Non-resident elk hunters breaking point.

[Gutshot007]

Non-resident elk hunters . I am curious at what threshold most non-residents would say I'm done and move on to other endeavors. Maybe you don't have a threshold . I think realisticly most do. I realize there are a million different scenarios .maybe you hunt elk in your home state. Vested points already etc. Let's say you are a non-resident putting in for a GENERAL ELK tag with 0 points starting from scratch. 3 questions. Currently
1) how much would you be willing to pay for a general elk tag ? $1000, $1500, $2000 ?
(good , but not cream of the crop)
2) how much would you be willing to pay for a yearly point knowing if you don't keep up your yearly investment its gone (some states maybe 1 year interruption ) $50, $100, $500 ?
3) how many years would you wait for a general elk tag ? 2-4, 8-10?

 

[Sharpd53]

Non-resident elk hunters . I am curious at what threshold most non-residents would say I'm done and move on to other endeavors. Maybe you don't have a threshold . I think realisticly most do. I realize there are a million different scenarios .maybe you hunt elk in your home state. Vested points already etc. Let's say you are a non-resident putting in for a GENERAL ELK tag with 0 points starting from scratch. 3 questions. Currently
1) how much would you be willing to pay for a general elk tag ? $1000, $1500, $2000 ?
(good , but not cream of the crop)
2) how much would you be willing to pay for a yearly point knowing if you don't keep up your yearly investment its gone (some states maybe 1 year interruption ) $50, $100, $500 ?
3) how many years would you wait for a general elk tag ? 2-4, 8-10?

I’m good for 1,500, 100 and 2-4. Have to draw a line somewhere I suppose.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Mine was when the NR tags went from first come to a lottery. I moved back home the next year.

 

[tdhanses]

I’ll be hunting every year, cost go up I’ll reduce my annual donations to orgs, so just move the funds from one to another.

Even if in the end we have to buy LO vouchers, I’ll be hunting but at some point I can see once my kids are older and if they get into it just focusing on them and just helping.

I’m not going to put a dollar value on it that would keep me from doing it.

I’ll also be moving back west once the kids are out of the house.

 

[Elkoholic87]

I would gladly pay $2,000 a year for a general tag. Hunting elk is an investment for me and an obsession. The money spent on something I love to do more than anything on this planet is beyond worth it for me. It also helps and makes it easier for me to say that since I do very well financially.


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[Wiscobob]

Non-resident elk hunters . I am curious at what threshold most non-residents would say I'm done and move on to other endeavors. Maybe you don't have a threshold . I think realisticly most do. I realize there are a million different scenarios .maybe you hunt elk in your home state. Vested points already etc. Let's say you are a non-resident putting in for a GENERAL ELK tag with 0 points starting from scratch. 3 questions. Currently
1) how much would you be willing to pay for a general elk tag ? $1000, $1500, $2000 ?
(good , but not cream of the crop)
2) how much would you be willing to pay for a yearly point knowing if you don't keep up your yearly investment its gone (some states maybe 1 year interruption ) $50, $100, $500 ?
3) how many years would you wait for a general elk tag ? 2-4, 8-10?

For me you can’t put a price on it, granted we all have our financial limits. I love it out west and if it wasn’t for family roots I’d probably move that way tomorrow. It’s kind of sad that you’re even asking this. I guess I can understand not loving non resident hunters in your state, however we have a massive impact on supporting your state and local economies. The sales from our licenses make up a considerable amount of the revenue needed to fund the state wildlife agencies and conservation efforts. The majority of us hunt a week or two weeks a season and the vast majority of us return home with an unfilled tag. We already pay on average 5-10 times what a resident pays for a tag. Not to mention the gas money we pay to venture out west (thanks Joebama). Be careful what you wish for. If non residents get to the point they move on to other endeavors what’s to say that our government officials won’t say the heck with wildlife management/land conservation etc. all together because it’s no longer profitable. It’s time we come together and support each other as hunters. Good luck this fall!

 

[Behlftball]

I don't really have a limit. God has blessed me financially so far in life and right now I love hunting and am willing to splurge on it. For me, if I can go on 3 hunts myself a year out west it's still cheaper than going with an outfitter every other year. I know a LOT of guys I've been trying to get to go with me can't because of the costs involved (my friends and I are in their early 30's). People come out of college with 50k in student debt and a home that needs fixing up is 300k or more (WI). Marriage kids etc only make it harder. Throw in inflation and people don't have anything extra.

I'll pay 2k for a general tag. It makes me sad that the costs keep people out of it, but in some ways selfishly I know if non residents could get tags and licenses for $50 it would be a lot harder for me to get tags. It's turning into a rich man's game as all the states know there's so much competition they can continue to raise prices. I'm actually surprised states aren't charging more when Idaho tags virtually sell out before they are even through the queue and other states take years to draw. I bet we see 2k general tags in 10 years.

 

[Carr5vols]

I am tempted to just start fishing and hunting small game in the mountains in the fall and say to heck with the elk tags. I can easily pay for a trip for the price of the tag. Still get to see the country and get to hunt...be some upset elk hunters with a bunch of nonresidents chasing grouse and other small game shooting the woods up...

 

[Rich M]

$600-$700 tags are as much as I’ll spend on a tag. $1,000 is too much. I likewise, cap my deer tags at $400. $500 is too much.

$100-150 for a point.
The WY guys already said they gonna go “bonus points” instead of preference points cause they want new folks to have the same opportunity.

At my age >5 years is too long.

Some folks feel that they have to do it at any cost. Those will be the ones driving this. He who has $$$ always gets to play.

 

[Carr5vols]

Too answer your original question i play with roughly 3k per year for all of my hunts/points etc. so as long as its in that range and i am still blessed by the good Lord with funds and health i shoukd be in the mix

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I tend to chuckle when folks bitch about the costs and hunting is becoming a rich man’s game.

A sizable portion of them tend to:
* Drive a $70k+ pickup all dolled up
* Drive a $20k+ SXS all dolled up
* Tow a $40k+ toy hauler all dolled up
* Have $6k+ in optics
* Wear $1.5k+ in clothes
* Shoot a $5k+ custom rifle

All while bitching that their ammo went up $1 per round so their budget is blown.

Folks will figure out a way to keep hunting where they want on the frequency that they want. But one thing is constant: folks will always find something to bitch about.

 

[tdhanses]

I tend to chuckle when folks bitch about the costs and hunting is becoming a rich man’s game.

A sizable portion of them tend to:
* Drive a $70k+ pickup all dolled up
* Drive a $20k+ SXS all dolled up
* Tow a $40k+ toy hauler all dolled up
* Have $6k+ in optics
* Wear $1.5k+ in clothes
* Shoot a $5k+ custom rifle

All while bitching that their ammo went up $1 per round so their budget is blown.

Folks will figure out a way to keep hunting where they want on the frequency that they want. But one thing is constant: folks will always find something to bitch about.

I keep hearing this argument yet haven’t ever actually seen it, or is it people just complaining about inflation and supply issues? Some of us annually shoot thousands of rounds also. No way ammo blows anyones budget for an actual hunt.

Everyone I hunt with fits into the above and zero complain about what they spend on hobbies overall, yes we like costs to stay constant.

Last year I spent over $10k hunting multiple states, seems high but for some it’s a drop in the bucket. I also spent over $2k in ammo/reloading and range memberships.

In reality what people pay or what goods people have doesn’t matter and I agree if you want to do it you’ll find a way if your serious about it, if someone says ammo blew their budget, it’s not because of what they own, it’s lack of desire and I’ve yet to see ammo cost what a NR tag costs.

 

[Gutshot007]

I tend to chuckle when folks bitch about the costs and hunting is becoming a rich man’s game.

A sizable portion of them tend to:
* Drive a $70k+ pickup all dolled up
* Drive a $20k+ SXS all dolled up
* Tow a $40k+ toy hauler all dolled up
* Have $6k+ in optics
* Wear $1.5k+ in clothes
* Shoot a $5k+ custom rifle

All while bitching that their ammo went up $1 per round so their budget is blown.

Folks will figure out a way to keep hunting where they want on the frequency that they want. But one thing is constant: folks will always find something to bitch about.

I agree 100%. I drive a 1998 surburban and have a driveway full of junk trucks I work on regularly. Could I afford a new truck. Yes . Does $70,000 make sense for new one. Not to me. The above 3 questions were about a non-residents threshold to reconsider your investment in elk hunting. Thanks . Interesting to hear everyone's opinions

 

[Gutshot007]

Mainly the tag (or the ticket to admission) not all the other "stuff"

 

[CoStick]

Depends on the experience .

 

[Coveyleader]

Looking at these thresholds confirms that CO residents would not have to suffer a fee hike if NRs numbers were cut.

 

[tdhanses]

Looking at these thresholds confirms that CO residents would not have to suffer a fee hike if NRs numbers were cut.

Pretty small sample group though, I think those that want to hunt will but a large percentage would stop. Many have the money but just wouldn’t be willing to spend it, so guess it’s not that valuable to them at a certain point. I would say this goes for everyone, resident or not.

 

[wapitibob]

A nr that wants to hunt doesn’t need to wait, buy points, nor spend $1000 on a tag.

 

[pirogue]

I’ll say the same thing my grandpa’s neighbor said many years ago, when the store cashier advised him the price of a glass of snuff, went up to two bits, “They never have charged what it is worth.”

 

[roosiebull]

I’m not rich, but I will do what I need to do to hunt every fall… it’s what I look forward to, motivates me to grind it out at work… I am blessed to be able to hunt elk on the cheap, but if I lose that luxury, I will do what I need to do to elk hunt every year…

I would rather not pay 2k for a tag, but if it came to that I would pay it without complaining… if it came to that I would move to a state that makes sense for the lifestyle I want to live… I’m pretty simple, I just want to hunt a lot, and have formed my life around that since I was young