LAST EDITED ON Dec-20-06 AT 01:10PM (MST)[p]"Is it fair that on Public Land not State Land that the Res. get 80% of the LE tags? The Federal Government and NR pay the bulk of the expenses. Not trying to start a fight just stating a fact."
You brought this up so I have to say something about it. IT is very fair that residents get more tags than NR's, even though it is "federal" land. This argument is the biggest bunch of BS, and here is why:
Residents of any state, do more to support and manage the wildlife in their state than the NR. Most NR's only want to come to hunt, therefore all they do is buy the license. Sure G&F makes a lot of money off the NR license, but they also make a significant amount from fishing licenses. Why don't they ever get mentioned in these arguments? Afterall, they pay a lot too. How many NR buy a fishing license? Not enough to make a significant impact. So just because you pay the NR fees for the license, you should get more tags? Do you come to the meetings to help get things done? Do you volunteer in the state you want to hunt for habitat improvement? There are tons of things that a lot of residents do throughout the year to help make hunting in their state better, for both them and NR's. Yes they do deserve more tags. The land being "federal" land has nothing to do with it. As a NR you can come to any state with "federal" land and use that land to your hearts content. You can do anything a resident can do, hike, climb, camp, watch wildlife, and enjoy your "federal" land. You just can't hunt at the same rate a resident can. And again, why should you be able to when it is the state, and its residents who do the most for its wildlife management, not the NR.
Now back to the issue at hand:
I think the problem most people have with the vouchers, at least what I've seen, is not jelousy or the fact that they are there. The problem I see, as has been mentioned, is that the landowner sells these vouchers, then doesn't let hunters use the land. If they want compensation for animals "tearing" up their land, they should give hunters access to help out.
"The landowners need to be compensated for helping with wildlife management."
Not sure I would say landowners are providing "wildlife management." If thats the case, everybody who buys a tag should be "compensated for wildlife management."