TEmbry

So why aren't Residents allowed cheaper tickets to sporting events?
Discounted prices into national parks?
Why aren't NRs charged more at the toll booth, or down at the local diner?

It is based on fairness right?


Any way you look at it, it boils down to money. They know someone out there is willing to pay for it, so they charge it. I wouldn't have a care in the world if they wouldn't all require the money up front, EVEN IF YOU OPT FOR POINTS ONLY. What a crock, technically you aren't even entering yourself into the draw in the first place, yet you still have to come up with the several thousand dollars for the state to hold for you for a few months, then return all but the $20ish dollar fee for your point. Why not just charge for the point?

Why does WY require guides on "wilderness area" for NR hunters, but not for hikers, fisherman, or wildlife photographers..or even resident hunters for that matter? Does state of residency determine one's survival skills? Nope, another crock of bs to draw in more money.[:'(]

SouthDakotaHunter

You know, I'm starting to wonder if I should build PP's at all anymore in some of these states? As one example, I just recently spent $250 to apply (and build points) in Nevada. Doing the math, from a highlevel, applying in multiple states with high fees, I could easily spend $1000 - just for a chance at a low percentage draw/tag....

Maybe I'm better off hunting general units (and cheap states) and then every few years buying a landowner tag or paying a tresspass fee someplace for 3-4000??? At least that way I'm guaranteed to hunt at some point....

Anyone else went that way or thought about it?

muley699

BS, It is not based on fairness, it is based on supply and demand. If you can front the cash, you have just as good of chance as the next out of state shmoe trying to get a tag. Heres a thought, why should any tags be set aside for non-residents when there is a limited resident draw? Why the hell should somebody from out of state even be allowed to put in for a moose tag, when residents can't even hunt them w/o special draw?

SouthDakotaHunter

Why shouldn't a non-resident have at least a slim chance to come out and hunt on US Forest service land in MT for a hard to draw tag/hunt? After all, isn't Forest Service land in MT just as much mine as it is yours?

I guess all the land in the western states must be private or state owned land??

AK Jeff

Ummm...they do. Non-residents can apply for the MT drawings just like residents. The real difference is the tag costs them more.

What you people keep failing to realize is that land-ownership is completely irrelevant in this argument. The game animals are owned by the STATE that they live in, and those states can choose who can and can't consumptively use their resources. It doesn't matter if the animals areon Federal, State, or private property they're all owned by the STATE. That state is really no different than a business owner. They have a commodity to offer and a certain inventory that they can dispose of. They set their pricing based on the market so they can maximize their revenues from the finite amount of game that can be harvested. Lower resident tag prices are really no different than employee discounts that many businesses offer. They're just incentives to keep the constiuents happy. People from outside pay full retail. It's that simple. It's not based on anything even remotely close to fairness. It's all business. State game departments need to maximize their profit margins from the tags they sell because that's primarily what funds their game law enforcement, research progams, educational outreach, etc. They're not going to cut back their programs because somebody is butt hurt that non-resident tags are expensive. Reality is that most states probably wouldn't even offer non-resident tags if they could generate the same kind of revenue from just their residents.

SouthDakotaHunter

Yeah, I realize that's how game is managed and such - was just making the point that much of the game in western states is on federal land, just an interesting point I think when people are saying I don't have a right to hunt there. And honestly, I don't mind paying more as a non-resident, cause a non-res is going to pay more in my home state too. What irritated me was someone making a comment that just because I'm a non-res, we shouldn't be able to apply for draw tags in their state and the reference to non-residents as a schmoes... IMO - that's just a stupid and rude comment, period.....

spaniel

+1, and coming from a guy paying high fees for these hunts. I don't mind higher non-res fees....what I think is BS is the Wyoming guided requirement on wilderness areas....that is nothing more than BS gov-t subsidy of local businesses. If they can get people to go for it ok for them I guess, but this is one guy that won't set foot in the state as long as that regulation is in place. I will pay the high non-res fee, but I am DIY only.

AK Jeff

Actually most of the game animals, even in western states, are on private lands, not federal. Alaska (and possibly Utah and/or Nevada) would be the exception just because of theprevalance of public land. Regardless they're all state property, even in Alaska where there's seperate federal hunting regulations. You can go to any state and photograph or just casually view the wildlife side by side with the residents. You can camp and hike and take a crap behind a bush in the national forests just like everybody else regardless of your residency. It's when you want to become a consumptive user that all bets are off. The argument that the animals are on federal land has been taken to court repeatedly and it's been shot down repeatedly. Unless a species is protected by the feds...i.e. Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, Migratory Bird Treaty, etc. its management is up to the state. End of story. If game animals on federal lands belonged to all U.S. citizens then in the same respect the ones on private land would belong to that landowner. We certainly don't want that. Actually that would make it a lot easier for me to hunt the family ranch back in MT...maybe we do want that!!!

justhuntitall

First I will pay what it takes just the way it is but be carefull of what you wish if these states that charge alot get more for NR with huge price hikes they will take tags from residents so its better to pay a little more at home then charge the NR extreme amounts.


With that said I dont want to take a tag away from anyone in there own state it could be a kids tag you receive.

cherokee_outfitters

I don't agree with the Wyoming Outfitter law of having to have a guide to hunt the wilderness it does belong to all the people.

Lets break it down like this. People live in each state they choose to live. Being a resident should have it's benefits. Say Colorado has 250,000 elk and everyone doesn't have to draw or pay higher fees from out of state. That would be like opening the flood gates on a dam. How long do you think it would be until the number of elk were so low that the odds of seeing an elk in the wild would be slim to none. How many Young Hunters would ever get the chance to hunt in their own state before loosing interest in hunting period? There's a reason for the non resident fee's and limited draws especially in areas where the wild life officials are trying to bring up the numbers for a good hunting experience. The State should control the number of hunters in the field by tag fees and limited numbers by drawing tags in some area's.

I do believe everyone has the right to hunt. And the national forest belongs to us all and it's our playground. But I stand behind the state's for making decisions on keeping good hunting statistic's and not just flooding hunters into the field and wiping out the game. There's a big difference between a state having 250,000 elk and another state having 3 million whitetail deer. You have too understand the whole picture.

Also a Colorado Elk for around $600 is three times the meat for the money versus a Kansas Whitetail for $333. But it's not about meat is it. It's about being able to play and not have to pay. In life we all have to pay to play but some have to pay more. Move to where you want to hunt the game you want to hunt the rest of you life because it's going to get a lot worse in the future with numbers of tags and costs.

Last thing all states that draw for limited licences should be 50/50 so everyone gets a chance.