Public hunters complain of unequal access at Deseret CWMU; advisory committee declines punitive action

Members of the CWU (Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit) Advisory Committee heard extended public testimony Feb. 24 about Deseret Land & Livestock’s management of the Deseret CWMU, including allegations that private hunters and paid clients received preferential treatment through gate access, vehicle rules and incomplete maps.

Two public hunters — Matt Lillywhite and Alex Silva — told the committee they were denied equal access during the most recent deer season, describing locked perimeter gates, guides and other private users driving inside the unit while some public hunters were routed to distant access points. Lillywhite said he and a companion were driven across the ranch during a guided visit and later saw private hunters “bouncing down the road” while public hunters arrived considerably later. Alex Silva said maps provided at orientation omitted a parcel (the Toon property) that he understood to be part of the CWMU and that his party was restricted from several gates and from using off-road side-by-side vehicles, even when guides used them.

Representatives of Deseret — general manager Michael Meek and operator Tom Land — acknowledged some of the frustrations but said the CWMU provides “comparable hunting opportunity in terms of hunting area and number of days,” a standard they cited from the governing statute read aloud at the meeting. Meek told the committee that enrollment in a CWMU does not grant the state managerial authority over private ranch management decisions, that the ranch aims to provide comparable acreage and days, and that road and gate closures are used to protect land and hunter safety and to preserve a quality hunting experience. Land said guides sometimes restrict driving into certain roadless sanctuaries to protect animals and hunter safety and denied directing guides to “chase” deer onto or off the ranch to advantage private clients.

Multiple committee members pressed operators on specific points raised by the complainants: whether the Toon property had been omitted from distributed maps, whether perimeter gates were routinely opened to guides but not to public hunters, whether maps or orientation materials had been updated, and how seasonal road closures affected public hunters’ opportunity to access key terrain during first light. Committee members repeatedly emphasized that the committee’s standard is to examine whether treatment of hunters is “fair and equitable.”

Members of the public also spoke in support of the complainants’ concerns; one longtime resident urged clearer maps and a stronger on-site Division presence to reduce the perception that public hunters are being disadvantaged. Division staff said some rule changes approved in 2024 (including side‑by‑side vehicle standards) were not fully in effect for the most recent season because of timing, and that some enforcement or implementation elements may be more evident in the coming year.

After discussion, the advisory committee voted on a motion that did not impose a punitive sanction. The substitute motion (moved by committee member Chris Robinson and seconded by Mike Lauder) asked that Deseret not be formally censured but be asked to return next year to report on measures addressing access, maps and other concerns raised at the meeting and to provide hunter satisfaction data and any corrective steps. The motion passed by committee vote (4 in favor, 3 opposed).

Ending: The committee did not order probation or termination of Deseret’s certificate of registration. Instead the committee recorded the complaints and asked Deseret to present follow-up information at next year’s meeting, including updated maps, clarification of gate and vehicle policies, and hunter satisfaction survey results. The committee chair closed the item by thanking public speakers for bringing issues forward and asking both operators and Division staff to use tonight’s discussion to reduce future conflicts.