Wyoming proposal to slash Non-resident hunters

[BigBird69]

Reversing case law and changing established legislation is no easy task...ever tried it?

Nope and I don't plan on it. Simply stating that just because things are one way now doesn't mean it will be the same in the future. It's not an impossible task. Just highly unlikely.

 

[BBob]

Based on a recent thread, WY’s commission does’nt have the balls to tell the outfitters to go pound sand, like AZ did. Proven by the fact they are now holding NR’s money for 4+ months before awarding tags.

NM is the same, they hold the $$ and unless told otherwise by the courts (rarely happens but NM residents got some wins in the past) they always sway to the outfitters.

 

[String&stick]

I guess my big question is would this effect the overall amount of elk tags? Or would they issue more general tags to still hit the cap thus making residents angry and leading to more future changes?

I mean I don't like the fee hike at all but I've realized that if it doesn't hurt residents it's pretty hard to convince a state senator to vote against it!

On a completely unrelated note. . . Anyone know of some good banking jobs in wyoming???

 

[BuzzH]

I guess my big question is would this effect the overall amount of elk tags? Or would they issue more general tags to still hit the cap thus making residents angry and leading to more future changes?

I mean I don't like the fee hike at all but I've realized that if it doesn't hurt residents it's pretty hard to convince a state senator to vote against it!

On a completely unrelated note. . . Anyone know of some good banking jobs in wyoming???

No, the cap on elk tags would remain 7,250 full price NR licenses. The 6% reduction in LQ tags by going to 90/10 would increase the number of NR general licenses.

Meaning, if you want to hunt general elk as a NR point creep would be reduced for the general tag and you could likely draw more often.

 

[tdhanses]

I wonder which fees are "significantly underpriced"? I applied for elk this year and my choice was either about $700 for a regular application or $1,300 for a "special" app.

Same and I had to do the special to even have a chance.

 

[Fatcamp]

Not likely to pass in current form but NR getting 25% of the Sheep and 20% of the Moose licenses is absurd.
Add to that, WY issues a higher percentage of NR tags across all species than any other state, by a large margin. I'll gladly pay more to keep 16% of the Elk and 20% of the Antelope licenses. Not really a fan of paying more and getting knocked down to 90/10 though.

Well, at least you will be able to keep your money safe for four months. Gotta look for the sunny side, bud.

 

[jmez]

Are total application numbers going up every year? If so, with the number of point holders already in the system I can't see a 6% increase in general tags making much of a difference.

 

[String&stick]

No, the cap on elk tags would remain 7,250 full price NR licenses. The 6% reduction in LQ tags by going to 90/10 would increase the number of NR general licenses.

Meaning, if you want to hunt general elk as a NR point creep would be reduced for the general tag and you could likely draw more often.

Silver linings! If only I had burnt my points in the general from the get go instead of wandering into noman's land with 9 pt

 

[Wapiti1]

Well, it was going to happen eventually.

I am not liking the $600 antelope. That is a little steep, IMO. And I don't like the no NR tag if less than 10 total are issued. Otherwise, I can still hunt there every few years. Inflation sucks.

I do like that they still have grizzly tags listed for when the courts get done with that saga.

How is a bison worth so much? Is the tag cost calculated by the pound of the animal weight?

Its simple math folks. Non-residents will continually be pushed out as the populations of these states grow.

I suspect this is the tip of the iceberg in one respect. If you limit the NR allocation, the outfitters will want their slice of the pie. LO tags or some form of outfitter sponsored tag is likely waiting in the wings.

Jeremy

 

[Shooter264]

If this is true and passes, it’s fantastic news. Why should Wyoming be the most liberal state out there for percentage of NR tags? This would put them in line with several other western states.

 

[Wapiti1]

Silver linings! If only I had burnt my points in the general from the get go instead of wandering into noman's land with 9 pt

That only applies if you see the points as boat anchors instead of guaranteed opportunity. Sure you have an investment, but you also can draw a general tag at will. Is that a bad thing? That's the only reason I have points for elk and deer in WY and CO. Every few years I overpay in points to guaranty my tag and go hunt.

Better than waiting for Arizona to fix their computers and digitally give me the finger on an elk tag again.

Jeremy

 

[Wapiti1]

If this is true and passes, it’s fantastic news. Why should Wyoming be the most liberal state out there for percentage of NR tags? This would put them in line with several other western states.

When it comes to liberals, CO has you whipped. Both in resident liberals and tag allocation.

On the flip side, it will make the general season more crowded to some extent and not affect the LE hunts for total hunter numbers. If I were a resident, I don't think that would be agreeable since most of my hunting would be general season too.

Jeremy

 

[mtnbiker208]

states should take care of residents first. You can choose what state you want to live in.

 

[SteveW1473]

It is a shame that the only thing that considered is the $. I personally can remember a time when a NR could purchase a AZ strip archery tag (13 a and b)every year for 225.25 great times. Had some success never any monster bucks. Any more for an average income family it becomes very difficult to afford ay thing.

Good luck all. GET TWO JOBS IF YOU WANT TO HUNT out of state!!!!

 

[wapitibob]

Based on 2019 numbers, going to 90/10 Elk would see an addl 1,188 nr Special gen licenses issued in the random draw.

 

[robby denning]

Based on 2019 numbers, going to 90/10 Elk would see an addl 1,188 nr Special gen licenses issued in the random draw.

OK, so you're the 2nd person to understand it that way. So...if I were a Wy resident, I'd be against this bill as I'd have move people (NR) to contend with on the hunts I'm most likely to be going on each year (general).

Yes? no?

 

[Fitzwho]

To me, even as a NR, it is totally reasonable for a state to limit NR's to 10% or less of Sheep, Moose, and goats. Bison too if you want to throw those in there, and the increases in some of those tags aren't totally unreasonable. And just as much so on limited entry deer, elk, and antelope. At least the precedent is there. The issuance/tag number decreases are not fun by any means, but perfectly in line with every other state, so that is what it is.

Truthfully this legislation seems like a gross over-simplification of the state's system as a whole. For example Utah and New Mexico both have different pricing levels for "standard" and premium (High Quality/High Demand) hunts. Utah actually has 6 different deer prices between 10 different hunt classifications. Just change the Special/Regular draw system to have entire units/regions that are the Special Price only. While other units are the Regular price only. Base all that on resident demand and for the most part, I think everybody would be content (don't want to say happy, because someone will undoubtedly still be pissed).

Even with years of applications and no real guarantee of ever drawing a tag, there is undoubtedly a difference between paying $1200 for a Nevada Elk Tag that may have a total of 300 tags between 4 seasons and paying $1100 for a Wyoming General Tag that takes a non-resident 3 years to draw (with no point creep) but still has unlimited resident participation.

Maybe I'm missing something. The bill does simply state "Non-resident Elk Licenses" and does not seem to differentiate between General and Limited Entry.

 

[RyanT26]

Sounds like a kick in the balls for sure. I always enjoyed hunting Wyoming.
With a good portion of the western states cutting tags and increasing cost can we at least please stop the charade that the western states give two shits about hunter recruitment.

 

[mulecreek]

OK, so you're the 2nd person to understand it that way. So...if I were a Wy resident, I'd be against this bill as I'd have move people (NR) to contend with on the hunts I'm most likely to be going on each year (general).

Yes? no?

Maybe. In theory the 6% increase in res tags would be given to people that would have hunted Gen. So the number of Gen hunters total might just be flat. Hard to say for sure but I would assume a slight increase in total gen hunters but not ground breaking.

 

[GLB]

I definitely have mixed feelings about this but if it would help the resident hunters to have better seasons, and more opportunities I would be in favor of it.