cherokee_outfitters

lets talk around the table and find out what the good deals are out there and the bad ones.

What do you think of paying ten times more that a resident to hunt a states game?

Is it me or the draw areas getting ridiculous to be able to get a tag in?

Are we paying much more for hunts than they are worth?(Guided and private land)

What is the average cost per person of a do it yourself hunt out of state?

What the best deal out there that's close to real hunting and not fenced game?

Just wanted to talk about something other than wolves.

charlie brown

1) Cost of tags? I think it is fair for nonresidents to pay 10 times more than residents must. A resident spends the whole year paying road taxes, sales tax, income tax, etc. The cost of all of these things add up, and a nonresident only pays a minimal amount of taxes in that state while they are there. A fair trade to me. I will still apply for tags out of state as funds allow. I applied for WY elk, this year but did not draw. Will probably go there this fall for antelope just because I like to hunt. It doesn't bother me too much at all. Even considering a guided black bear hunt in Idaho next year.

2) Draw areas? Well, we can't help that too much. The biologists set the quota so a species doesn't get over hunted. A lot of people want to hunt so a lot of people apply. Thats how life is, we all live with it and then appreciate it when we do draw and thank God that we can have the opportunity to challange one of his creations.

3) I really don't think hunts are all that outrageous. Guides put a lot of money into their business. You are paying for their labor, the equipment, (which must be replaced from time to time), their licenses, ($1500 a year in Nevada for a master guides license), insurance, (I'm sure that isn't cheap), Any animals, plus the skills that they have developed over the years. Private land hunts, (tresspass fees) seem reasonable too. A rancher puts a lot of money into what he has. Sometimes millions of dollars into one plot of land. You can't actually expect them to let everybody on his land for free! That would be cutting his own throat!

4) I think I could go to Wyoming for a do-it-yourself antelope hunt for about $500 including tags. I would stay at my aunts house, where I used to live, so that would cut the cost down a bit. Looked the other day at an archery antelope hunt in North Dakota. Cost of tag would be about $213. Travel cost (gas, etc.) would be close to $750. Other supplies, camping fees, etc, puts us in the neighborhood of about $1500 I figure. Cost of a guided black bear hunt in Idaho- $1500, plus tags, and travel, comes to about $2500. Not too bad, when you figure all of the above mentioned stuff on what the guide has to do.

5) Out west there is no fenced game, (or at least very little). Not sure what the best deal would be, but there are some good ones.

Wolf killer

I think the higher priced tags for non-resident are fair. I am looking at a non-resident elk hunt in Colorado for 2005. I will gladly pay the higher price to hunt out-of-state.

Some draw areas are ridiculous. I will never apply for these areas. I want to hunt elk every year. You can hunt on public land every year and take your chances. You just might kill a monster? Sometime elk foget what area/unit they are in and they cross that magic line into a non-trophy area/unit.

Are we paying much more for hunts than they are worth (guided & private land?)
YES The sad thing is so many people think you need to hunt on private land to kill elk? They do not know there is a ton of public land that holds some great elk hunting.

What is the average cost of a do it yourself hunt out of state?
Good question. I traveled back to Idaho to hunt with family for 8-years in a row. My total cost per year was around $2,000.

What is the best deal out there that's close to real hunting & not fenced game?
Not sure what you are looking for on that one? My wife has permission to hunt on a 10,000-acre ranch every year. These elk have very little hunting pressure and they almost always stay on this ranch. She is allowed to hunt this ranch for free & the rancher guides her. I have been with her when she has hunted there before but I do not hunt there.

justhuntitall

I dont agree with paying ten times the amout. I think everyone that has the dream to hunt a certain animal should get that chance. I do agree that residents should pay less Iam just saying its price gouging lets just be fair about it that fedral ground that you guys hunt on I pay for too. Mark my words if the prices get hire do you realy think your state will give you a tag before a nonresident. I think we need try to keep the cost close to each other or we wont be able to hunt are own state.


Ive never tried for a draw area found out that if you go to hard to hunt public ground you will find good numbers and trophy qaulity. You have to use other hunters to your advantage.


I dont think you can put a price on a hunt its up to the hunter I wouldnt pay much for a trophy whitetail hunt in IL . But I would take the same money pay for guided moose hunt



Iam a pro at do it yourself hunts cheap and been very successfull. I can go to CO. from IL. hunt elk for 9 days for between $700 to a $1000. And be hunting right beside guides who clients pay $3000 .

DelcoJim

As far as taxes go according to
http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxingspending.html

Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, Montana ,Idaho, Alaska, Kansas, Nebraska, Arizona, Pennsylvania, South Dakota,and North Dakota all take more Federal Money that they give .
As far as I Know Non-residents pay the same state taxes that residents do when they are there , plus contribute more in way of for rental vehicles and Hotels. I would be willing to bet that the License fees are also Taxed
Although residents pay other taxes such as property tax and school taxes not borne by non resident
I hate the idea of paying "ten times more that a resident to hunt a states game", but if they dropped the price too much alot more people would get in on the act and that would be bad thing too. but it does feel as though non residents will not beallowed to hunt the "KINGS Game" unless they pay the Kings ransom.
I think my Home states Nonresidents fees are too high.
"Is it me or the draw areas getting ridiculous to be able to get a tag in?"
Its you , if they let everyone in then you would no longer want to hunt there either Colorado does a nice job with this circumstance as far as i can tell , some hard to get tags for areas and alot of ground for for the masses to find what they may with an off chance of a large animal
"Are we paying much more for hunts than they are worth?(Guided and private land)"
not really , if it was too much you wouldn't go back and they wouldn't still be in that business for long
"What the best deal out there that's close to real hunting and not fenced game?"
for me , so far my best deal is a week deer hunting in the North Woods of Maine ,if you go early in the season you can hunt just about everything but Moose costs me about $650 food ,lodging(log Cabin with wood burning stove and no running water) ,gas and tags, GAS will be going up though

iloveto4x4innc

I hunt with family so my expenses are fairly low, fuel and food for the drive out and back, and tag(OUCH!) Is it fair that non-residents pay 10x more for a tag? I wish that's all I paid for a tag. Little brother is a CO resident, his over the counter bull tag last year was like $25. My non-resident over the counter bull tag last year was $475. That's almost 20x more for non-resident. THis year I put in for a draw cow tag, price $250. If I don't draw, I probably won't go as it gets painful coughing up $475 for a tag, $500 for fuel to get there, plus whatever other expenses come up. I don't make the kind of money it takes to pay those prices.

idahoelkinstructor

To begin I live in Idaho where it is hard to draw a trophy tag if you rifle hunt. But if you hunt with a bow you can hunt the same area's that difficult to draw with a rifle. As long as a person is willing to hunt with a bow they have their pick of the state's best hunting area's. I mostly bowhunt, I should add that if you hunt with a muzzle loader you get screwed in Idaho because there are few good hunts availble. I also hunt out of state Utah and Wyoming when funds allow. I do not think that out of state prices are too high. As far a how much a hunt cost it depends on the variables. I have friends in Utah and Wyoming so we can help out each other. My friend from Utah came to Idaho two years in a row bowhunting elk with me, other than the out of state tags and gas the cost was the same had he been hunting in his home state. He though he got a heck of a deal because he baged a 4 point bull and a 6 point bull, not bad for a $1000 spent on tags. That is one way to look at it. Thanks

338shooter

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.

txhunter58

Colorado resident price is $30.25 and nonresident is $490.25. Right at 16X the resident cost. Deer is right at 15X. Right now costs me just less than $1000 to hunt a bull. I can live with that. However, there is no end in sight to the yearly increases. I may still be hunting when it tops $1000 for just the tag. I think that is a shame because it drops too many people out due to finances. Reduce our numbers, but don't let it become just a sport for the rich.

The "I pay taxes all year long" is a common argument, and it does have some validity. However the Colorado DOW DOES NOT receive any of that money. They get 70% of their license revenue (which I believe is over 85% of their budget) from nonresident license sales and that % is climbing every year. How much is enough? The sad part is that residents are willing to pay more and an increase was shot down this year by the legislature.

I am totally ok with limiting nonresdent numbers as long as the common man is not priced completely out of the experience. I think reducing our numbers strictly by raising prices higher each year is bad for hunting.

idahoelkinstructor

I agree to a point that the prices are high (in some states) for out of state Licenses and Tags. I feel though that Idaho is fair in their pricing. Here are the prices for 2004 hunting season.


resident licence $11.50
elk tag $28.50
deer tag $18.00
antelope tag $28.50
bear tag $10.50
moose, mountian goat,
or sheep $164.50

nonresident licence $128.50
elk tag $338.50
deer tag $235.00
antelope $235.00
bear tag $235.00
mountian lion $235.00
moose, mountian goat,
or sheep $1,514.50