the closest existing model to what HunterPass is building.
Access reality
How access is actually bought and sold in Utah.
Before anything about a platform — this is the market as it exists today.
- A CWMU receives a permit allocation from the state and splits it with the public draw. Splits commonly run 90/10, 80/20, or 70/30, with the larger share staying with the operator.
- The operator's share is issued as vouchers, which a hunter obtains directly from the landowner or operator — including nonresidents, who can bypass the general nonresident constraints this way.
- Publicly drawn CWMU hunters get access to private ground they could not otherwise reach, usually with an extended season and low hunter density.
- The program's stated purpose is to keep land in open space and improve habitat by making wildlife an asset to the landowner rather than a cost — which is the same argument this platform makes.
What it costs
Utah lease and access rates.
Published 2026 market guidance, so a landowner can sanity-check what their ground is worth and a hunter can budget honestly. These are market figures, not HunterPass quotes.
Public-draw CWMU permit
State license cost
Drawn through the state at ordinary permit prices. The access is the prize — private ground, extended season, few other hunters.
Guided on a CWMU
Operator-set
Many CWMUs run a guided operation on their own ground alongside the voucher business.
Guided elk, package
$7,500 – $15,000
Premium units and trophy-focused operations at the top of the western range.
Season framework
How Utah structures its seasons.
The shape of the season, not the dates. Western seasons are set unit by unit and hunt code by hunt code, and publishing a plausible-looking date somebody plans a trip around would be worse than publishing none.
| Season | Window | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Elk & deer · CWMU | Extended, set per unit | Longer than general seasons |
| Elk & deer · General | Autumn, by region and weapon | — |
| Pronghorn | Autumn | Limited entry |
| Waterfowl | Federal framework | — |
CWMU seasons are set per unit and are typically longer than the general seasons, which is part of what the allocation buys. Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources publishes both the general seasons and the current CWMU list.
Utah Division of Wildlife ResourcesWhat you have to plan around
Utah rules that change how a club operates.
Not an exhaustive regulatory summary — the four things that most often catch out a club, a landowner, or a traveling hunter.
The split is the deal
A CWMU's permit allocation is divided between the operator and the public draw, commonly 90/10, 80/20, or 70/30. The operator keeps the larger share; the public share is what earns the allocation in the first place.
Vouchers are transferable value
The operator's permits are issued as vouchers a hunter obtains directly from the landowner. Tracking who holds which voucher, and when it was transferred, is exactly the record-keeping problem this platform exists to solve.
Public hunters get real access
A CWMU is not a private club with a token public gesture. Drawn public hunters get genuine access to the ground, and operators have obligations to them.
Rules are actively revised
Utah has amended its CWMU and landowner-permit rules more than once in recent years, with input from farm and landowner organizations. Check the current rule rather than an older summary.
Nothing on this page is legal advice or a substitute for current regulations. License requirements, season dates, and carcass-transport rules change every year and vary by unit — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is the source of truth.
What you can hunt
Species in Utah.
ElkMule deerPronghornMooseBighorn sheepBlack bearUpland birdsWaterfowl
Read more about
Utah questions
Asked most often
What is a CWMU?
A Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit — private land, or a group of adjoining properties, that receives a permit allocation from the state in exchange for opening part of it to publicly drawn hunters. The program has put over two million acres of private ground into public hunting.
Can a nonresident get a CWMU permit?
Yes. Nonresidents can obtain a voucher directly from the CWMU landowner or operator, which is a meaningfully different route from the general nonresident allocation. Price is set by the operator.
How is the split decided?
Splits vary by unit and commonly run 90/10, 80/20, or 70/30, with the larger share going to the CWMU operator and the remainder into the public draw. The exact split is part of the unit's agreement with the state.
Is HunterPass available in Utah?
No. Utah is not a launch region. We include it because CWMU is the closest working model to what we are building, and anyone comparing landowner programs should understand it.
Other launch states
Where else access opens.
Reference only
Hunting or leasing in Utah?
Landowners and clubs are contacted within a day. Hunters hear from us when the region actually opens — and not before.