dirtytough
WKR
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2012
- Messages
- 2,327
There has been a ton of changes in the western hunting game the last few years. And it is still changing daily/weekly/monthly. One of the biggest and hotly debated topics is license/tag allocation. Res vs non res.
Anyone that is on SM has seen topics from it. The interesting thing to me is I honestly think residents are shooting themselves in the foot. Sure it will be better short term getting more of the licenses. But what about long term? Or do they even care as long as they get their second moose tag?
I used to (emphasis on used to) donate a lot of money to RMEF, WSF, and MDF. I was a member and would spend $500+ at each of the banquets. I would spend money on the different raffles throughout the year. I haven’t went to one of their banquets this year. I haven’t renewed my memberships this year. The states residents that benefit the most from those donations I used to make, are doing their best to give myself and other non res a smaller and smaller percentage every year. I wonder how many other non res are realizing the same? I know 100% it’s not just me.
That money can be used for guide fees, private land access, copter ride into land locked public, a beach vacation, etc.
Look at all the help wanted posted on this forum when it comes to hunting/wildlife issues. One of the most recent was the area 23/26 caribou closure in Alaska. Please send emails, etc. I wonder how many more people would of sent emails if Alaska didn’t have their guide rule for sheep, goat, and grizzlies? Maybe if they would have gotten 1000+ more emails against the closure the decision would have been different? (I’ll come back to the closure in a few) Residents are always wanting non res help when it comes to wildlife issues. I expect that help to dwindle more and more every year.
One of the dumbest things I see residents post is “These are Our animals. You have zero say in how we manage Our wildlife. If you don’t like it Move here.”
To add to that, the harder you make it for a non res and turn it into a res paradise the more and more non res that will move there. Where are they going to move to? Up in the mountains in the summer range or down on the winter range? Of course the winter range. Less and less habitat. More and more people loving the outdoors to death. (Look at SW Colorado for an example)
Then there will be bitching like there already is because guess what? Residents of most of these states can’t afford what the non res can. So it prices the res and their family out. (Recently read a post from Idaho residents bitching about not being able to afford property taxes) How does that look? Do you want your kids to move away after they grow up because they can’t afford to live on their own there? I mean isn’t that why we changed allocations in the first place? So little Johnny can draw a sheep tag in his lifetime? Too bad he won’t be able to afford to live there.
Which leads me to this part. If it was about little Johnny why are the residents that have already gotten the opportunity to hunt what should be an oil species, still applying and trying to draw? Greed. Nothing else. Most hunters will never get to hunt an oil species. Yet there are a few that have already and are still trying to take that opportunity away from someone that hasn’t.
Next thing you know it won’t be non res vs res allocation. It will be res vs res. The closure for caribou in 23/26 wasn’t just for non res of AK. It was for people that don’t live in that area. Huge amounts of federal land closed to some of AK’s residents for caribou hunting.
What about opening up the late season mule deer hunts to wipe out CWD in Wyoming. I wonder if 100 emails from non res for it, will show that there is public support? If they do add the hunts it benefits non res even if they don’t apply there.
Public land. Most hunters don’t care about public they can’t hunt. It would be nothing to sell off some of the more useless land. Keep the mineral rights of course. Or people could make a push to graze more livestock. That actually helps pay for the land. The state running their wildlife on federal land is welfare. So if there were more cows/sheep out there that will help offset the cost.
Corner crossing. Donate donate donate! Make sure you donate to open up more land for the hunter! “We are all in this together!” While at the same time the residents are doing their best to make the non res pie smaller and smaller.
The short game is to get all these adult residents more tags.
What does the long game look like? Less habitat. More non res moving to your state for hunting reasons vying for the same tags you are. Less donations. Less support for wildlife issues. Less support for public land. Not being able to afford to live where you grew up.
I guarantee I’ll get some haha’s. I know most is true though. Look at Idaho, Montana, (just saw a news clip about another hundred acres getting developed by Bozeman today) Colorado, even Wyoming. Wyoming has the least amount of people. But prices there are shooting up on real estate. It’ll be easy for your kids to afford to live there I’m sure.
If you are a non res to the western states I would try to get what you can as soon as possible or move. The future isn’t looking bright for non res hunting. If you are a resident of a western state I hope you like company, higher cost of living, and loss of habitat. Because you are bringing it upon yourselves.
You guys are lucky I only had my phone
Anyone that is on SM has seen topics from it. The interesting thing to me is I honestly think residents are shooting themselves in the foot. Sure it will be better short term getting more of the licenses. But what about long term? Or do they even care as long as they get their second moose tag?
I used to (emphasis on used to) donate a lot of money to RMEF, WSF, and MDF. I was a member and would spend $500+ at each of the banquets. I would spend money on the different raffles throughout the year. I haven’t went to one of their banquets this year. I haven’t renewed my memberships this year. The states residents that benefit the most from those donations I used to make, are doing their best to give myself and other non res a smaller and smaller percentage every year. I wonder how many other non res are realizing the same? I know 100% it’s not just me.
That money can be used for guide fees, private land access, copter ride into land locked public, a beach vacation, etc.
Look at all the help wanted posted on this forum when it comes to hunting/wildlife issues. One of the most recent was the area 23/26 caribou closure in Alaska. Please send emails, etc. I wonder how many more people would of sent emails if Alaska didn’t have their guide rule for sheep, goat, and grizzlies? Maybe if they would have gotten 1000+ more emails against the closure the decision would have been different? (I’ll come back to the closure in a few) Residents are always wanting non res help when it comes to wildlife issues. I expect that help to dwindle more and more every year.
One of the dumbest things I see residents post is “These are Our animals. You have zero say in how we manage Our wildlife. If you don’t like it Move here.”
To add to that, the harder you make it for a non res and turn it into a res paradise the more and more non res that will move there. Where are they going to move to? Up in the mountains in the summer range or down on the winter range? Of course the winter range. Less and less habitat. More and more people loving the outdoors to death. (Look at SW Colorado for an example)
Then there will be bitching like there already is because guess what? Residents of most of these states can’t afford what the non res can. So it prices the res and their family out. (Recently read a post from Idaho residents bitching about not being able to afford property taxes) How does that look? Do you want your kids to move away after they grow up because they can’t afford to live on their own there? I mean isn’t that why we changed allocations in the first place? So little Johnny can draw a sheep tag in his lifetime? Too bad he won’t be able to afford to live there.
Which leads me to this part. If it was about little Johnny why are the residents that have already gotten the opportunity to hunt what should be an oil species, still applying and trying to draw? Greed. Nothing else. Most hunters will never get to hunt an oil species. Yet there are a few that have already and are still trying to take that opportunity away from someone that hasn’t.
Next thing you know it won’t be non res vs res allocation. It will be res vs res. The closure for caribou in 23/26 wasn’t just for non res of AK. It was for people that don’t live in that area. Huge amounts of federal land closed to some of AK’s residents for caribou hunting.
What about opening up the late season mule deer hunts to wipe out CWD in Wyoming. I wonder if 100 emails from non res for it, will show that there is public support? If they do add the hunts it benefits non res even if they don’t apply there.
Public land. Most hunters don’t care about public they can’t hunt. It would be nothing to sell off some of the more useless land. Keep the mineral rights of course. Or people could make a push to graze more livestock. That actually helps pay for the land. The state running their wildlife on federal land is welfare. So if there were more cows/sheep out there that will help offset the cost.
Corner crossing. Donate donate donate! Make sure you donate to open up more land for the hunter! “We are all in this together!” While at the same time the residents are doing their best to make the non res pie smaller and smaller.
The short game is to get all these adult residents more tags.
What does the long game look like? Less habitat. More non res moving to your state for hunting reasons vying for the same tags you are. Less donations. Less support for wildlife issues. Less support for public land. Not being able to afford to live where you grew up.
I guarantee I’ll get some haha’s. I know most is true though. Look at Idaho, Montana, (just saw a news clip about another hundred acres getting developed by Bozeman today) Colorado, even Wyoming. Wyoming has the least amount of people. But prices there are shooting up on real estate. It’ll be easy for your kids to afford to live there I’m sure.
If you are a non res to the western states I would try to get what you can as soon as possible or move. The future isn’t looking bright for non res hunting. If you are a resident of a western state I hope you like company, higher cost of living, and loss of habitat. Because you are bringing it upon yourselves.
You guys are lucky I only had my phone
