Utah Price Increase

[Mish-pop]

Sad to see what they are doing to hunting out west. Pricing regular people with families out of the game. All these prices keep doubling and my wages don’t. I prioritized my career to have time off because hunting used to be affordable~guess I should have went for the money instead!!! Hope I win the lottery soon

I did the same thing with my career. I really enjoy my job but the hope was to pay off school debt and start applying in Western states in a couple years. That's now a pipe dream and looks like my own state will be the only ticket. Main species I really wanted to try for was elk to have more opportunity than home state but that's looking less likely

 

[180ls1]

I did the same thing with my career. I really enjoy my job but the hope was to pay off school debt and start applying in Western states in a couple years. That's now a pipe dream and looks like my own state will be the only ticket. Main species I really wanted to try for was elk to have more opportunity than home state but that's looking less likely

Do not be dismayed. Keep investing in yourself and your career. Earning a higher income and being smart with $$$ is absolutely something every western hunter should keep on the table.

 

[LFC911]

If the price goes up, UT is still going to sell every NR tag. They don't care if the apps go down or if the average Joe gets priced out.

 

[dirtytough]

We can afford it. But if I apply for us and it's $1400 a year at what point do you just buy vouchers, lease land, take up knitting, etc? It would be nice if a Con org would step up and say no more grants if the insanity keeps up.

 

[IdahoBeav]

Usually, I am in support of price increases, but at this level it's a little wild. I wonder if this will cause increased demand for other states with lower fees.

 

[LFC911]

Usually, I am in support of price increases, but at this level it's a little wild. I wonder if this will cause increased demand for other states with lower fees.

It will but the other states will also follow suit on double digit % price increases.

 

[BuckSmasher]

I am conflicted on this. On one hand I am not rich and don't like paying more money. On the other hand, I have 15+ points in several states, including Utah and want to draw a tag before I am too old to use it. Fifteen years ago I was in my twenties and really didn't think I would be in this situation. Point creep keeps moving the goal post.

I live in Idaho now and everyone that hunts hunts public land. "Hunting Lease" is not even in the vernacular of hunters here. In Texas where I am from, if you met a hunter that was one of the first things that came up, "Where is your lease?". Looking at lease prices down there last month they range from 3-8k and up but average is probably around 4 or so. A lot which have required expenditures like protein etc. on top of that. Even broke guys that like to hunt in Texas will fork over a couple G's to hunt the same ole smallish bucks over a feeder in a cow pasture every year. When you look at how much more of an experience hunting wild elk, not sitting in a box blind ten feet from your four wheeler, on millions of acres of scenic and mountainous public land non-resident elk tags are cheap. IMO that is the elephant in the room when it comes to why tags are so unavailable. They are too cheap relative to their value.

Once again, not a big fan of paying more. I don't want the lil guys like me priced out. However, if they lil'guy could depend on drawing a 'gooderish' elk tag every few years, paying $2500 and actually harvesting and elk he would be better off than 85% of nonresident diy that head home with an empty truck bed paying 1k for a tag.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Usually, I am in support of price increases, but at this level it's a little wild. I wonder if this will cause increased demand for other states with lower fees.

I usually support the increases as well and chuckle at the threads that claim they are ridiculous. I think other states will increase too, but other states (MT/WY/ID/CO/AZ) offer a lot more in my mind when compared to Utah. Strictly looking at amount of tags available to nonresidents, trophy potential/hunt quality of the general hunts, and fact any LE permit is essentially OIL and will take 20 years to draw.... makes it hard to justify.

 

[CorbLand]

Will be interesting to see the results of this years draw and see if people try to burn points and get out of the game with the potential for increased pricing coming.

 

[180ls1]

It will but the other states will also follow suit on double digit % price increases.

And then leases and landowner tags will follow. Then do state tags look like a bargain again in 10 years?

 

[NRA4LIFE]

When MT doubled the price of deer/elk/combo tags, NR's freaked out and you could by tags OTC for a number of years. Once again it takes 2-3 years to draw now. People will still buy them.

 

[resident vs nonresident]

When MT doubled the price of deer/elk/combo tags, NR's freaked out and you could by tags OTC for a number of years. Once again it takes 2-3 years to draw now. People will still buy them.

Hmm so maybe next 2-3 years is the time to apply

 

[Fitzwho]

Seems like a kick in the teeth to nonresidents. Doesn't appear that residents are having to own up to any additional funding either, no increases there. Anybody want to join in on the conspiracy that this is an attempt to further the privatization of Federal Public Lands in Utah by disenfranchising nonresidents to not give a hoot?

So $836 for a NR General Deer tag that a resident can go buy for $46 at Walmart, that's giving me Montana vibes. Guess I'll be applying for general deer so I don't waste those points, and won't be applying for general deer again.

Have to figure out, if this goes through, whether it would take affect on this year's cow elk tags, because the draw results are usually out the first week of July. I have enough points to draw any cow tag in the state, and I was thinking about picking up a tag anyway, but now I will likely burn those points and step away from all antlerless tags in Utah as well. Saves me $160 in application fees, $700 for a cow tag isn't crazy, but it was a good deal at ~$300, now its just on par, but adding the higher application/point fee... Meh.

The limited entry prices are tough, likely won't keep me from applying for some of them. Problem being that I'm in everything at 9 points currently, so nothing to draw and be able to step away from it this year. Will likely step away from Mountain Goat (my knees are built for that anymore anyway), Bison, and maybe even Moose. The sheep have always been a raffle tag to me anyway (really the whole state was).

Even cutting those out, I'm still looking at Utah costing $400/year in nonrefundable application fees and a license and I realistically still have 10+ years of applying to have decent odds at getting anything else.

 

[CorbLand]

Seems like a kick in the teeth to nonresidents. Doesn't appear that residents are having to own up to any additional funding either, no increases there. Anybody want to join in on the conspiracy that this is an attempt to further the privatization of Federal Public Lands in Utah by disenfranchising nonresidents to not give a hoot?

So $836 for a NR General Deer tag that a resident can go buy for $46 at Walmart, that's giving me Montana vibes. Guess I'll be applying for general deer so I don't waste those points, and won't be applying for general deer again.

Have to figure out, if this goes through, whether it would take affect on this year's cow elk tags, because the draw results are usually out the first week of July. I have enough points to draw any cow tag in the state, and I was thinking about picking up a tag anyway, but now I will likely burn those points and step away from all antlerless tags in Utah as well. Saves me $160 in application fees, $700 for a cow tag isn't crazy, but it was a good deal at ~$300, now its just on par, but adding the higher application/point fee... Meh.

The limited entry prices are tough, likely won't keep me from applying for some of them. Problem being that I'm in everything at 9 points currently, so nothing to draw and be able to step away from it this year. Will likely step away from Mountain Goat (my knees are built for that anymore anyway), Bison, and maybe even Moose. The sheep have always been a raffle tag to me anyway (really the whole state was).

Even cutting those out, I'm still looking at Utah costing $400/year in nonrefundable application fees and a license and I realistically still have 10+ years of applying to have decent odds at getting anything else.

Which Walmart can I go buy a general season deer tag at?

 

[Forestryguy]

I’m going with the theory that the anti hunters are the real backers of all the price increases. With less everyday joes involved in hunting is less voices that politicians will hear from as they try to ban all hunting.

 

[RyanT26]

Kinda ridiculous but we are at the point of pay to play.

 

[king402]

How long before states just stop allowing nonresident hunting? Getting so overpriced. Out of control!

 

[BuckSmasher]

I’m going with the theory that the anti hunters are the real backers of all the price increases. With less everyday joes involved in hunting is less voices that politicians will hear from as they try to ban all hunting.

Too be fair. Non-resident hunting is not about 'opportunity'. For example, I see you are from Wisconsin. Last year hunters shot 189K deer per this article.

Deer harvested during this year’s Wisconsin gun hunt up 5.2%

Hunters registered 189,622 deer during the 2024 season, preliminary data shows.

spectrumnews1.com

That is 69K more elk than LIVE in Idaho and 115K more than live in Utah. In other words hunters in WI last year harvested 2.5 deer for every elk living in Utah. Elk, especially non resident elk, is not a 'opportunity' hunt. Adventure hunt, Destination hunt. Dream hunt. But not 'opportunity'.

2024 Estimated Elk Herd Populations by State

Top 5 Elk States & Links to Their Wildlife Agencies Where do you even begin as an out of state hunter to plan an archery or rifle elk hunt? Some states make it easier, and certainly more attainable, than others. Here are the top 5 states as of 2024 boasting the largest elk herds and links to...

rugidgear.com