Wyoming Senate File 103: Mar 2021 proposal to raise cost of non-resident tags

[flatwater bill]

Interesting discussion and thread. Would like to hunt antelope in Wyom (or anywhere else) this year hence my interest. Have only 6 points. The demand for non-res tags in most Western states is so high, that I have expected huge increases. And they'll still sell out. I'm hoping you only need a guide for wilderness areas, but that could have changed to read all federal lands for all I know. Perhaps someone can clarify. I will study Wyom regs more carefully now, as Utah deadline is tomorrow and that has occupied by time. FWIW.....last year there were 112 non-res antelope tags in Utah, and 5522 applicants. There are 561 pages of drawing odds to study. Best of luck to all with the applications and fees........................FWB

 

[Hogpatrol]

Same here, following this thread, it seems like the boomer's mad rush before they die, all scrambling for that bucket list hunt.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

How are they going to finance the Game and Fish on what they charge residents for tags? And how are they going to pay for their new $8,000,000 G&F office building in Cody?

New building for $8 million, I know, lets increase non-resident tags.

 

[LivingTheDream]

@Surgeon1 I guess this is what is a bit frustrating to me is that I hear guys say "AZ, NM, and UTAH only give 10% and we need to be like them". IMO it is a bad policy and bad policy shouldn't be replicated. It is detrimental to the long term sustainability of hunting. We need to get as many people as possible on board, buying licenses and buying points. Making it impossible for someone in their 20s to draw top tags is not a recruitment tool.

I appreciate the generosity of Wyoming residents when it comes to tag allocation, I just wish we were more focused on the conservation efforts that need to be done rather than spending effort on tag allocation.

 

[Muskox]

Commissioner Rael said " The Commission has planned for over a decade to build this office , and managed our operating fund so we could responsibly allocate sportsperson dollars within our means for this building."
Sure doesn't sound like it was paid for by taxpayers.

My father lives in Cheyenne, he told me that there was a big hubub about it a couple of years ago when they were funding it, and that it was paid for out of the general state building fund.

Who knows.

 

[jduckhunter]

Interesting discussion and thread. Would like to hunt antelope in Wyom (or anywhere else) this year hence my interest. Have only 6 points. The demand for non-res tags in most Western states is so high, that I have expected huge increases. And they'll still sell out. I'm hoping you only need a guide for wilderness areas, but that could have changed to read all federal lands for all I know. Perhaps someone can clarify. I will study Wyom regs more carefully now, as Utah deadline is tomorrow and that has occupied by time. FWIW.....last year there were 112 non-res antelope tags in Utah, and 5522 applicants. There are 561 pages of drawing odds to study. Best of luck to all with the applications and fees........................FWB

Bill you have a pretty good option when it comes to hunting antelope in WY this year. PM me.

 

[Firebird]

Talked to my connections in Wyoming last night and today. He heavily stated how he hates when he can’t draw a tag and he drives the unit and all the trucks have “foreigner” license plates.
The outfitter I talked to said vast majority of his clients are non res and residents won’t pay for an outfitter so if non res permits drop, he will lose majority of his business.

 

[JimP]

That's pretty much the same in any state where the non resident hunter is going to outnumber the resident hunter. You have to figure that Wyoming has the smallest population of all the states. That along with lots of local hunters will just be out for the day or a few days at at time where a non resident will be there for a week or more. The residents also need to look at how long that those non residents put in for the tags that they have. I've been putting in for a antelope hunt that takes 8+ points for a non resident but a resident can hunt the same unit every couple of years.

But it is the same in all the states, the residents want to keep the non residents out and put a hard cap on the tags that they can draw

 

[jduckhunter]

This is really nothing new Wyoming residents have been screaming for years to get the number of nonresident hunters reduced. I personally feel that this is just a few politicians trying to gain some points with the locals.

 

[Rock375]

I hunted eastern Wyoming for mule deer and antelope on private land the last 20 years. Just paid the rancher a modest trespass fee. Unfortunately he has sold the ranch. I love to hunt antelope in Wyoming and will need to find another place now. That’s if I can even draw a tag? Never had a problem doing that in the past.

 

[LivingTheDream]

That's pretty much the same in any state where the non resident hunter is going to outnumber the resident hunter.

Resident hunters still get more tags than the Non-Resident. Which is the way it should be. But the issue I have is changing the % allocated after people have been putting in for years.

Not having enough tags is always going to be an issue. If you look at how much auctions tags are going for, there is obviously a very high demand.

 

[Muskox]

Wyoming's demand isn't going away, they can pretty much charge whatever they want.

New Mexico's $5000 non-resident sheep tag has a ton of applicants.

 

[flatwater bill]

Rock...........sorry to hear that you lost your hunting place. As you know, Units with principally private land in East or Central Wyom are fairly easy to draw because of access issues. Public land areas in the West and South are heavily oversubscribed. You can solve the problem by throwing enough money at it, but reasonably priced trespass fees for DIY hunters are disappearing fast. Costs will eventually put a stress on the average guy. Good luck.....................FWB

 

[jduckhunter]

I hunted eastern Wyoming for mule deer and antelope on private land the last 20 years. Just paid the rancher a modest trespass fee. Unfortunately he has sold the ranch. I love to hunt antelope in Wyoming and will need to find another place now. That’s if I can even draw a tag? Never had a problem doing that in the past.

I know what your going through, I've been hunting deer and antelope in WY every year since 1984. When looking for a new place to hunt don't forget about the game wardens, game biologists and local area chamber of commerce, they all usually have a list of land owners that are looking for hunters. I know it's hard to believe but there are ranchers in eastern WY looking for hunters to reduce the deer and antelope populations on their property. The problem is that most nonresidents shy away from those areas with a lot of private land ownership, when if they just did a little homework they could have some amazing hunting for a little bit of nothing.

 

[Nevada Mike]

I live in SE Arizona. Big game tags for non-residents and residents alike are restricted. But bird hunting is open to all. Consequently, in my area the non-resident hunters do out number locals. The Mearn's quail we have here are a very limited resource and populations are subject to big fluctuations from year to year. This is due to weather mainly. The population will bounce back if there is enough seed stock.

I have no problem with non-resident hunters if they respect the resource and do not over harvest birds in the down years. Unfortunately, many hunters, apparently thinking that they need to optimize return on their trip and non-resident license costs are very tough on the bird populations. Consequently when we have favorable weather conditions there may not be enough birds to repopulate to really huntable levels. Non-resident hunters do contribute to the local economy and are welcomed here, I just wish they would limit their take since the only controls on hunting predation is a general daily limit.

Many also come to the area to hunt Coues whitetail deer. In many hunting areas the difficulty of drawing a tag is not bad at all for non-residents. We have a lot of Coues deer here, but bringing one to bag is not as easy as drawing a tag.

 

[Hunter101]

I sent emails to those senators to vote no. Going to take tags out of outfitters hands. I'm pretty confident this bill will not pass. Pretty sure the elk feeding grounds is a much bigger issue

 

[Muskox]

This bill may not pass this year, but it will eventually pass.

 

[JimP]

The Bill failed in Committee. BUT- it will be back and isn't going away.

 

[Muskox]

If memory serves, he has introduced a similar bill every year.

 

[LivingTheDream]

If memory serves, he has introduced a similar bill every year.

Yes next year will be having the same conversation. It might be two years as this was not necessarily killed but punted to the task force and I think their report isn't due till mid 2022. But we will see.