grizzly
Long Time Member
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Did everybody get the letter from Idaho trying to get more non-resident hunters to buy tags?
It basically says that non-residents account for over 70% of the IDFG Budget and nobody is coming to hunt this year. They blame it on lack of game, overcrowding, wolves, and the poor economy.
I just hope they don't put too much of the blame on the economy, because the number of non-resident hunters will stay down as long as the hunting experience stays down. If Idaho hunting was as good as it used to be, people would find a way to come up with the money, even in this economy.
If an environmentalist had begged me to come up with the worst possible game management plan for the SE Region, I still couldn't have decimated the herds as effectively as IDFG has done. Then, to account for it with game objectives, they shorten the season and cram more people into less area. (By lifting the non-resident cap and closing area 70 and 78)
I hope Idaho residents are ready to have their tag/license fees skyrocket, because IDFG is out of money. It is not worth $1,000 in OTC tags for me and my wife to hunt there anymore. Obviously, I'm not alone.
Their website says as of Sept. 25th they still had more than half their deer tags, 1/3 of their elk tags, and every one of their whitetail tags available. These tags are typically sold out by late July, except a few elk tags in the wolf zones.
Sorry for the rant. But I miss hunting in Idaho. Our hunting party used to fork over thousands of dollars to IDFG and local merchants every year, and we loved it (and we didn't even shoot many deer). I would happily pay the increased fees. Just give us our hunting back.
Grizzly
It basically says that non-residents account for over 70% of the IDFG Budget and nobody is coming to hunt this year. They blame it on lack of game, overcrowding, wolves, and the poor economy.
I just hope they don't put too much of the blame on the economy, because the number of non-resident hunters will stay down as long as the hunting experience stays down. If Idaho hunting was as good as it used to be, people would find a way to come up with the money, even in this economy.
If an environmentalist had begged me to come up with the worst possible game management plan for the SE Region, I still couldn't have decimated the herds as effectively as IDFG has done. Then, to account for it with game objectives, they shorten the season and cram more people into less area. (By lifting the non-resident cap and closing area 70 and 78)
I hope Idaho residents are ready to have their tag/license fees skyrocket, because IDFG is out of money. It is not worth $1,000 in OTC tags for me and my wife to hunt there anymore. Obviously, I'm not alone.
Their website says as of Sept. 25th they still had more than half their deer tags, 1/3 of their elk tags, and every one of their whitetail tags available. These tags are typically sold out by late July, except a few elk tags in the wolf zones.
Sorry for the rant. But I miss hunting in Idaho. Our hunting party used to fork over thousands of dollars to IDFG and local merchants every year, and we loved it (and we didn't even shoot many deer). I would happily pay the increased fees. Just give us our hunting back.
Grizzly