Stupid ? about Colorado elk draw - which units to start building preference points?

[NDGuy]

And this is how we spend our Thanksgiving weekends down here...

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Completely off topic but man do I love Redfish.

 

[Newtosavage]

Completely off topic but man do I love Redfish.

There's nothing like 'em.

 

[5MilesBack]

Quite frankly, I'm surprised that they don't require the small game license before purchasing any tag, not just for the draw.

 

[Newtosavage]

Quite frankly, I'm surprised that they don't require the small game license before purchasing any tag, not just for the draw.

For what reason? Not trying to be argumentative, just wondering what the purpose would be vs. something like an application fee or - as some place do - having to pay the whole amount up front just to apply.

 

[TravisIN]

The number one reason I am going to keep going elk hunting in Colorado over anywhere else is it’s the shortest drive and allows me to the most time to hunt within my vacation time. I get more vacay time in 2020 so I’ll be able to have 21 days off straight when that happens I may look at other states that take more time investment. Even if the tags go to a grand like Montana(I think that’s the cost), I’ll be in CO until i have more time.


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[Fatcamp]

Quite frankly, I'm surprised that they don't require the small game license before purchasing any tag, not just for the draw.

I would guess it's not far off.

 

[sneaky]

And this is how we spend our Thanksgiving weekends down here...

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So, you can put $100 at a time into a tank of fuel for a boat and you're bitching about a $90 license to hunt out of state? Get over yourself. You've made some flat out ridiculous statements in several of your posts. Can you get a good deer lease in Texas for $600? Nope. Not a decent one. Yet, here you keep complaining about being able to hunt millions of acres of public land in another state for that $600. Spare us the "my tax dollars pay for those lands too". Do they pay for Colorado's roads? You pay property taxes there? Sales tax 365 days a year? No? Yeah, then your $2500 over 4 years is insignificant. I bet you're a hoot in camp complaining about how much your license cost in relation to a resident's.

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[Newtosavage]

People who will get upset and take the time to complain about someone complaining always cracks me up. If you're great with it, I'm happy for you. No need to complain.

I'm not saying anything two dozen others are saying right here on this site. There are several threads about the new changes. I hope you made time to search out all of those posts and complain about their complaining too. LOL

Your point about the gas for the boat is a good one. But it's more like $50/trip for me. And in that trip, I'll always have my wife or daughter or a friend. So per trip, it's more like $20/person and we often bring home a cooler full of fish.

Your comment about public land makes it sound like it belongs to the residents of that state. LOL Sorry friend, but the NF land I hunt in CO or anywhere else is just as much "mine" as it is yours, and that's the beautiful thing about it. I travel to CO to hunt "my" land, and yours.

As for my deer lease, I work it off and don't pay a dime. There are still landowners who need the help and are happy to trade hunting privileges for fence building, shredding, weed control, and these days, predator and feral hog control. As the landowners age and become more absentee, that is only going to be more prevalent. Not everyone shells out thousands of dollars every year just to hunt. If you can afford to do that, then good for you!

About the tax argument, I'm not sure the figures support what you're saying. I spend 2 weeks in CO every year, and put about $800 into the CO economy, if not more. That's the equivalent of a resident putting over $40K into the state's economy per year. I'm not an economist. Maybe that's fair and maybe not but it doesn't sound "insignificant" to me. My point was that the residents of any state need the NR's to bring that money in or their state game agencies would really be hurting and have to cut back on a lot of services that the residents enjoy year-round. I'm not sure why it's so hard for some to just admit that.

But you have the right to complain too. So carry on.

 

[5MilesBack]

For what reason? Not trying to be argumentative, just wondering what the purpose would be vs. something like an application fee or - as some place do - having to pay the whole amount up front just to apply.

This year is the first year that they have required a small game license before applying for the draw. Colorado sells more OTC licenses than probably any other western state. Surprised that they didn't just incude the requirement for OTC as well. They're leaving money on the table.

 

[Newtosavage]

This year is the first year that they have required a small game license before applying for the draw. Colorado sells more OTC licenses than probably any other western state. Surprised that they didn't just incude the requirement for OTC as well. They're leaving money on the table.

How is that different than just raising the price of the OTC tags? Or are you saying they would be making more money but still offering more opportunity?

 

[wannakillabigbull]

You should actually be thanking me, seeing as I've donated over $2K to your state game agency and probably another $1K to your economy and haven't taken anything but pictures.

we often bring home a cooler full of fish.

You keep bringing up the fact that you were unsuccessful in filling elk tags as a way to point out your perceived unjustified cost for nonresident hunters, and now you use your successful fishing as a way to justify spending the money to go fishing. Regardless of the merit of anything else you’ve said, I just don’t see how your success is relevant. It’s not resident’s fault how good or bad of a hunter you are. You paid for opportunity and it’s your responsibility to make good on that. You may disagree but that’s my take.

Also, I don’t think anyone should be thanking you for anything, especially not donating. You paid to go hunting just like the rest of us and in doing so got something in return. Whether you got what you hoped for out of it was irrelevant. I don’t say that to be mean or argumentative, and certainly not to complain about your complaining, I just don’t follow your line of logic or your word choice. If you feel like you paid for things you’ll never use (small game license, etc.) and consider that “donating” then I can understand that perspective, but that’s how the system works in some way or another in most states. I don’t like it either but I’m willing to foot the bill because I want to go hunting and I could use that money on a lot worse things than wildlife conservation. I guess my wife won’t be able to afford getting another cat next year oh darn.

I apply in 6 states currently, and was a nonresident of Colorado during the couple years after college when I took a job in Arizona. I know that being a nonresident sucks and I don’t like how a lot of states do it. Your complaining is in many ways justified. Having been a nonresident at some point of all the states I currently apply in I can tell you that Colorado is the friendliest I’ve ever dealt with and the easiest to obtain tags in. It is the most generous with tag allocation by a long shot. They also provide information for free to everyone that a lot of other states don’t, and in doing so break down the barriers and make it easier for all of us to find units to hunt and where animals might be within those units. Improvements could always be made, and I think that’s really been your biggest point in this whole thread, but Colorado gets a lot right and I’ll continue to spend my money here whether I live in the state or not.

I have no bone to pick with anyone, just sharing my perspective.

 

[Jqualls]

As for my deer lease, I work it off and don't pay a dime. There are still landowners who need the help and are happy to trade hunting privileges for fence building, shredding, weed control, and these days, predator and feral hog control. As the landowners age and become more absentee, that is only going to be more prevalent. Not everyone shells out thousands of dollars every year just to hunt. If you can afford to do that, then good for you!

You are still paying for it. Maybe not with dollars out of pocket but time is money. Some have more time to spend some have more money but either way you are still paying for it.

 

[Newtosavage]

You are still paying for it. Maybe not with dollars out of pocket but time is money. Some have more time to spend some have more money but either way you are still paying for it.

Very true.

 

[Newtosavage]

You keep bringing up the fact that you were unsuccessful in filling elk tags as a way to point out your perceived unjustified cost for nonresident hunters

Whether someone is successful or not doesn't change the contribution they make. If anything, they contribute more to conservation - in a manner of speaking - if they do fill their tag. My point was that I have been leaving opportunity out there. LOL

It was just a joke about how unlucky I've been really. Don't make more of it than that.

I appreciate your perspective. And frankly I'm glad you have the means to apply to six states. That goes for a lot of folks here. That's amazing to me really, the amount some folks spend on hunting. A lot of us who grew up on "eastern" whitetails just haven't lived in that paradigm so it's a bit of a foreign concept to us. But I'm getting there.

I've said for years now that my elk tag is basically my annual gym membership. That's how I look at it. For about the same amount of money, I am motivated to stay in shape year-round, and especially the months prior to my hunt. Plus it's a lot more enjoyable knowing the workouts are going to lead to a really sweet payoff with time in the mountains. So whether I kill anything or not, I'm getting out of it what I want.

Sorry if the comments about not killing anything were out of line. That really is irrelevant.

 

[Newtosavage]

Improvements could always be made, and I think that’s really been your biggest point in this whole thread,

Correct.

 

[5MilesBack]

How is that different than just raising the price of the OTC tags? Or are you saying they would be making more money but still offering more opportunity?

Oh, they'll do both eventually I'm sure. They've already added a fishing license onto the cost of big game tags, and how many guys that come out to hunt actually use that license?

 

[ericF]

Oh, they'll do both eventually I'm sure. They've already added a fishing license onto the cost of big game tags, and how many guys that come out to hunt actually use that license?

The other part of the equation is federal dollars that come in. In the commission meeting notes they specifically say they are going to make people buy a small game/fishing license because the more licenses they sell, the bigger cut of federal dollars they get. So they will actually make more money with the licenses than buy raising the cost of the tags by an equal amount.

 

[cuttiebrownbow]

Gun sales are way down which means the pie is much smaller for PR funds. States are fighting harder for the funds that are available - which are much less than the previous 8 years.

License sales are a big portion of the PR equation so states are doing anything to boost their license sales.

Just the way it is.


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[Newtosavage]

Oh, they'll do both eventually I'm sure. They've already added a fishing license onto the cost of big game tags, and how many guys that come out to hunt actually use that license?

I have always made time to fish, even if it was just a few hours mid-day. That's one I appreciate, although as I said, I would purchase it separately if it were an option.

I feel like we're being "cabled" here - having to buy packages that include dozens of channels we'll never watch. LOL Who likes that?

 

[tonechaser88]

Elk in CO has gotten really tough. The general thought it that there are less hunters now than there were 20 years ago but you go to CO and it sure does not seem that way. Hunted a couple units, 81 and 681. Both were insanely difficult and crowded, I think the further you get from the populace, maybe the better off you are? hard to tell. Looking into 63 and 27 for my next archery elk. Good luck!