Now hold on just a minute. I understand what you guys are saying and agree that private land owners should be given some benefit for allowing public hunters on their land to hunt. I also see the point that the animals are state property, so the public should have access, so the CWMU seems like it would be a pretty good system. Here is the issue I have at this point with the program and from the above land owner statements, I am quite shocked by the lack of appreciation for the program by the landowners.
I agree that the CWMU program will not make you rich, as a landowner, but to have expanded hunting dates and tags to hand out without going through the draw gives you priviledge that apparently you have forgotten, or become so used to that I would almost consider it entitlement. In other states Other outfitters/landowners don't have this opportunity. Yes they do have landowner permits, but not the expanded seasons like in Utah. Justin, do you think you would do as well if you guided the general deer season for 8 days? There is no way you would come out financially even close to as well as the CWMU provides. The big money guys don't draw a tag, you don't get the landowners tag, now you actually have to send mail to everyone that drew like in wyoming and arizona. From what I can see the CWMU program treats the landowners better than any other state in the West. Considering the number of free auction tags and the CWMU system either the big money guys spend a lot of money lobbying or run the Utah system, it is obvious that it is not the average guy. For the expanded rifle hunts in the rut alone, as a landowner an 80/20 split should be a no brainer and if the DWR decided to go to a 60/40 split, I would be willing to wager that after a big dropoff of participants the first couple of years, landowners would trickle right back once they realized again what opportunity they have been given. Try coming to arizona and getting a dime for people hunting on your land. If I was a Utah landowner of a CWMU, I would treat every public guy that came on like a king, so that all anyone ever heard about the CWMU was how great it is and then none of this would ever come into question. If everyone did that landowners win everytime. No matter what the split 90/10, 80/20, 50/50 somebody is going to be pissed, so if I were you the land owners, I wouldn't make statements like we have it bad, we are the ones doing the service, we are entitled, it could be like in europe, I will drop out if they give the public more tags, I would say sure what can we do to keep and make the public happy about the CWMU, because believe me it isn't europe and if you get the wrong director or governor the little CWMU program can disappear in a minute, because if average joe hunter complains too much, the program will go away.
T