RE: Tag prices, Draws, and hunt costs.
I would say that non-resident price of tags is getting out of hand. I will use Wyoming as an example.
For a Special Elk tag, a non-resident has to pay $880, for the regular license it's $480, and everything is lottery; a resident pays $42. For realistic odds of drawing you have to put in for the special license, and up through this year there was no preference point system (so although residents are guarenteed to go every year, a non-resident can never really plan ahead). So a non-resident has to send their money in and let the game and fish hold it for at least a month, then if you happen to draw, you can't hunt a wilderness area (another advantage given to Wyoming residents) unless you hire a guide or have a friend that lives in the state.
I do believe non-residents should pay more. But 20 times higher for any chance of drawing an elk tag is a bit excessive to me. Not to mention not having the ability to hunt wilderness areas or being able to plan ahead (no preferrence points, although I beleive that is starting next year).
Basically residents payed around $2,000,000 total in 2002 to the Wyoming game and fish for elk licenses, while non-residnets pay close to $7,000,000 in to the game and fish despite have 1/5 of the amount of hunters for elk in the same year.
Like I said, I agree non-residents should pay more, but all those things metioned above seem a bit out of control to me.