Wyoming proposal to slash Non-resident hunters

[timberland]

I'm surprised nobody has talked trespass fees or the harvest coupons that benefit the ranches. Both the deer and the antelope ranches I have hunted expressed that the trespass fees were a significant paycheck they lived on. Does anybody have trespass revenue figures?

And the economics of outfitters leasing ranches and the trickle down effect that hits the resident land owners?

 

[satchamo]

My solution is to move to WY. Plenty of others will do this as well.

Thats not a solution. You really think guys should have to uproot their lives and family to hunt elk?

You’re out of your mind.

 

[307]

Thats not a solution. You really think guys should have to uproot their lives and family to hunt elk?

You’re out of your mind.

You are not owed NR elk hunting privileges by the state of WY.

 

[blackdawg]

Hopefully the outfitters raise holy hell.

Dear Sportsman,

Wyoming Senator Larry Hicks has filed Senate File 103, a 90/10 license allocation and fee increase bill that would be devastating to your ability to draw a Wyoming big game hunting license in the future.

We need your help to contact members of the Senate Travel, Recreation and Wildlife Committee as soon as possible to share your opposition to the bill and how it would impact your ability to hunt in Wyoming. The bill will be heard by the committee at 8 a.m. on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

Please keep your messages focused and specific to how this appalling bill will hurt your future plans to hunt in Wyoming. Please let the senators know that you have made a financial investment in preference points and license fees and remind the Senators of the positive economic impact nonresident hunters, like yourself, brings to Wyoming.

Thank you for taking the time to reach out to these Wyoming Legislators it is critical they hear from you and how a 50 percent reduction in licenses would affect your ability to hunt and Wyoming’s economy.

The Senators are listed below:

Chairwoman Affie Ellis (Cheyenne) [email protected]
Senator Mike Gierau (Jackson) [email protected]
Senator Tim Salazar (Dubois) [email protected]
Senator Bill Landen (Casper) [email protected]
Senator Wendy Schuler (Evantson) [email protected]


Sincerely,

Sy Gilliland, President
Wyoming Outfitters & Guides Association
PO Box 2650
Casper, WY 82602
[email protected]
wyoga.org
307.265.2376

Kudos to the WYOGA President for writing this and making it public. This letter needs to be a new thread and also deserves to be shared immediately with the 38,000 one point holders and especially the guys that have a bunch of money invested in points who will be getting the goal post moved completely out of range! My crystal ball sees the trickle down of this kicking non-residents all over the western U.S. in the balls over the next few years. Full out assault on Non-Residents in 2021!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Fatcamp]

Kudos to the WYOGA President for writing this and making it public. This letter needs to be a new thread and also deserves to be shared immediately with the 38,000 one point holders and especially the guys that have a bunch of money invested in points who will be getting the goal post moved completely out of range! My crystal ball sees the trickle down of this kicking non-residents all over the western U.S. in the balls over the next few years. Full out assault on Non-Residents in 2021!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No doubt. Before long they will all look like New Mexico with sham outfitters the only real way to get a tag.

 

[wind gypsy]

Before long it’ll be cheaper to hunt Africa.

Before long you won’t be able to bring anything home from Africa

 

[EJFS]

Thats not a solution. You really think guys should have to uproot their lives and family to hunt elk?

You’re out of your mind.

It's just a matter of priorities. A lot of folks sacrifice the comfort of being close to family, opportunities to earn more, and put up with low wages and exploding cost of living to be in the mountains. You can buy 10 acres and house in Texas or the East for what it costs to buy a fixer upper 900 sq ft home in a lot of areas out west. There is still tons of opportunity to hunt elk, but I am glad that WY is looking out for it's residents. That said, I am very much against all of the subsidies that politically connected landowners receive.

 

[Flyjunky]

You are not owed NR elk hunting privileges by the state of WY.

I always get a kick out of responses like this from residents.

I don't understand the disdain some residents have toward NR hunters. Aren't we all out there for the same reason?

Maybe I'm looking through rose colored glasses but I would think residents would encourage NR to come hunt their states. As seen from the numbers in previous posts who do you think pays for the vast majority of your game departments funds? Without NR $$ your game departments would struggle and with that would be worse herd management and everything else that goes along with it. Without those NR dollars just think how much money your resident license and tag fees would be....then who do you think would be bitching to their legislatures?

 

[Dos Perros]

Thats not a solution. You really think guys should have to uproot their lives and family to hunt elk?

You’re out of your mind.

Is that what you think I said?

 

[BuzzH]

Funny how the residents always complain about NR but NR is what drives the money to allow the game to flourish. Whether that be buying land, population estimations and all that good stuff. It would be funny if this passed and the NR did not buy anything for 1-2 years and then they would see the loss of 3/4 income annually...

Don't over-play your "funding" hand.

There's a metric chit ton of NGO funding that's spent on wildlife from funding GF studies, GPS collars, funding for wildlife over-passes, fencing, etc. etc. etc. that is mostly all funded via RESIDENTS. I also haven't seen many non residents volunteering thousands of hours doing fence pulls, planting bitterbrush, assisting with helicopter captures, picking up literally tons of trash, advocating for wildlife and public lands with local and state politicians, getting the WWNRT funded, and the list goes on and on and on.

You pay more license fee's...which you should.

 

[Ranger 692]

Thanks for the list of senators, I just emailed them in support of moving the bill forward.

 

[BuzzH]

Thats not a solution. You really think guys should have to uproot their lives and family to hunt elk?

You’re out of your mind.

Then its not a priority, because there is NO way in hell I would live in a state that I couldn't hunt elk, deer, and pronghorn every year.

Its a luxury at that point and you pay for luxury...

Don't want to live in Wyoming, then don't ask or expect more than 10% of the tags...that simple.

 

[BuzzH]

I always get a kick out of responses like this from residents.

I don't understand the disdain some residents have toward NR hunters. Aren't we all out there for the same reason?

Maybe I'm looking through rose colored glasses but I would think residents would encourage NR to come hunt their states. As seen from the numbers in previous posts who do you think pays for the vast majority of your game departments funds? Without NR $$ your game departments would struggle and with that would be worse herd management and everything else that goes along with it. Without those NR dollars just think how much money your resident license and tag fees would be....then who do you think would be bitching to their legislatures?

Well, lucky for you this bill should get your full support.

It increases GF funding by 8 million a year, you still get all 7,250 full price elk tags in initial draw, all the region wide NR deer tags you get now, and will get more mid-tier pronghorn tags that NR's already get 30-32% above their allocation of.

Residents, that no question, fund more wildlife related programs here will get the same allotment of tags afforded Residents in every other state (90%)...including Oregon, gets.

Win-win-win, be sure to send your letter of support to the TRW committee.

 

[Scottyboy]

Well shit, i mailed off my deposit this morning for hunt next year. Hopefully this stalls long enough to get my tags!

 

[sholm]

How do Residents think this will help them? - maybe draw a LQ tag more often - possibly once more in there lifetime at current LQ quotas. There will still be the same number of hunters they are competing against only it will be a resident hunter that hunt & scout more days than a nonresident who is there for 5-7 days. It's not a reduction in tag numbers just where the competition comes from.
As for the cost increase - nothing in it makes sense to the average joe - compare it to other states if you want - they are all out of wack - it will only get worse if we think it's ok - it's on the path to only the ultra rich - if you think you can spend whatever : eventually you will have to make a decision.
I'm a non resident who has hunted Wy for 30 years, who has bought points and also given up on buying sheep and moose points, who will eventually give up on buying all points, who will eventually have to tell grandchildren that there isn't a chance to hunt in Wyoming because of the greediness of residents who can't seem to grasp who pays the bills or can't seem to handle the nonresident competition.

 

[Ten Bears]

Then its not a priority, because there is NO way in hell I would live in a state that I couldn't hunt elk, deer, and pronghorn every year.

Its a luxury at that point and you pay for luxury...

Don't want to live in Wyoming, then don't ask or expect more than 10% of the tags...that simple.

Do you speak like this to people in person or just on a keyboard ? I don’t mind your direct approach, just curious.

Why do you feel like a 90/10 split is the best number ? Because other states do ? What number do you feel is fair ? Should non residents get any tags ?

Also as a board member of Wyoming BHA are your opinions of this matter yours alone or do you speak for the origination ?

 

[BuzzH]

How do Residents think this will help them? - maybe draw a LQ tag more often - possibly once more in there lifetime at current LQ quotas. There will still be the same number of hunters they are competing against only it will be a resident hunter that hunt & scout more days than a nonresident who is there for 5-7 days. It's not a reduction in tag numbers just where the competition comes from.
As for the cost increase - nothing in it makes sense to the average joe - compare it to other states if you want - they are all out of wack - it will only get worse if we think it's ok - it's on the path to only the ultra rich - if you think you can spend whatever : eventually you will have to make a decision.
I'm a non resident who has hunted Wy for 30 years, who has bought points and also given up on buying sheep and moose points, who will eventually give up on buying all points, who will eventually have to tell grandchildren that there isn't a chance to hunt in Wyoming because of the greediness of residents who can't seem to grasp who pays the bills or can't seem to handle the nonresident competition.

If its only for the ultra-rich then why have NR applications across the board increased every year for deer, elk, and pronghorn in Wyoming for the last 10+ years then?

That many more "ultra wealthy" have taken up a new hobby?

Convince me that a buck pronghorns life isn't worth $600 so some NR can show up once a year for a couple days and put a bullet through one...

 

[BuzzH]

Do you speak like this to people in person or just on a keyboard ? I don’t mind your direct approach, just curious.

Why do you feel like a 90/10 split is the best number ? Because other states do ? What number do you feel is fair ? Should non residents get any tags ?

Also as a board member of Wyoming BHA are your opinions of this matter yours alone or do you speak for the origination ?

What you see is what you get...I'm speaking as a Resident hunter that wants to be treated the same way that Residents of other states are treated like in the West.

Meaning either Wyoming Residents get 90% of the best tags the exact same as the Residents in OR, WA, NM, AZ, UT, CA, ID, MT, etc. all enjoy or the Residents in those state's better start upping their NR allocations to those in Wyoming.

Since I've NEVER seen a single Resident from MT, ID, OR, WA, AZ, UT, CA, NM, N. DAKOTA, S. DAKOTA, etc. advocate to increase NR quotas above 0-10% there...why do you act all sored up because Wyoming Residents expect the same 90% of their licenses?

Yes, I'm direct and to the point in person...mamby pamby doesn't interest me in the least, facts, truth and to the point. Never was too keen on beating around the bush...

 

[Ten Bears]

What you see is what you get...I'm speaking as a Resident hunter that wants to be treated the same way that Residents of other states are treated like in the West.

Meaning either Wyoming Residents get 90% of the best tags the exact same as the Residents in OR, WA, NM, AZ, UT, CA, ID, MT, etc. all enjoy or the Residents in those state's better start upping their NR allocations to those in Wyoming.

Since I've NEVER seen a single Resident from MT, ID, OR, WA, AZ, UT, CA, NM, N. DAKOTA, S. DAKOTA, etc. advocate to increase NR quotas above 0-10% there...why do you act all sored up because Wyoming Residents expect the same.

Yes, I'm direct and to the point in person...mamby pamby doesn't interest me in the least, facts, truth and to the point. Never was too keen on beating around the bush...

I get it, we all want cake. I asked you a couple questions to grab some clarity on where you stand personally and in regards to the BHA. You chose to answer some. It’s important to know where BHA and guys that are as involved as you are stand in this.

The overall tone from you and some residents borders on disdain for non residents. Just trying to see why ? We pay our share and most of us don’t mind paying more. I personally just want what I have bought into and consistency going forward that opportunity will still realistically exist.

I am not “sored up” by a resident wanting more as you shouldn’t be about a non resident wanting his share also. We all have skin in the game. It’s figuring out what is the fair share.

 

[sholm]

To BuzzH: I suspect applications have increased because there are more people with expendable income then there was 10 years ago(there is a growing number of richer people and there are more people that are willing to use a credit card) and also in the information age there are more that have learned that they can apply, travel and make it happen than there was ten years ago.
As I stated it will 'eventually' get to be a sport for the "Ultra Rich".
Lastly $600 for an Antelope - how much do you spend as a resident? How much would you spend? (At some point a person has to decide on that - it will be different for everyone - easier for someone with unlimited funds for sure)
I just want to keep hunting Wyoming and want to think that I can spend time hunting in Wyoming with my grandkids - reducing the number of tags(elk, deer, antelope) that already takes 7-10 years to draw is very depressing.

I always try to put myself into the other sides thought process or situation and the only reason i can see for this from a resident's standpoint is they cant handle the competition either from hunting or you can't draw a coveted tag. Lets be real if I told you that as residents you can have all the tags but you have to ante up the whole nonresident portion of the budget > you would lose most all the residents other than the ones that maybe had big homes in Jackson Hole.