Hunting in Utah: 7 Things to Know About Hunting on Private Lands

Hunting on private lands in Utah is allowed but is regulated. All hunters in the state must complete a basic hunter's education program before they can purchase a license or qualify for a permit to hunt specific species during assigned seasons. This requirement is the same whether they are hunting on private or public tracts.

Here are seven things hunters or fishermen need to know when on private lands in Utah.

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1. Look for walk-in-access areas, which are tracts of private land the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has leased from owners for the stated purpose of recreational hunting. Information on where to find these areas is available on the DWR website. In many cases, walk-in-access properties limit hunters to walking only, unless the owners specifically designate a road where a vehicle can be taken.

2. There will be conservation officers patrolling private hunting grounds. Liability is covered by the state, not the landowner.

3. If you are hunting near or on the water or fishing near private land, you may not walk on the land beneath the water on the property without first getting the landowner's permission. The trespass law governing fishing or hunting while floating allows hunters and fishermen to float on the surface of the water – even close to posted trespass of private property – if the water is of sufficient width, depth, and flow to allow your vessel to pass. Hunters many not anchor a vessel on posted property.

4. When hunting deer on private property, a hunter must first get the landowner's permission and have a permit for taking buck deer. Utah landowners, lessees, or their immediate family who own property that is designated habitat for deer can buy a general deer permit for the general unit hunt boundary area where the landowner's property is located.

5. There are a restricted number of permits for a limited entry bull elk, buck deer, or buck pronghorn unit, where the landowner's property is located. General landowner buck deer permits are limited to resident or nonresident landowners or lessees, and members of their immediate family only.

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6. Cooperative Wildlife Management Units are made up of about 2 million acres of private land that has been opened to the public for recreational hunting. Utah residents can apply for a permit to hunt on one of these properties via public drawing, or they can get a permit voucher from the landowner or CWMU operator.

7. Nonresidents cannot apply for a CWMU permit in the public drawing, but can get a voucher directly from the landowner. Once a nonresident gets a voucher, they can mail it to the CWMU regional office in Salt Lake City for a permit.

This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.

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