Appointees to the new Wildlife Group...

elks96

Long Time Member
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Not sure how I feel about this... Not sure how well this group s going to represent the DIY public hunters...

Already know that Larry Hicks is not one to be trusted... what are your thoughts on the rest?

 
I have only heard of two on the Taskforce... I would have to agree with elk96 the list doesnt seam to represent diy hunter at all....Time will tell....
 
I don't think you can watch a Commission meeting without hearing from 4-5 of those people. Looks to be a decent mix but it's a resident issue anyway.
 
Lots of outfitters and large landowners. I can see they will try and get a CWMU type plan but hopefully fix the Utah and Colorado problems with those schemes. It might be time to bring up all that landlocked Wyoming public lands and public access.
 
So I had time and nothing better to do... Here is what I found:

Lehner - Commissioner and Landowner - Nothing found on hunting issues or how he votes - part of CWD group

Hagen - Land Owner/ Rancher/Outfitter

Jamie Flitner - Politician/Large Family Ranch Outfitting

Albert Somer - Politician/Rancher

Adam Teten - Right to roam group, Seems to be DIY Public land guy but close friends with others who are wilderness outfitters around NW WY

Joe Schaffer - College President and huge supporter of Bonus/Preference Points for all in WY

Rusty Bell - Politician/Rancher

Sy - President Wyoming Outfitter Association

Elissa Ruckle - Back Packer trainer...

Ogden Driskill Rancher Politician

Larry Hicks - Politician and Supporter of Preference Point and On Board with RFW or landowner incentive programs

Liisa Dalton - Politician/ Democrat/Husband has a buffalo ranch... Says she wants to ensure equal access to hunting and fishing (no context if for all or for residents)

Jen Scoggins - Lawyer For Energy Groups/State Land and INvestment Director - Nothing Hunting or Wildlife related found

Lee Livingston - Politician (former) and Professional Outfitter

Josh Coursey - Muley Fanatic's Foundation

Pat Crank - Former State Attorney General, Self reported for having son shoot a cow moose instead of a bull, No stance found on any topics of interest

Pete Dube - Rancher/Outfitter

Brian Nesh Director Game and Fish

So at best one person who might truly represent resident DIY hunters. Everyone else appears to benefit from maximizing profit. With Elissa and Liisa being up in the air where they might stand.
 
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Ohhh that’s good, geez I hope no points for residents, looks like Wyo is going down same road as the rest of US after someone begins his term ?‍♂️!! And hope no transfer of landowner tags but I’m guessing that will be high on the agenda!! Who picked this group, residents should have had a vote!!
 
Ohhh that’s good, geez I hope no points for residents, looks like Wyo is going down same road as the rest of US after someone begins his term ?‍♂️!! And hope no transfer of landowner tags but I’m guessing that will be high on the agenda!! Who picked this group, residents should have had a vote!!
woah woah woah double D I'm hoping the landowner tag system goes through, me being a non resident and all :D
 
I'm skeptical about the group, and this is about on par with what I thought it would be.

But, everyone needs to relax, this task force will not be given any power or authority to pass legislation or regulation. Everything they propose will still have to go through the public process.

Plus, there's lots of time and opportunity to comment prior to, during, and after this task force even makes a recommendation.

A few names on there that can be trusted, a few that cant be, and a few wild cards.

I say give them a carefully guarded chance...who knows, may surprise us.

No, I didn't apply as I don't have the time. I do plenty already. I do know of several really good candidates that didn't get picked....and that's unfortunate, but again, not unexpected.
 
They should do 15% DIY NR tags and 5% Outfitter tags and call it good. Buzz and Co. always say that Residents are willing to pay more, so let them buy the Outfitter tags.
 
They should do 15% DIY NR tags and 5% Outfitter tags and call it good. Buzz and Co. always say that Residents are willing to pay more, so let them buy the Outfitter tags.
They are working on a 5% DIY and a 5% Outfitter pool. This will be high on the agenda and satisfy the residents 90/10 desire.
 
Not a chance at all...
My point Buzz is that the group seems very political and will self serve. I don't see a lot of folks in this group standing up for the 90/10, unless they get a piece of the pie somehow. It seems most of them would like the landowner tags as it serves their purpose, but that could be reached with outiftter are landowner sponsored set asides out of the 10 percent. Sometimes the "work group" is a facade to a backdoor deal or a already reached outcome.

Rich
 
That sounds like a terrible idea. Hope that fails.
Just curious isn’t the current LQ split 84/16 right now?
HaHaHa if it were the residents wouldn’t be so hell bent to get it changed. 25% on sheep and goats and 20% on moose, deer and antelope and 16% on elk. Wyoming has been far far to generous. Most states now only 10% to Non-Res. and many states if less than 10 tags in a unit no non-residents are awarded.
 
HaHaHa if it were the residents wouldn’t be so hell bent to get it changed. 25% on sheep and goats and 20% on moose, deer and antelope and 16% on elk. Wyoming has been far far to generous. Most states now only 10% to Non-Res. and many states if less than 10 tags in a unit no non-residents are awarded.
Thank you. I don’t apply for the big 3 so never really looked at percentages.
It seems to me most residents are mostly concerned with sheep,goats and moose percentages.
I enjoy WY as much as possible and certainly appreciate all the opportunities provided.
 
Doubt they go from being NR friendly to one of the most restrictive. I could see some middle ground.
90/10 is what most states now offer and what residents are pushing for. Maybe we should just make it reciprocal based upon what your state offers? Your odds go up or down based upon what we perceive each state offers then the state you are a resident of determines your odds. A few states only offer 5% to Non Residents
 
90/10 is what most states now offer and what residents are pushing for. Maybe we should just make it reciprocal based upon what your state offers? Your odds go up or down based upon what we perceive each state offers then the state you are a resident of determines your odds. A few states only offer 5% to Non Residents
Living in CO, I am all for that idea!
 
As far as task forces this is the "same old, same old" which was not unexpected. Very disappointed that sportsman are not represented well at all. Hopefully public participation will fill in the gaps.

BTW: Rusty Bell is a County Commissioner/taxidermist/sportsman and a very good guy.

The outfitter/landowner viewpoint is very stacked in the group, but there will be much disagreement, which most likely will lead to failure as it did in the WSA and funding task forces. In fact, the only task force that came to much agreement in Wyoming was the CWD task force and while I don't wish to criticize those members, the G&F lead the group into preplanned conclusions to ideas and actions that befit throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what sticks.
 
Doesn't sound like much of a "task force" that will carry much weight to get much accomplished?
 
Transferable land owner tag, maybe RFW/CWMU. Points for residents for elk-deer-antelope?

Who knows?
Nope, not even on the radar with RFW or Transferable landowner tags for that committee, wont even be discussed. No way WY is going to adopt the dumbest of dumb ideas in UT and CO.

Points for residents maybe but it wont be the same as the point system for NR's.
 
Here’s a pic of the working group:

9516E7AD-9246-401F-BD08-F2D95416E3DF.jpeg
 
Yes you know De plane boss de plane !! Haha you know the ones that aren’t supposed to be flying to scout ?
If they are just flying in and landing that’s ok under current law. If they circle a few times and get low enough you see them observing game then video and report them. In short, transportation is ok, scouting is not, you just watch where they fly and land and how they maneuver. Flying is good for landlocked public lands but not as useful for accessible public lands. You also can’t just land any old spot, it should be an established road but there are many roads on landlocked public lands. Foot launched powered paragliders are good if there isn’t much wind but in Wyoming not many days without wind. Super cubs and kit planes are the best.
 
Yeah, I heard they're going to reduce NR fees by 50% too...
No DIY Non-residents on the commission even though they likely pay more into the G&F budget then any other user group? Sort of joking, but not totally ?

Guess we will have to hitch up to the outfitters again and hope they don't pull a New Mexico on us.
 
No DIY Non-residents on the commission even though they likely pay more into the G&F budget then any other user group? Sort of joking, but not totally ?

Guess we will have to hitch up to the outfitters again and hope they don't pull a New Mexico on us.
It’s a common misconception on this website that non residents opinions matter regarding hunting in WY especially region G. They usually want to make it something resembling their state even though no one in WY asked for their opinion. Luckily the effort for change ends here on a message board and none of it makes it to Cheyenne.
 
It’s a common misconception on this website that non residents opinions matter regarding hunting in WY especially region G. They usually want to make it something resembling their state even though no one in WY asked for their opinion. Luckily the effort for change ends here on a message board and none of it makes it to Cheyenne.
^^^This 100%
 
Luckily we have the outfitters and money to help make our case.
False hope is at least hope. I wish the best for you. I believe the non resident allocation going to 10% would benefit the outfitters more. I believe you will see a lot more guys drop out as point creep gets worse. They will look at how much $$$ they are losing every year and just give up. Meanwhile the applicants with a lot of money who are most likely to go guided anyhow will keep applying. I don't know how many times I've read guys dropping out of a points system and blame $$$ as the main factor. When all they have to do is not put those fancy rims on their new truck they buy every couple years. Or cut back on the starbucks. Little lifestyle choices that could offset the cost of building points.

Also I believe more guys will want to capitalize on a tag once they do draw because it will turn amore tags into once in a lifetime. You already see it on the resident front regarding sheep. There's a lot of residents that hire outfitters when they draw sheep. Crazy I know, but the pressure to fill your tag causes this. I mean how weak is it to go GUIDED in your home state? I know of one sheep outfitter where residents made up 3/4 of his sheep clients last two years.

The above are just my thoughts and likely wrong. But one thing I know I'm right on is the outfitters do not give two chits about non residents that are not going to use their services. So if you think they are watching out for you then there is nothing more to discuss. Keep your head in the sand.

I'm a non resident that hopes if nothing else comes of this working group at least get the 90/10 allocation taken care of. Residents first. Always.
 
Make no mistake about it, Sy is only out for 2 things, himself (money) and WYOGA (money). This is a lose lose for all hunters, NR or resident. Anyone who thinks differently is kidding themselves. It's like allowing a sex offender to do community service on a playground; nothing good comes of it. In my opinion the board was doomed from the start once he was added to it.
 
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I’ll take Sy. As a NR, I have a better chance of getting a tag under anything that Sy is likely to propose than what some of the Residents would.
 
I’ll take Sy. As a NR, I have a better chance of getting a tag under anything that Sy is likely to propose than what some of the Residents would.
How's that wilderness law treating you. Just curious.....

From what I've seen on this website the residents aren't being unreasonable, some NR not so much. I would wager Wyoming treats NR better than your state treats residents. The last I checked there weren't any road blocks keeping you from moving here and enjoying what we have. Now tell me again what are you doing in your home state for NR.
 
If there was a deal to be made with the 90/10 split and the outfitters would get 5 percent of the 10 percent of the nonresident tags.. U wouldnt think old Sy wouldnt through U nonresidents under the bus? I imagine they will be pushing hard for outfitter tags and where do U think those tags are coming from?
 
Sierra, what state are you from? Funny, I've been over to the other state forums on this website and nothing from you. Seems you are more worried about Wyoming than any other place. Is that because you know you're spoiled here. Do tell....
 
It’s a common misconception on this website that non residents opinions matter regarding hunting in WY especially region G. They usually want to make it something resembling their state even though no one in WY asked for their opinion. Luckily the effort for change ends here on a message board and none of it makes it to Cheyenne.
Opinions likely don't make it to Cheyenne, but actions do with respect to how many non-res are applying and how much they are spending each year. If that goes up or down based on changes then that action will be louder then message board opinions. Surely it won't happen, but what if every non-resident decided as a group to take 2021 off from applying or buying points in Wyoming...would anyone listen?

I just find it somewhat ironic that the group that is paying the largest piece of the pie has no representation. I understand it, but in most other businesses in this world, that is not the case. It is also ironic that the NR-DIY best supporter (WYOGA) could also be our biggest nemesis at the same time, just funny stuff.
 
You must have missed my posts then. You can have my POS state (CA), as I haven’t hunted big game here for over a decade. I hunt where I can draw a quality tag. I’ve hunted NM, NV, CO, UT, AZ, and WY— most of them numerous times.

I prefer DIY, but have no problem going guided, especially if it increases my draw odds like NM and NV. I also buy landowner tags for DIY hunts. Basically, just trying to get a good tag like most of us. Therefore, the wilderness deal doesn’t hurt me as much as a cut in tags would. Other NRs would likely have a different opinion.
When it comes to big game hunting, the only benefit of living/working in CA is that it gives me the opportunity to afford all of the above.
 
How's that wilderness law treating you. Just curious.....

From what I've seen on this website the residents aren't being unreasonable, some NR not so much. I would wager Wyoming treats NR better than your state treats residents. The last I checked there weren't any road blocks keeping you from moving here and enjoying what we have. Now tell me again what are you doing in your home state for NR.

For what it is worth, I am part of a non profit on the east coast and we gave 30k last year to fund sheep projects in Wyoming. I know not a ton of money but still feel like it does help.

Also, I have already told my wife when I have enough points I am moving to Wyoming.
 
Thank you for your support, thats a lot of money. I took the plunge 16 years ago and moved to Wyoming for everything it has to offer. Wish I would of did it 20+ years ago. I would do it sooner rather than later seems its changed a lot in the short time I've been here.
Doesn't seem like, it has changed a lot since I moved here 21 years ago...

Probably be saying the same thing in another 20.
 
Been quite a few changes in the 34 years I've been here.
Some better, some not so much.
 
Not much of a winter this year...yet.

Was ice fishing today and it was down right balmy about noon (mid 20's and sunny), 5 degrees when I started.
Definitely a crazy winter. Looks like we are going to cancel our yearly ice fishing trip to Fort Peck due to no ice.
 
Has the weather changed?

asking for my wife
No.

 
No.

If the grass was green and the wind didn’t blow everyone would live in WY.
 
What Sierra typed:


u must have missed my posts then. You can have my POS state (CA), as I haven’t hunted big game here for over a decade. I hunt where I can draw a quality tag. I’ve hunted NM, NV, CO, UT, AZ, and WY— most of them numerous times.

I prefer DIY, but have no problem going guided, especially if it increases my draw odds like NM and NV. I also buy landowner tags for DIY hunts. Basically, just trying to get a good tag like most of us. Therefore, the wilderness deal doesn’t hurt me as much as a cut in tags would. Other NRs would likely have a different opinion.
When it comes to big game hunting, the only benefit of living/working in CA is that it gives me the opportunity to afford all of the above.

What I read:

CALIFORNIA.
 

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