I agree with alot of what is being said here. The fact is that BIG MONEY is talking. I am an out of stater from MO who loves the chance to hunt whitetails in Illinois every year for a week. It is a fantastic state to hunt. I for one have never had to wait in a line at a check station to check a deer(archery). I know there are alot of mixed feelings about out of staters and the lose of your hunting ground to them. I have never hunted with a outfitter and only hunt public ground but I think setting aside 7500 tags for outfitters is not helping the local guy out with his problem. That is just filling the outfitters pocket allowing him to acquire and buy up more of your hunting ground that you may have hunted since a child. Raising the tag price is also just outrageous. To me the IDNR needs a outfitters license because that is what they are becoming. Its all about money and not the hunter or the hunting and what it stands for and represents. I sure hope the price doesn't go up because thats alot of money to tie up on a chance. The lottery is fine with me I'll take my chances but not at $500 a pop and I think those that hunt with the outfitters should not be given special treatment. This stuff is getting crazy. I also take offensive to the comment about earning your buck. I set aside one week a year to come and hunt public ground in IL. Since doing so I have taken several nice bucks the most recent two scoring 147 and 171. I don't think that makes me lucky at being at the right place+right time and if that is the case it is because I put MYSELF at the right place right time on purpose I would say.