'08 Wyo. Fee$$

Interesting to read all the posts about how kids are being priced out and hunting is going down the tubes because the kids can't go hunting. Don't they have deer in every state in the country. Seems like most states have upland game and/or waterfowl, small game and predators. In the south they have hogs, frogs, and who know's what else. Yer kid's have plenty to hunt right in yer own state. The argument that hunting will go down the tubes because kid's can't come to Wyoming or Arizona or Nevada to hunt elk or mule deer is a crock of chitola...
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-12-07 AT 10:43PM (MST)[p]Triple_BB,

Well said, and my point exactly. I hunted ONE state a year until I was 25, that being the state I lived in. When I first started hunting it was one elk tag a year, one deer tag a year, and maybe an antelope tag. Kids now days have WAAAAYYYYY more opportunity in Montana where I grew up hunting. Multiple elk tags, multiple deer tags, and multiple antelope tags.

Sounds to me like packout is more interested in his own hunting than any kids...but hey, thats fine. Just dont use the kids as a pawn to bash Wyoming for raising license fees.

How many antelope tags could you buy for a kid with a $1600 moose permit?

I now hunt 2-4 states a year and apply in 7-9 states a year. I dont expect the various states to lower tag fees to make it easier on me to do so. I pay the price and consider it a donation to the sport some here only pretend to care about.
 
When my kids became old enough to go to the west to hunt ,we took on some type of summer jobs to make enough money for the license and the trip.We did lawn mowing ,painting small house repair jobs etc.
I think the oppertunity is still there for kids to do the same,if they want to go.
we had some great experiences and non of us would trade that for anything we have done.
i sure am not a rich man but I still figure out a way to apply for several licenses each year,and just do without of a couple of other of lifes luxurys.
 
I agree that this whole "its for the children" is a crock!!! Kids can hunt anywhere, not just Wyoming or Arizona. Lets see dads forfit thier tags so junior can hunt then I'll believe it. I NEVER hunted out of state, let alone out of the county.

"When my kids became old enough to go to the west to hunt ,we took on some type of summer jobs to make enough money for the license and the trip.We did lawn mowing ,painting small house repair jobs etc."

You want to teach your kids to hunt, teach them this statement above FIRST. They'll appriciate it more anyway! I love to see these kids that have never killed a rabbit but they have an 80" goat hanging in thier rooms. BackAsswards


Donnie
 
I agree with you guys to a point, I never hunted out of state until I was 30. BUT, if kids want to have a chance at the better hunts in the west before they're 90 years old and in a wheel chair they need to start building points as soon as the state allows. when all of us 40 somethings were kids not only were tags easier to get but there were no point systems, imagine our chances if we had started out 20 points behind the pack. I believe in lower entry and point fees with a higher tag fee when and if you draw.
 
Huntin, that is very well put, better than what I had posted. I was not trying to say there should be an entitlement for youth hunters. Just that the issue of price is a real one for many people. WY could probably double the price again and still sell all their permits. But at what real cost?

I had a special elk tag in WY in 2003 which cost $600. That same tag today will run $1,140. In 4 years the cost went up $540. That is a little more than the rate of inflation, as said by some previous posts. Now the regular elk runs $641 and the points will take 2-4 years to draw it so add another $100-200. Pocket change to some, but real struggles for others. That is the reality, not the whine.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-13-07 AT 09:59AM (MST)[p]Kids are the future of hunting, like it or not some day we will all die. It is us that are responsible for showing the kids hunting, in all aspects. From does and cows to rabbits, upland game, and bucks and bulls as well. Why make it harder to get involved? Should hunters be herded into the antlerless tags, because they have no other choice to keep hunting? Is it not reasonable let everyone have a fair chance at what ever animal they desire? Wether it be a doe or a trophy buck? Its a fact that prices are rising, and thats ok to some degree, but when will it end? What about 10-15 years from now. I'll still be hunting then, and I'll hopefully have children hunting with me. How much will tags be then? Is it wrong to want your kids to have the same hunting chances that you have?
 
blazingsaddle,

I agree with you about the future being the kids. No question.

I just find it a real pain in the a$$ that WY does offer cheap NR youth licenses and is still slammed as though we're charging NR youth 12K for an antelope tag.

Be honest with yourself for a minute. Do you remember hunting when you were a kid? I sure do, and I didnt care about drawing a kaibab late rut mule deer permit or a desert sheep in Nevada. I cared about going out near home and hunting deer and elk with my Dad, Brother, and Grandfather, thats it. Retaining and creating a lifelong hunter requires only ONE thing and that is taking kids hunting as much as possible. Not just for bucks, bulls, and only for trophy game. Its taking them fishing, hiking, duck hunting, etc. That can be accomplished in EVERY state and done at a reasonable price. Applying them for trophy units where they have low probabilities of drawing will not get them in the field. But, thats what parents want now, they want their kids to have it all...and thats a big problem.

My Dad was great...he took my brother and I hunting all the time...every weekend, after work when possible, and let us skip school for a week-long trip. He didnt apply us for a single out-of-state hunt...and I sure didnt feel cheated. But, getting us out there made the difference. I'll never quit hunting, ever.

The problem we're having now is that there really is an entitlement attitude toward youth hunters. I'm all about giving them more opportunity to HUNT, not unlimited opportunity at everything their parents WANT THEM TO HUNT. Thats just pure greed and BS.

I've paid my dues, I started out when I was 12 hunting small bucks, does, cow elk, etc. I also hunted a lot of waterfowl, upland birds, etc. all in ONE state.

I've also applied for many, many years for a handful of limited permits. There are permits that I will likely never draw in my lifetime, but I dont feel like I'm entitled to draw. I do feel that the "youth" hunters should take their proper place in line behind those that have been applying before they were even born.

Not everyone gets the same opportunities in life and hunting is no different.
 
On most things a could not agree with you more. I like you grew up hunting just one state, with my Grandpa, Dad, and brothers. I was taught how to hunt, and how to respect the land and its animals. I can't be more greatfull for that either. I do not and never said that anyone, young or old, is intitled to any hunt or tag. Every one should pay their dues, and wait in line. Its not greed to want the best for your children. Why do you, BuzzH, put in for all of your tags? For the experience, right? Its fun? Right? Bonding time with family and freinds? Right? Why would you not want that for your kids? (Again, this only applys to people that can't afford the tag fees) We all want to have our children have the same fun we had. But it is getting harder and harder for some to give this to them. My main point is not the lack of chances foe youth to hunt, not the NR fees for youth hunts, but the road tag fees are on. Some day all kids will be too old for youth tags, and be forced to pay the full tag price, or not hunt that particular hunt. If all tag fees are high, options for some maybe slim. Thus pricing them out of what they love to do. HUnting is getting more and more expensive, the more expensive it gets, the fewer new hunters we will have. And we will also loose some current hunters. Isn't that a problem?
 
Lets try this another way.

What good is it going to do you to apply your kids for hard to draw permits if they dont really like to hunt?

What I'm saying is at 12-15 years old, a majority of kids dont care about having good permits. They want to spend time with their parents, buddies, etc. HUNTING.

If you wait until a kid draws a sheep permit or a good elk, deer, or antelope tag before you take them hunting you've already lost their interest.

I'm telling you straight up that parents put too much emphasis on kids having to kill trophy game...no different than sending their kids to expensive baseball camps and the like.

Buy them a pocket full of doe permits and teach them about the hunt, to respect wildlife, and all that stuff.

IF they show interest let them decide how far they want to take the sport (applying for trophy areas, etc.) In most cases, its the parents trying to live through their kids...rather than just letting kids be kids and learn on their own.
 
Agreed again, but You missed the end of my statement. I think your right on all they want is time with the family and friends. Its the future I'm worried about. If my future kids want to hunt a trophy somewhere, I want them to at least have the opportunity to do so. And not be turned down because they can't afford it. Life is hard enough with everything else we have to deal with. I don't understand how you can be alright with sky rocketing tag prices? The future of hunting needs all the help it can get, and this is not a help. And by the way if my kids don't really like to hunt, I won't spend the money on them to hunt. I'd use it for something they enjoy doing.
 
I'll tell you why I am alright with tag increases for both Resident and Non-Residents:

1. Gasoline over $3.00 a gallon
2. Poor pay for Wardens and Biologists and most other people involved with the Wyo Game and Fish, these people need pay increases also.
3. Future Wolf and Grizzly studies and possible management
4. The ever increasing costs of studying and managing our existing wildlife we already have.

You all act like Wyoming is going to get rich off of License increases, which is ludicrous. It is unfortunate that it does cost so much for tags but as long as tag sales pay for game management it is justified IMHO. This money whether you like it or not is helping the future of hunting, just not in the way you agree with.

I also don't understand why you consider Wyoming as a "Trophy" hunting state. We don't have the 400" bulls that Utah, Arizona, and NM has, and we don't have 200" bucks behind every corner that Colorado has, so why apply.
 
Do any of us really think it wasn't a stretch for our dads to buy tags and take us hunting??? Come on! I remember my dad working side jobs for 6 months to have enough money to take us to Roosevelt Lake for a week. Why do we think things should be any different now??? If our kids want to hunt that bad for tropheys, they'll find a way, we do!

Donnie
 
I will ask the same question, and probably as usual most of you will not have the balls to answer truthfully or not at all.
here it is:
at what point (percentage) do you think your own state should stop raising the price spread between res/nonres? 10X? 20X?
 
I don't think NR should even be hunting in Wyoming especially for LE tags such as Sheep, Goats and Moose. I would be more than happy to have my General tags raised as much as it would take to make up for the loss of NR tags as would most residents especially Native Residents. But that is a pipe dream and will never happen.

NR tags are still similar to other states, so as long as NR tags are not comparibly priced to other western states I could care less what the spread is between NR and Res tags. Resident tags still make up the higher percentage of the Revenue created so what does it matter.

Is that ballsey enough for ya?
 
> I will ask the same
>question, and probably as usual
>most of you will not
>have the balls to answer
>truthfully or not at all.
>
> here it is:
> at what point (percentage) do
>you think your own state
>should stop raising the price
>spread between res/nonres? 10X?
> 20X?
>


I'm all for free enterprise. I think they should raise it considerably. And they ought to start with the high quality area's first. Same as they do in New Mexico. The best area's should cost the most. They ought to do the same for residents. Been saying it for years. Jack up the rates for everyone. No one is forcing any non resident to hunt here. You can always hunt Colorado. I also think they ought to eliminate mt goat tags for non residents and cut back on the numbers of sheep and moose tags for non rezi's as long as resident demand is high. South Dakota won't let non residents apply for elk. Colorado won't let non residents apply for desert sheep and they restrict the area's non rezi's can hunt for sheep, moose and mt goats. Maybe we should do like Utah and say you can apply for goat, elk or deer, but only one. Don't like it, move here, pay taxes and vote. Balls out broher...
 
Wyoshed you don't even think a non res should be hunting in Wyoming? you get first prize for the dumbest post yet.

I paid Wyoming $355 in non refundable application and preference point fees and drew nothing, I'll bet you got to hunt and paid much less than me to do it.

You're right I don't have to put in if I don't like it, but admit we're paying way more than our share of your fish and game tab. saying non res hunters shouldn't be allowed is childish, my states hunting isn't much to brag about anymore but the few who draw NR tags are welcome by me.
 
You know, I remember saying all these same things when Arizona changed things for non-residents. I was the big a-hole because I didn't care about others opportunity to hunt in AZ. I didn't give a rip, and I don't blame Wyoming residents for not giving a rip. You picked a home state to live in, live with your decision.

I don't know what the split should be, I guess it should be comparable to other western states. I also agree about restricting non's on premium hunts. My father-in-law has lived in Wyoming his entire 56 years and I have a better chance of drawing a moose tag... something ain't right with that. I've drawn more Antelope tags in the last 5 years than he has and he apply's for the same areas! More BS.

I have no problem paying the fees they charge whatever they may be. If I can't afford it, well I guess I'm not going to Wyoming.

Donnie
 
Copied from the WYF&G website:

"Currently, over 60% of the funding allocated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department comes from sales of licenses, stamps, preference points, application fees, etc. About 18% comes from federal excise taxes on hunting and fishing equipment. Much of the remainder comes from interest received on funds from these sources. About 80% of license-related revenues come from nonresident hunters and anglers"

Looks like the WYFG does not receive much in the form of state tax monies to fund the WYFG.

Looks like they get most their cash from nonresidents and the Federal Gov't. Even the interest is generated from non-resident applications. Wyoming residents carry at most 15-20% of the WYF&G funding. Wyoming residents sure are helping their wildlife................

So to cut the out nonresident, resident fees would go to $500 or so for a general elk tag. Wyoming residents would get to pay around $300 for a general deer tag. That resident sheep tag will run you $2,000+-.

I don't care what the price is. If I can afford it I'll put in, if not, I won't. The whining of subsidized residents is much worse than the non-residents complaining.
 
I don't really care if you thought it was a dumb post because there are many more Wyo residents that feel the same way. But like I said it will never happen.

Besides how else should residents feel especially when all we ever hear is NR ##### about how Wyo treats them, but everyone still wants to hunt here. There is two different threads on this site right now doing this exact thing.

I may have been able to purchase licenses cheaper than your $335, but you didn't pay $2500 in property tax, $1000 in vehicle taxes last year and pay sales tax for the last 33 years as a resident of Wyoming. Move to Wyoming and pay taxes if you want cheap licenses, or quit applying.
 
2point,

Just to be fair, how many hours of volunteer work do you suppose NR hunters do in the State of Wyoming for habitat improvement, etc. compared to the hours donated by residents?

How many G&F meetings do you suppose NR attend in an average year?

How many BLM, FS, scoping meetings do you suppose NR's attend compared to WY residents?

Theres a lot more to "helping their wildlife" than just cutting a check.

I dont disagree with the numbers you provided, but its not just a Wyoming thing. All western states are the same. Also keep in mind that many WY residents pay high fees to other neighboring states to subsidize wildlife there. It all equals out in the end.
 
Property, sales and vehicle taxes go towards wildlife programs and managment? wow.

I'm not saying in any way I dislike Wyoming or it's residents at all, I just think they're giving the NR a hose job with the point fees. I'll live with it but in doing so I'm giving a green light to raise the fees even higher, preference points on ebay will probably be the next step. and yes, I'll bid until I win so it's more my fault than it is yours.
 
Those are decent points. I have been to Wyoming, volunteered doing the winter-kill counts. I'd guess that 99% of the volunteer work is completed by Wyoming residents. Volunteer work is important, but it does not pay the bills. Non-residents do not attend the meetings and have no voice in Wyoming (as it should be). We send emails and letters, which go unnoticed.

The point is that the Wyoming residents post that non-residents get too much. But without the nonresident monies most Wyoming hunters would not be able to afford a tag.

Wyoming and Colorado are the highest funded agencies by nonresidents. In contrast to Wyoming's ratio, Utah funds come 90% from residents and a paltry 10% from nonresidents. Of course we only give you guys 10% of the tags. Come to think of it, maybe there are some non-residents attending those Wyoming F&G meetings.....

My post was meant to open the eyes of those who want to ban all non-residents from Wyoming. Do that and get ready to pay non-resident prices to hunt your own state.
 
2-point,

Dont count me in any group with residents that dont want NR's hunting Wyoming.

I know how important the NR money is...both to the economy of WY and to the Game and Fish. No question about that.

Wyoming is very generous to the NR hunters (allowing them 25% of the total quota for all species) and I'd guess thats the main reason why a majority of funding comes through NR license sales.

To be honest, if the WY G&F changed it to 10% of the quota I'd glady pay more to take up the slack.

I just think that WY is very generous to the NR hunters. I get a bit bent out of shape that people whine about the price they have to pay to hunt here. Wy also is trying to help the "family" hunting with significantly lower NR youth fees and dirt cheap doe/cow permits.

The thanks you get is, "you're pricing us out".

Keep in mind there has not been a fee increase for 4 years.
 
Your right Volunteer work does not pay the bills but it does keep the bills and amount of funding needed as low as possible.

NR hunting will never go away in Wyoming, there are too many other variables involved.

Wyoming made a 20% increase across the board for all hunters. That increase was based off of the cost of inflation in the state of Wyoming during the last four years and the decrease in the amount of tags given out due to drought, wolves etc. This info is available on the G&F website.
 
The taxes I pay give me the priviledge of being a resident which in turn allows me to purchase cheaper resident tags, but you knew that and you were just trying to spin my words.LMAO

Personally I think preference points are a joke and wish we didn't even have to buy them. The system does not work and needs looked at. I heard last week that the state legislature was looking at the idea of abolishing the preference point system, paying everyone back for the already purchased points, and funding that portion of the G&F from the General Fund.
 
I have to say that once i draw out on deer, i'll have call it quits to any more hunts to Wyoming. I just can't hardly afford to put in during winter let alone go. Just too darn expensive.

Sad cause i've gone many times to the different states. I've had it when it was good and now i'm seeing the end of it. I said on a different page that i remember when most of the cost going on a out of state hunt was the lost wages or the job you had to quit to go.
 
i have been paying for the special deer, that would be $606, if i make the comitment to go, i want every chance of getting drawn. Last year i made 18K and then paid 4.5K in taxes. Not that you or anybody else needs to know this but i'm not ashamed of the fact that i don't make a lot of money. My income comes honestly from my little service business in a small mountain town that many people spent thousands to vacation around during the nicer seasons. Living where i do has it's price. I do the best i can and i have other interests. By the time a hunting trip to Wyoming is said and done, It's gonna cost me 2k at least. For many, that is a lot of money.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-14-07 AT 10:32AM (MST)[p]its all small steps in making it a rich mans sport. Its a fact that people are being priced out with every increase. Thats sad for them to not be able to do as much of what they love. Thats great for those who can afford it, better odds. There will always be wealthy people to "pay" up the slack. I bet most of the people that travel out of state to hunt are going for quality hunts, not antlerless type hunts ( they are still fun) but not worth traveling great distances for.

I will never see the benefit of making it harder for people to hunt, no matter the reason, no matter the state, or the animal.
 
What conserns me is that when my kids are old enough to hunt, I might not be able to afford to take them. I relish the times I got to spend in the outdoors chasing deer and elk with my dad. I just hope I can share some of those experiences with my kids.
 

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