Administrative rule R657-21

Cooperative Wildlife Management Units for small game and waterfowl

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R657-21-1. Purpose and Authority.

Under authority of Section 23A-7-102, this rule provides the procedures, standards, and requirements for Cooperative Wildlife Management Units for the hunting of small game and waterfowl.

R657-21-2. Definitions.

(1) Terms used in this rule are defined in Sections 23A-1-101 and 23A-7-101.

(2) In addition:

(a) "BLM" means Bureau of Land Management.

(b) "CWMU" means Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit.

(c) "General public" means all persons except landowner association members, landowner association operators and their spouse or dependent children.

(d) "Small game" means, for purposes of this rule only, band-tailed pigeon, cottontail rabbit, grouse, mourning dove, partridge, pheasant, ptarmigan, quail, and snowshoe hare.

R657-21-3. Operation by Landowner Association.

(1)(a) Cooperative Wildlife Management units shall be operated by a landowner or landowner association that owns land within the CWMU.

(b) Any person hunting on a CWMU must comply with all rules established by the Wildlife Board.

(2)(a) Cooperative Wildlife Management units organized for hunting small game and waterfowl shall consist of private land.

(b) The minimum acreage accepted for a CWMU is 320 contiguous acres.

(3)(a) Seventy-five percent of the enrolled land shall be open to hunting.

(b) All land open to private hunters shall be open to public hunters.

(c) All hunters shall be given an equal opportunity.

R657-21-4. Application for Certificate of Registration.

(1) Applications for a CWMU are available from division offices.

(2) In addition to the application, the landowner or landowner association must provide:

(a) a petition containing the dated signature and acreage of each participating landowner agreeing to terms of this rule;

(b) two original 1:100,000 scale BLM Surface Management Status maps showing all interior and exterior boundaries, lands enrolled and not enrolled within the exterior boundaries, and the county identification tax numbers; and

(c) all nonrefundable handling and application fees in accordance with the fee schedule.

(3) The division may return any application that is incomplete or completed incorrectly.

(4) Applications must be completed and returned to the respective division regional office, in which the CWMU is located, 60 days prior to the applicable hunting season.

(5)(a) Upon receipt of the completed application, the division may issue a certificate of registration to a landowner or landowner association to operate a CWMU.

(b) Division review of the application may require up to 45 days.

(c) If an application is rejected, the division shall provide the landowner or landowner association with written notification of the reasons for rejection within 30 days from the date of rejection.

(6) Certificates of registration are issued annually and are effective from the date of issuance through June 30 of the following year.

R657-21-5. Renewal of a Certificate of Registration.

(1)(a) The landowner or landowner association may renew the certificate of registration for the CWMU by completing and submitting a renewal application, CWMU authorization sales report and all nonrefundable handling and application fees in accordance with the fee schedule.

(b) The renewal application must be submitted at least 60 days prior to the applicable seasons.

(2) Any changes from the previous year's certificate of registration must be indicated on the renewal application.

(3)(a) If the landowner or landowner association requests additional land to be included in the CWMU, the application must contain the dated signature of each additional landowner, the county identification tax numbers of the additional land, and two 1:100,000 scale BLM Surface Management Status maps showing the new proposed interior and exterior boundaries.

(b) If the landowner or landowner association requests land to be withdrawn from the CWMU, the application must include a copy of the previously submitted petition with the appropriate landowners' signatures deleted and two 1:100,000 scale BLM Surface Management Status maps showing the land to be withdrawn and the new proposed interior and exterior boundaries.

R657-21-6. Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit Agents.

(1) A landowner or landowner association may appoint one CWMU agent per 100 acres up to a maximum of 30 agents to monitor access and protect the private property of the CWMU.

(2) Each CWMU agent shall wear or each agent shall possess a form of identification prescribed by the Wildlife Board, which indicates that the person is a CWMU agent.

(3) A CWMU agent may refuse entry onto enrolled private land within a CWMU to any person, except the landowner, landowner association members and landowner association operators, who:

(a) does not have a CWMU authorization;

(b) endangers, or has endangered, human safety;

(c) damages, or has damaged, property within the CWMU; or

(d) fails, or has failed to, comply with reasonable guidelines and rules of the landowner or landowner association.

R657-21-7. Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit Authorizations.

(1) At least 50% of the CWMU authorizations shall be offered for sale to the general public at the times and places designated on the application for the certificate of registration.

(2) Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit Authorizations may not be sold more than 15 days before the start of the first applicable hunting season.

(3) The division shall provide, to the public, a complete list of the current year's CWMUs, wildlife to be hunted, dates, time, place and number of CWMU authorizations for public sale at least 15 days before the first applicable hunting season.

(4) A CWMU authorization entitles the holder to hunt only small game and waterfowl within the CWMU as specified on the CWMU authorization.

R657-21-8. Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit Authorization Numbers.

(1)(a) The division and landowner or landowner association, acting jointly, shall determine the number of CWMU authorizations available for each CWMU.

(b) If the division and the landowner or landowner association disagree over the number of CWMU authorizations, the Wildlife Board may mediate and determine the number of CWMU authorizations to be issued.

(2)(a) The division and the landowner or landowner association, acting jointly, shall determine the cost of the CWMU authorizations.

(b) Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit Authorization fees should not be so prohibitively expensive that buyers resist purchase of the CWMU authorizations available for general public sale.

R657-21-9. Season Dates.

Season dates for hunting on a CWMU shall be within the general statewide season dates for each small game and waterfowl species as specified in the annual proclamations of the Wildlife Board for taking upland game and waterfowl.

R657-21-10. Bag and Possession Limits.

Bag and possession limits on a CWMU shall be the same as the bag and possession limits for each small game and waterfowl species as specified in the annual proclamations of the Wildlife Board for taking upland game and waterfowl.

R657-21-11. Rights-of-Way.

(1) Each landowner or landowner association shall:

(a) clearly post all boundaries of the CWMU every 1,320 feet:

(i) including all corners, roads, trails, gates, and rights-of-way entering the unit;

(ii) with signs provided by the division; and

(iii) provide a written copy of guidelines and maps of the CWMU to each CWMU authorization holder.

(2) A landowner or landowner association may not restrict established public access to public or private land that is enclosed by the CWMU.

R657-21-12. Habitat Improvement.

(1) The Wildlife Board encourages landowners or landowner associations to improve wildlife populations by developing wildlife habitat on their lands using some of the funds received from the CWMU authorization sales.

(2)(a) The division may provide technical assistance, seed and seedlings, species specific habitat information and wildlife stock, and may cooperate in water development projects for wildlife after the landowner or landowner association has written an approved Wildlife Habitat Management Plan.

(b) The Wildlife Habitat Management Plan may be in the form of a memorandum of understanding between the landowner or landowner association and the division.