Cougar Mag

Illinois Farm Bureau wins again.[]

TeeJay

Here in MN, the NR will pay whatever their home state or province pays for a NR tag. So on that note come on up IL resedents see how it feels to get raped!

BTBowhunter

Well, its apparently a done deal. Passed yesterday.Got some sketchy details from an outfitter freind who just talked to DNR.... $100 increase this year and $ 50 more for each of the next two years. The minimum quota is 20,000 with the first 7,500 being drawn from clients of outfitters. There will probably be online applications very soon.

Zim

Worked hard to locate a great public land spot close to Indiana, but count me out for 2006. Too much money. Me and my points will be spent in Iowa this year. Probably just stay home to hunt in 2006.

Curious if our state goes to reciprocal fees with this treatment.

duramaxlt

if their going to a lottery it needs to be done very quick.personally i was hoping for an end to the caps there is no need for caps where bowhunting is concerned.jmo

Cougar Mag

This is the part I hate...........outfitters getting the first 7,500. All Non-resident hunters should be treated the same whether they use an outfitter or not.

BTBowhunter

Why is that a problem? Outfitters lay out big $$, usually early in the year, and then have to hold their breath while they wait and see if their clients draw tags.

It appears you would just as soon not see any NR's, but, assuming that some NR hunters are going to be a fact of life, would you prefer the guy who drags a camper into Illinois, hunts unguided on the little bit of public land there is (land that you as a resident probably helped pay for) and spends almost nothing in your state? Or would you rather see the hunter that comes in and pays the outfitter who pays the landowner, pays the guides, pays the grocery stores, pays the motels, pays local taxes etc etc etc??

alwyshntn

I guess I don't see it the same as BT but I don't see why a client of an outfitter would have any more trouble than anyone else in obtaining a tag. Why set aside 7,500 tags? I have traveled to Illinois for the last several years to hunt their PUBLIC LAND and I didn't do it out of a camper. First of all I have called the first day tags went on sale and had no problem getting a tag every year. I feel they should leave it fair game for all to call in and draw tags. I mean its not like your in a drawing or anything. If you know your going and your going to hunt w/ a outfitter and you've spent that kind of money to hunt I think you can use the phone like everyone else does. Secondly, Sure some of us are not spending the big money to pay an outfitter to hunt but that does not make our money we do spend any less valuable. We rent cabins from the DNR on the public ground to hunt. We also buy our groceries in IL as well as eat in their restaurants and buy their gas. I don't think it fair to say that a NR that hunts public ground is less valuable a hunter to IL economy than one that decides to hunt w/ an outfitter. I wonder how often a person that hunts w/ a outfitter returns year after year to contribute to IL. I might not spend the big outfitter fee but I come back EVERY year and spend money. I realize everyone sees thing differently and I just wanted to express my view of your comment. Aren't you a NR?

IL Rancher

No people should be given preference for tags just because they make their living off of outfitting or because they have enough money to pay an outfitter. The outiftters are hated as much as they are because they are the ones who are leasing up all the ground and keeping residents from being able to hunt. By increasing the amount of land they control and by being able to guarentee all the clients a tag they will be able to afford to lease more ground and soon enough certain areas have very little huntable ground anymore. And worse they only lease the ground to use during deer season and keep all small game hunters out the rest of the year.

Money spent by those who use outfitters goes to the outfitters. Those who come and camp or hunt from hotels are the ones who use resteraunts, drive themselves all over the place, get groceries at the local grocery store and such. With the outfitters I know they provide everything and the money is more concentrated.

It really is irrevelvant now because there will be no limit so they can give the first 20,000 to outfitters and the next 100,000 to the other NRs. It just doesn't matter with the virtually unlimted tags now available. But to answer your question, I would rather see the NR who doesn't use an outfitter. Has very little impact on me as I have my land to hunt but the growth of outfitting is only a huge negative for the state in the long run.

Big Country

Just to disspell some faulty info posted in the last two posts....

90% of outfitters do NOT have big, fancy lodges. Clients of most outfitters spend the money in Illinois on the EXACT same things as do-it-yourselfers do.

That means the ONLY money that stays with the outfitter is the hunting fee.

Also....the outfitters that have the big, fancy lodges.......built those big, fancy lodges utilizing local labor, local building components, and they hire local help to guide for them.

All of this spurs the local economy.

This subject is what it is.........paying money to hunt BIG bucks, or BIG any type of animal is here to stay.

The world changes constantly, that is the sad truth.

In 1978 I bought my first brand new 4WD pickup truck for $6000.00

In 2003 I bought my latest new 4WD pickup truck for...$41,000.00


I sure do miss the old days....but if I wanted a new and fancy pickup truck....I had to do what was necessary to obtain it.