Muley Hunter

What's even more annoying is when one of these NR hunters who took our tags comes on forums, and asks us where to hunt.

Big Uncle

Didn't you say you were a California resident for 30 years and hunted Colorado annually?

I believe residents should be given full priority on all non-Federal lands, and no NR licenses should be issued until the residents are served.

I believe that states should charge NR higher prices to hunt.

I believe that only people that have served the US should have priority on US land. Some things should be earned.

flags

Yeah. I've been trying to draw a Unit 2 either sex tag for almost 2 decades. For all that time I put in for preference points as first choice and hunted cows in unit 2 on my second choice or got an over the counter bull tag and hunted either 3, 15 or 18. I've finally got enough preference points to draw it. All I have to do is be stateside during the season.

One year the state went to the so called hybrid system (to pacify the recent transplants) and they basically took some of the tags away from those trying for years to draw and gave them to people with 5 points. The first year they did that, some guy from Los Angeles actually sent me a PM on another forum that I posted a lot on elk saying he had drawn the Unit 2 tag in the hybrid draw and he would "really appreciate" it if I would give him pointers on where to go since I'd been hunting cows all those years. Talk about pissing me off! This clown got a tag I've been trying to get for nearly 20 years and then he wants me to tell him where to hunt.

I promptly told him where to go and the quickest route to get there. Later I saw his name in the Boone and Crockett Club's magazine called Fair Chase. He took a bull that officially scored 379 and made the book. Sometimes there just isn't any justice in the world!

I've always thought the really premium tags for elk/deer and all the tags for sheep, goat and moose in CO should be reserved for the residents as pay back for all the taxes we have to shell out.

Muley Hunter

Yes, but I didn't whine about it, or expert any favors.

Then I moved here, so now I can complain like the residents did when I was a non resident.

jpbowhunter

It's an interesting situation, I don't know what international hunters come under but I've wanted to hunt in the US and have looked at a few outfitters here and there and obviously it depends on states but it took a while to get my head around the fact that for some places/species you have to apply for sometimes years and years to get a tag. Makes it hard to organise something when you don't know when to organise your hunt. Harder because for us it's a flight half way across the world as opposed to a few hours drive for some of you lads. But thats your system, can't see it changing so I and everyone else will just have to deal with it.
Feel spoilt to be in a state of Aus that grants a resident 12 month unlimited seasons on all bar one species of big game we have!

jpbowhunter

So one day after my years of planning and waiting to get a tag and to travel all across the world I shouldn't come to you as a fellow hunter for advice as to where to go? haha

flags

I don't want to speak for the man, but I'm pretty sure that isn't what he is talking about. In the USA often there are hunters from one state that complain and whine about the way another state issues tags. They always think those of us in the west should just give out tags away to someone living on the other side of the country. They have even gone so far as to try and take the western states to court to force them to issue tags the way they want them too.

What gets irritating is when someone, like the originator of this post, cries like a baby about tag allocation and then expects someone like Muley to tell them exactly where to find game. Mind you, often those of us in the west don't get a tag every years since they are limited. Yet someone from a state that allows them to kill 10 or 15 deer there still thinks they should just be given a tag out west. If I can't hunt myself why should I tell someone else where to get game? Let them do their own scouting.

If you are coming from half way around the world and wanted info on hunting, people would bend over backward to help you since you have already stated "But thats your system, can't see it changing so I and everyone else will just have to deal with it". You understand the states won't change the way they do things to accommodate you and that is the difference. How would you feel if a Yank from the USA complained because he can't just pop over the Australia and shoot a Banteng anytime he wants without consideration of the regulations you put in place to protect the resource?

Muley Hunter

I would think after your years of planning, you'd know where you want to hunt.

I'm talking about the guy from out of state that has planned nothing, has no points, and no clue who comes on a forum, and says......I'm coming to your state to take one of your tags away, and want to know where the best spot is to hunt. I don't want a trophy, but a 6x6 bull elk would be ok. I don't want your honey hole, but it would be nice.


Well, hell ya. You want to borrow my gun too?

txhunter58

Personally, I don't worry too much about tag allocations. What worries me more is pricing. I can't remember the last time I missed a Colorado hunt, but I would rather hunt every other year if it would mean that states would not continue their trend of weeding out hunters by pricing some out of the market. Montana is one state that is already there. They can't even sell all their nonresident allocations any more. Colorado, who is arguably the most nonresident friendly state, gives us an automatic price increase every year, while residents sit pat. Colorado is now making advetisements to try and lure the 30,000 nonresident elk hunters back that they have lost. I can pretty much afford to go in spite of the price but as stated, I would rather they cut me back to every other year if it would mean that more regular guys could still go. Several of my friends and others I know have been priced out.

And as far finding out where to hunt? Works the same way as it does in local circles: develop relationships and make friends of like minded people over time and they will help you when the time comes. What bothers me is guys who have never been on a website come one with their first post and tell you they drew a primo tag and couldn't we tell them where to hunt. Then they disappear to never be heard from again.

c-rad

Why would I want to tell someone somewhere to hunt, they shoot an elk and never comes back. Next week I start scouting for next years elk season. I go out from November until September just to hunt 9 days of elk and if I am lucky I get 5 days of deer here in November. I know residents here that complain they don't shoot elk but they never scout and want to know where the animals are. I have nothing against non-residents getting tags but when they want to know spots to hunt I don't agree with helping them out. If you knew it was going to take 10 years to draw your dream tag maybe they should of came out to that area a few times camping in that 10 years.