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.