Gov of Utah issued an order those cattle from Bundy’s could not cross the state line, so BLM weren’t going to find anyone or any auction willing to take rustle cattle. That idea was over & done before the standoff finished.
I’m talking about the cowboys they contracted to round up the cattle. The ones that rounded up the 400 or so head they were holding in the corrals.
Also - those cattle could be sold in Arizona, California - even in Nevada. Utah was not the only option, but I applaud Utah for their stand...although the contract cowboys are some type of low-life.
The closest state to the Bundy Ranch is AZ. Utah is just trying to stay out of it and assess the damage.