Deseret CWMU Bull elk

2024 Hunt Info

Please carefully read the hunt details and rules and review the FAQ.

If you are a Utah resident, you can obtain a Deseret CWMU bull elk permit by applying through the public drawing. You cannot apply through the public drawing if you are a non-resident. To learn more about Utah's CWMU program, click HERE. 

Read the following carefully. If you have questions not available in the hunt details, refer to the FAQ section on this page. For any additional questions, use the form below to contact the operator.

Hunt Details

• Meeting location: Cement plant in Croydon, UT, Or the Main Ranch check station in Woodruff, UT

• Hunt Dates (5 full-day hunt):

  • Monday, October 28, 2024, 10:00 AM — Saturday, November 2, 2024, 12:00 PM

• Guided: Yes, two hunters to one guide. NO COST

• Trophy Care: Packing and caping of your trophy.

• Guest Rules:

  • All bull elk hunters are allowed to bring ONE guest. This is a rule change from previous years. Before 2024, only youth, females, those 70+, or disabled hunters could bring one guest each. As of 2024, all hunters are allowed to bring ONE guest.

• Meals/Lodging: Included for the hunter free of charge. Guest meals and lodging are NOT free of charge. Beds/bedding, towels, pillows, restrooms, hot showers, and electricity. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided.

  • Guest meals and lodging are $150 per day.

  • Most of the lodge’s rooms have one queen bed and a private bathroom and shower. If you choose to bring a guest and pay the $150 per day (meals and lodging), please note that there will be only one queen bed in your room. Therefore, you can share the bed with your guest or bring a sleeping cot with bedding for your guest.

  • Here are the accommodations for hunters who want to bring a guest but choose not to pay the guest fee ($150 per day). You can bring a camp trailer, and you and your guest can camp and provide your own meals in the designated camping area on the Deseret CWMU. You can also find lodging and meals for you and your guest in Evanston, Wyoming. Each morning and afternoon, you will drive to meet your guide for the hunt.

• Weapons Allowed: Any legal weapon

• Tips: We often get this question about tipping the guides, cooks, and camp helpers. Tips are not mandatory but are greatly appreciated by the guides, cooks, camp helpers/packers (Kenny). Once again, a tip shows appreciation for a job well done, and any tip will always be appropriate and appreciated.

  • Helpful tip guidelines (based on what we have seen over the last few years):

  • $500-$2,500 to the guide

  • $100-$250 to the cooks ($50-$125 to each cook)

  • $50-200 to the camp helper/packer (Kenny)

• Vehicle:

  • 4x4 Truck or SUV with good off-road tires

  • Please fill up Morgan, Coalville, Woodruff, or Evanston before coming to Deseret.

• Our management plan on Deseret is to harvest old/mature bull elk. We consider elk to be mature at 7.5+. Our goal as an outfitter is to present the hunter with opportunities to harvest a mature bull. We will not field judge and score the elk on the hoof. Guides will find and locate mature elk and present opportunities. The hunter will choose if he/she wants to harvest the bull elk.

• We want hunters to be happy with the elk hunt on the ranch. Deseret’s elk herd is impressive, and there aren’t many places like it just due to the sheer number of mature bull elk. That said, most of the bulls on Deseret range from 275-320 B&C. There is potential to harvest larger elk, but we want to be upfront and transparent on the averages. We want hunters to make an informed decision when considering applying for the Deseret CWMU bull elk hunt. See the picture gallery below for references of past harvested bull elk. Also, click here to download the 2022 and 2023 state average elk.

• This hunt is physical. Elk typically do not stay close to the roads, and hiking is necessary to harvest them. Sometimes, bulls are harvested close to roads and vehicle access areas, but it is not common. The more you can hike and be mobile, the higher your chances are of harvesting a bull and seeing more bull elk.

• To ensure a quality hunting experience for all public hunters, all scheduling and inquiring must be done through the Deseret CWMU operator. Individual guides cannot schedule hunts or deviate from the information provided.

• Our goal is to provide you with a quality hunting experience. You will be given the same opportunity our paying clients are given. Your job is to enjoy the experience and conduct yourselves so that all other guests have a quality experience as well.

• If you draw out for this hunt, you will be contacted by the CWMU operator with further information regarding your hunt. Plan on four to six weeks after the draw results (expect to hear from the operator by the middle of June).

Hunting Rules

• Safety comes first.

• Hunting

  • Take time to shoot and sight in your rifle before your hunt. Know your hunting and shooting limits. Understand your rifle. 

  • Hunters are allowed to shoot one, and only one, animal for which they have a permit. Once you hit an animal and/or draw blood, that is your animal. Please be aware of your animal and its surroundings, and pick your shots carefully. 

  • All hunters must abide by Utah state laws regarding wildlife. Click HERE for Utah Wildlife Laws.

  • All hunters and guests must always wear a hunter-orange hat and vest while hunting.

  • Most other wildlife species found on Deseret are protected by state law and/or require special licenses or permits to ‘take’ these animals. Hunting other wildlife species of any kind is prohibited. This includes but is not limited to coyotes, badgers, ground squirrels, foxes, upland birds, grouse, and waterfowl.

  • No pre-seasons scouting

  • Follow basic gun safety

    • Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

    • Treat every rifle as loaded (even if you don’t think it is).

    • No ammunition in the rifle chamber while driving, hiking, in camp, etc. (ammunition can be left in the magazine/clip)

    • Only put ammunition in the chamber when attempting to make a shot at the big game animal you have the permit for (then quickly remove chamber bullets).

    • Be aware of your surroundings while shooting. Do not shoot toward vehicles, hunters, and guests.

    • Do not rely on the gun’s safety.

    • Be sure of your target, your line of fire, and what lies beyond your target and what is beyond it.

• Vehicles/Driving & Roads etc

  • No ATVs, side-by-sides, or other off-road vehicles are allowed on the ranch, even if they are street-legal (trucks/SUVs/cars only)

  • We recommend a 4x4 vehicle with good off-road tires.

  • Be safe and courteous while driving on the roads. Drive respectively and cautiously.

• Camping/Campsite

  • No alcoholic beverages.

  • No smoking (because of fire risk).

  • No open campfires.

  • No littering; hunters must remove all their casings, cans, trash, and debris from the premises.

  • Lodging, guide services, packing services, & food: the bull elk hunt is fully guided, and meals are provided. 

• The Ranch

  • State laws protect livestock on Deseret Land and Livestock (DLL). Do not harm, harass, or shoot livestock. DLL may file civil charges against anyone for harassing, shooting, or harming livestock.

  • No fishing on the streams or ponds.

  • No other outdoor recreational activities are offered on the property during the hunts.

  • Respect the property and employees.

  • Shed antlers and “dead heads” are Deseret's property. Hunters or guests cannot pick up or remove them from the ranch.

  • Hunters and guests are responsible for familiarizing themselves with and understanding the CWMU’s boundaries.