Montana Proposed bill to raise Non resident base hunting fees over 500%

[wyogoat]

 

[OldPete]

Now before all non residents get too worked up. $100 for a base hunting license vs $15 when you're paying over $1000 for combination deer and elk, just really isn't that crazy. Honestly hopef it would be something more dramatic to reduce competition/congestion out there a little bit. No offense...

 

[dirtytough]

“you guys shouldn’t care about a measly $85 increase. You already pay over 50x more for your tag than we pay. That’s a drop in the bucket.”

Next week. “Please help delist grizzlies. We all need to come together on this.” “Please contribute to HOWL. We need all the help we can to fight XYZ.”

“Don’t let them transfer federal lands to the state! Then you non res wouldn’t be subsidizing them for us!”

 

[Archer86]

“you guys shouldn’t care about a measly $85 increase. You already pay over 50x more for your tag than we pay. That’s a drop in the bucket.”

Next week. “Please help delist grizzlies. We all need to come together on this.” “Please contribute to HOWL. We need all the help we can to fight XYZ.”

“Don’t let them transfer federal lands to the state! Then you non res wouldn’t be subsidizing them for us!”

Nr hunters supply virtually nothing for federal tax dollars to support public lands.

Its the non hunting tax payers that actually fund the public land and they can use them as much as they want

 

[WRO]

Nr hunters supply virtually nothing for federal tax dollars to support public lands.

Its the non hunting tax payers that actually fund the public land and they can use them as much as they want

They support fish and game and keep liscenses cheap for residents.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Erict]

.... Now add the additional $85. Will that be enough to keep you from going? Not me.

Thing is, most NR will only draw every other year, but pay the app fee every year, so it's more like $85 x 2.

Maybe they can make us feel better by sending us a nice embroidered patch if we don't draw.

 

[InkedElkSlayer]

Maybe MTFWP will use the increased revenue to finally implement that “expensive” mandatory hunter (harvest or kill?) reporting system that has incredible support from hunters… I’m being a smart ass. MTFWP loves their algorithm from the 60s that they swear is “statically valid”.

Bottom line is that they aren’t going to do anything with the increased revenue. What does $85 per Non Res really add up to? It’s not a huge landslide of $. It will just go into the wash. I think it’s more about principle, keeping up with the Jones’s, and “why not” if they keep selling out.

2 givens…
MT will keep raising Non Res prices until they see a negative return.
Idiot politicians in MT will propose dozens of bills over the next few months that degrade youth and family hunting and continue to further their agenda to monetize and privatize our hunting culture.

 

[AHayes111]

I know nothing of the bill and where the money is going. I also feel that both sides should be supporting the system. I've been in the Montana hunting system 1988 and have watched all the changes and seen the ups and downs of our game management. Nothing will ever be done that everyone will support. In the end I just hope to be able to continue to hunt my home state with and OTC resident tag as long as my body allows. If a Montana resident has to draw to hunt their own state we know that we really mucked up the works.

Jay

The end of resident OTC is coming and likely sooner than you think. Just look at all the units that have gone to LE since 2000. LE is working its way across the state from west to east and it is not going to stop as long as we continue with the current five week season. While LE fixes the issues in the units where it is applied, every time a unit goes from OTC to LE more pressure is applied to the remaining OTC units increasing the need for them to be fixed with LE. We can not afford any more LE units because at some point we will reach a tipping point and all remaining OTC units will need to be LE. We may be at that point now.

 

[The Guide]

The end of resident OTC is coming and likely sooner than you think. Just look at all the units that have gone to LE since 2000. LE is working its way across the state from west to east and it is not going to stop as long as we continue with the current five week season. While LE fixes the issues in the units where it is applied, every time a unit goes from OTC to LE more pressure is applied to the remaining OTC units increasing the need for them to be fixed with LE. We can not afford any more LE units because at some point we will reach a tipping point and all remaining OTC units will need to be LE. We may be at that point now.

What LE districts are you referring to? The mule deer units in the Bitterroot that have been in trouble for 20+ years? The wilderness and trophy units that have been LE for 20+ years? Or is it the units near our largest population centers that have been hammered for longer than I've been alive that been LE since mule deer crashed in the late 2000's. Do you mean the LE elk permits for trophy areas and wildlife management areas? All of these areas have OTC hunting of some sort. Mule deer LE areas have general tag whitetail hunting. Trophy elk areas have spike bull and cow elk general tag options. I'm not seeing any areas where you are 100% locked out except for specific areas that are wilderness only areas like 455 where you can still hunt whitetails during archery season. There were a bunch of changes in the elk hunting for Region 7 but those areas have never been high elk harvest areas due to the terrain and limited public land in the higher density elk areas.

What areas are you referring to where general tag hunters are locked out of because of the being LE only that are recent additions? I'm not familiar with them.

Jay