How Landowner Tags Actually Work by State
- Serge Engurasoff
- 10 minutes ago
- 6 min read
By Serge Engurasoff, Founder, Urge2Hunt. 35+ years in the hunting industry; arranging guided hunts and landowner tags through Urge2Hunt since 2010. Member: Safari Club International, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Mule Deer Foundation, Ducks Unlimited.
Last revised: August 2026
Landowner tags can give you another path to a western big-game hunt when the regular draw doesn’t work out, but the rules change from state to state. Colorado and New Mexico allow certain vouchers or authorizations to transfer to hunters. Utah uses landowner vouchers and the Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit program. Wyoming doesn’t allow hunters to buy transferable landowner licenses. Understanding those differences helps you know what you’re actually getting before you spend money on a hunt.
Key Takeaways
Colorado and New Mexico allow certain landowner vouchers or authorizations to transfer to eligible hunters, including nonresidents.
Wyoming landowner licenses aren’t transferable and can’t be purchased as a shortcut around the draw.
Utah uses landowner vouchers and the Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit program.
A voucher or authorization isn’t the same as a hunting license. You still complete the required state process.
Redeeming a Colorado Landowner Preference Program voucher doesn’t use your personal preference points.
What a Landowner Tag Is, and What It Isn't
A landowner tag is a general term hunters use for hunting opportunities states provide to qualifying private landowners. Depending on the program, the landowner may receive a voucher, authorization, permit, or license. Those terms matter because they don’t always mean the same thing. A voucher or authorization usually gives an eligible hunter the ability to purchase the matching state hunting license. Transfer rules also vary. Some states allow landowners to transfer these opportunities to other hunters, while others limit them to the landowner and immediate family. These programs are separate from normal draw tags and over-the-counter tags.
State-by-State: Where You Can and Cannot Buy One
Colorado
Colorado uses the Landowner Preference Program, or LPP. Qualifying landowners receive vouchers rather than hunting licenses. The voucher transfers directly from the landowner or designated land manager to the hunter, who redeems it with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and purchases the license.
Colorado prohibits third-party voucher brokering, so Urge2Hunt doesn’t sell Colorado vouchers as a broker. Urge2Hunt can arrange a guided hunt on the ground covered by a voucher, with the transfer occurring directly as Colorado requires. Vouchers may be Private Land Only or unit-wide and using one doesn’t consume your preference points.
Utah
Utah offers landowner vouchers along with the Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit program, commonly called CWMU. Private properties enroll in the program and operate under agreements with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. CWMU properties receive hunting opportunities while also providing public hunting opportunities under program rules. For hunters, these programs can provide access to private property and an alternative to relying only on Utah’s traditional limited-entry draw.
New Mexico
New Mexico uses EPLUS, the Elk Private Land Use System. Participating landowners receive authorizations, not hunting licenses. A hunter who obtains an authorization must convert it into the proper license through the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. EPLUS authorizations are transferable, including to nonresidents, and New Mexico doesn’t use a preference-point system for its public elk draw. Serge routinely talks with hunters who have spent years collecting points elsewhere without realizing a landowner-based hunt may provide another legitimate route into the field.
Wyoming
Wyoming is the outlier. Landowner licenses exist, but they aren’t transferable to other hunters. You cannot buy a Wyoming landowner tag. If you want to hunt Wyoming, you generally need to obtain your own license through the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. You can book a guided hunt that provides private-land access, but that access is separate from your hunting license.
Landowner Tag Programs at a Glance
State | Program | Transferable? | What You Actually Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
Colorado | Landowner Preference Program | Yes, with restrictions | Voucher redeemed for a license |
Utah | Landowner vouchers and CWMU | Yes | Voucher or CWMU hunt with access |
New Mexico | EPLUS | Yes, including nonresidents | Authorization converted to a license |
Wyoming | Landowner licenses | No | Draw your own license or arrange private access |
Are Landowner Tags Fair?
Landowner programs draw criticism because hunters who spend years collecting preference points may see transferable vouchers as a way for money to move someone ahead of the draw. It’s a concern Serge has heard from hunters he respects, and it deserves to be part of the conversation. The other side is that states created these programs to recognize the habitat private land provides and, in some cases, create hunting access on ground that might otherwise remain closed. Hunters can disagree about whether the balance is right while still recognizing that these programs operate within state wildlife regulations.
Writing for MeatEater in Ask MeatEater: Are Landowner Tags Unfair?, Brody Henderson puts the objection about as sharply as anyone has, questioning whether private landowners should “profit off of a publicly owned resource” that the state pays to manage. His piece is worth reading if you want the strongest version of the case against transferable tags before deciding where you land.
How to Get on a Hunt That Includes the Tag
Start by understanding exactly what the hunt includes. Depending on the state, you may be acquiring a transferable voucher, a New Mexico authorization, a CWMU hunt, or private access while still needing to draw your own license. Urge2Hunt helps hunters sort through elk landowner tags, mule deer landowner tags, and guided hunts with tags included. Since program rules can change, verify current requirements with the state wildlife agency before paying for a hunt.
FAQ
What is a landowner tag?
A landowner tag is a general term for a hunting opportunity a state provides to a qualifying private landowner. Depending on the program, it may actually be a voucher, authorization, permit, or license. Transferable vouchers and authorizations usually must be redeemed through the state before the hunter receives the hunting license needed to hunt legally.
Can you buy a landowner tag?
Sometimes. Colorado allows certain Landowner Preference Program vouchers to transfer directly from landowners or designated land managers to eligible hunters. New Mexico EPLUS authorizations and some Utah landowner or CWMU opportunities can also reach other hunters. Wyoming is different because its landowner licenses aren’t transferable, which means another hunter cannot legally purchase one.
Does using a landowner voucher use up my preference points?
It depends on the state and program. In Colorado, redeeming a Landowner Preference Program voucher doesn’t use your personal preference points because the voucher comes through the landowner program rather than your draw history. Other states use different systems, so check current wildlife agency regulations before buying a voucher, authorization, or hunt that includes one.
What is a CWMU hunt?
A Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit hunt takes place on private land enrolled in Utah’s CWMU program. Participating landowners operate under an approved agreement with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The system creates hunting opportunities on private property, with permits divided between public hunters and the participating landowner according to the rules governing each approved CWMU.
What is EPLUS in New Mexico?
EPLUS stands for Elk Private Land Use System. Through the program, participating New Mexico landowners can receive elk hunting authorizations tied to eligible private property. A hunter can obtain an authorization and then convert it into the required elk license through the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish before legally hunting under that opportunity.
Are landowner tags legal and ethical?
Landowner programs are legal when hunters and landowners follow the rules established by each state wildlife agency. The ethical debate is more personal. Some hunters dislike transferable opportunities because money can affect access, while supporters point to habitat, private-land access, and wildlife management benefits. Understanding both positions helps you decide whether these hunts fit your own values.
Related Guides
Talk to Us About Tags for This Season
If you’re tired of waiting on the draw or aren’t sure what your points can realistically get you, talk with Urge2Hunt before choosing a hunt. Serge brings more than 35 years of personal hunting-industry experience to those conversations, while Urge2Hunt has arranged guided hunts and landowner-tag opportunities since 2010.
