So what's yer thought about making all of Wyomings resident general license deer area's limited quota? I would personally oppose it. The argument usually is, the residents are over hunting a lot of area's and quality suffers? As I see it, it's the non rezi's who are over hunting many resident general areas. Look at the G&F stats for general license areas in 2011 and scroll down from the top. In G, area 144, they had twice as many residents hunting as they did non rezi's and the non rezi's shot almost the same number of deer. In my favorite area 66, they had twice as many resident hunters as non rezi's. Yet the non rezi's shot more deer than residents. Going back to 144 since that's a sought after non rezi area, let's say the G&F makes it limited quota and set the number of tags at 300. By law, non rezi's are going to only get 60 tags. Don't know what they got this year, but in 2011 they had 285 non rezi hunters. I know they reduced non rezi tags this year in G and based on a 20% quota, they'd likely have reduce non rezi tags even further. So in addition to it probably taking 7 - 12 years to draw the tag, how much do you think the G&F would have to jack up tag prices to account for such huge revenue shortfalls between residents and non rezi's. Doesn't sound like a win/win to me...
How much would you pay?
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elks96
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Some things to think about... As a nonresident the tag price added to the trip cost and the likelyhood that only every couple years you get to hunt is what really drives the number of animals killed by nonresidents. As residents you have longer seasons and great opportunity to fill out tags. Yes Nonresidents may be hurting quality some, but I also know several residents who are happy to fill the freezer with the 1st buck they see. At the same time I know there are nonresident hunters like my self who will not shoot anything short of a mature buck. Ultimately the higher cost puts more pressure on a hunter and thus they are less likely to hold out and eat tag soup.
The question of cost? It is going to be different for everyone. I personally could see myself paying 3 times the money for a tag if there were 3 times fewer hunters. However, this will mean just mean 3 times the wait between hunts. It is balance of supply, demand and cost point.
When Colorado did away with General Buck tags, it was pretty hated. Now that I have hunted under it for years, I do like it. It has placed some normalcy in hunting pressure and allows me to better predict what will happen. On the flip side I also feel like doing this will eventually create all sorts of preference point issues and lead to a weighted draw etc.
So pick your poison. Deal with the general season and the issues that come from hunting pressure and migrant hunters, or look at a limited system where eventually a preference system will be established.... Now you all have things really good and changes will probably only make things worse for residents....
The question of cost? It is going to be different for everyone. I personally could see myself paying 3 times the money for a tag if there were 3 times fewer hunters. However, this will mean just mean 3 times the wait between hunts. It is balance of supply, demand and cost point.
When Colorado did away with General Buck tags, it was pretty hated. Now that I have hunted under it for years, I do like it. It has placed some normalcy in hunting pressure and allows me to better predict what will happen. On the flip side I also feel like doing this will eventually create all sorts of preference point issues and lead to a weighted draw etc.
So pick your poison. Deal with the general season and the issues that come from hunting pressure and migrant hunters, or look at a limited system where eventually a preference system will be established.... Now you all have things really good and changes will probably only make things worse for residents....
tailchasers
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Don't know what ya got until it's gone and then its to late.
"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
nontypical
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What makes you think G&F would reduce hunter numbers by going LQ everywhere?For all we know,they could RAISE hunter numbers!
Obviously,G&F feels the resource can handle the pressure it presently receives.
If the entire state went LQ,I doubt if it would take 7-10 yrs to draw a tag,either.We don't have the population base that other states do.In fact,I would bet the typical wait would be half that;maybe less.
Trust me on this:Wy G&F will not do anything that is going to make less revenue for them unless they are forced into it.
Colorado made it work with ten times our population base.Also,some nonrezzi's are drawing region G every year right now.Reducing tags by a small amount may mean only drawing every other year for that tag.
That being said,I would pay whatever they raise fees to,as long as it didn't reach what the Antelope Island tags go for!!
Obviously,G&F feels the resource can handle the pressure it presently receives.
If the entire state went LQ,I doubt if it would take 7-10 yrs to draw a tag,either.We don't have the population base that other states do.In fact,I would bet the typical wait would be half that;maybe less.
Trust me on this:Wy G&F will not do anything that is going to make less revenue for them unless they are forced into it.
Colorado made it work with ten times our population base.Also,some nonrezzi's are drawing region G every year right now.Reducing tags by a small amount may mean only drawing every other year for that tag.
That being said,I would pay whatever they raise fees to,as long as it didn't reach what the Antelope Island tags go for!!
huntfishall1
Active Member
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Here's a question: Why did the antelope tags go to all limited quota for both residents and non residents?
And another: In general is the antelope hunting better under the LQ system?
And lastly: Can residents still get an antelope tag every year?
To answer your question "how much would you pay", for a deer tag personally it would depend on the area or unit. Some places I believe many people and myself would pay a much higher price than the current price. For other areas that are less desireable for whatever reason they and I wouldnt even pay the current price. A "one-price-fits-all" scenario doesnt work well in a diverse state like Wyoming. You could probably get some non residents to cough up a grand or two for some tags and still sell all the quota.But try and ask those prices for some units and you might not sell a single tag.
As for unit 144 in Region G it seems as though the number of residents hunting has declined over the years. According to WY G&F stats the number of resident hunters has declined every year since 2008 (this is a far back as they provide stats on the website). Any speculation why this is occurring?
Personally I think the WY G&F and some other state wildlife agencies are in a pickle with funding. Game populations, especially mule deer, aren't getting better. Tag quotas are regularly cut resulting in less revenue. The tags that are sold arent as good in terms of quality so when the state agency raises prices they run the risk of loosing hunters, especially NRs, which results in even more lost revenue. There doesnt appear to be an easy solution to all this.
And another: In general is the antelope hunting better under the LQ system?
And lastly: Can residents still get an antelope tag every year?
To answer your question "how much would you pay", for a deer tag personally it would depend on the area or unit. Some places I believe many people and myself would pay a much higher price than the current price. For other areas that are less desireable for whatever reason they and I wouldnt even pay the current price. A "one-price-fits-all" scenario doesnt work well in a diverse state like Wyoming. You could probably get some non residents to cough up a grand or two for some tags and still sell all the quota.But try and ask those prices for some units and you might not sell a single tag.
As for unit 144 in Region G it seems as though the number of residents hunting has declined over the years. According to WY G&F stats the number of resident hunters has declined every year since 2008 (this is a far back as they provide stats on the website). Any speculation why this is occurring?
Personally I think the WY G&F and some other state wildlife agencies are in a pickle with funding. Game populations, especially mule deer, aren't getting better. Tag quotas are regularly cut resulting in less revenue. The tags that are sold arent as good in terms of quality so when the state agency raises prices they run the risk of loosing hunters, especially NRs, which results in even more lost revenue. There doesnt appear to be an easy solution to all this.
H
HONEYBADGER
Guest
There is a tipping point as Idaho and Montana learned the hard way. Higher tag costs might have been tolerated better if the cost of everything else for hunting had not skyrocketed in the same time frame. Fuel costs are a huge one for most non-residents, they are taking a bigger piece of the pie than they used to so people are more sensitive to tag costs.
Like other posters have said there is no easy solution, personally I think there is more wiggle room with resident fees but I am sure residents would feel otherwise. In the end we are all going to lose as hunting in America slowly progresses towards a european model where only the wealthy and elite can play.
Like other posters have said there is no easy solution, personally I think there is more wiggle room with resident fees but I am sure residents would feel otherwise. In the end we are all going to lose as hunting in America slowly progresses towards a european model where only the wealthy and elite can play.
MaineFlatlander
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Maybe the NR hunter is more serious? They have spent 10X the cash for the tag and have travel costs as well. Combine that with NRs using guides and there is the higher success rates.
I wish it was illegal to shoot a 1.5 year old buck. Not sure that would make any difference in WY, but here in NM it sure would. I know we don't have nearly the deer heard and its much more difficult to harvest here and maybe thats why, but I am tired of seeing the bulk of the harvest being fork horns. I see no difference between a spike and a fork horn...both 1.5 year old deer that should be allowed to grow up.
Of course maybe in WY nobody shoots em that small!
Of course maybe in WY nobody shoots em that small!
Im sure the resource can handle the pressure, thats why WGF manages like they do, what does get hurt is the quality of the hunt.
Im a WY resident and I would gladly pay$150 or $200 for a tag and only hunt every three years , if there were one half or one third the pressure on the deer, then the hunting season could be longer and on average the quality of animals would be much higher.
Im a WY resident and I would gladly pay$150 or $200 for a tag and only hunt every three years , if there were one half or one third the pressure on the deer, then the hunting season could be longer and on average the quality of animals would be much higher.
R
Rambo
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"I spend $2,000-3,000 annually just hunting, camping and fishing. Fuel is my biggest expense, the tag is one of the smallest. I would be willing to pay more for the tag to make up the difference in revenue and have a higher quality hunt.
Califelkslayer
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IMHO Wyoming is moving in the right direction with mule deer. They have shortened seasons, reduced seasons, etc. I do know from experience that deer seem to rebound quickly in Wyoming, for whatever reason.
Wyoming is the state where i'm buying deer points on the theory that in the near future they will offer some of the best deer hunts anywhere.
Prices for tags are no where my biggest expense therefore a reasonable increase=less pressure is something I would personally pay for.
Wyoming is the state where i'm buying deer points on the theory that in the near future they will offer some of the best deer hunts anywhere.
Prices for tags are no where my biggest expense therefore a reasonable increase=less pressure is something I would personally pay for.
ICMDEER
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Be sure to watch region D next year. What is being described in in this post (going to limited quota) is exactly what's being done in the 5 areas along the upper North Platte in region D. I'll be curious to see what the quotas are and how it is managed. I actually hope the areas are managed a little differently, just to see how things work out. Game and Fish is trying to enhance the mule deer in those areas and I have to give them a lot of credit for all of the work and positive changes they have already put in place.
I hope that in the long run, the G&F maintains the holistic perspective they have and that the deer herd responds quickly and in a very positive way.
I hope that in the long run, the G&F maintains the holistic perspective they have and that the deer herd responds quickly and in a very positive way.
Wyoming Hunting Guides & Outfitters
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We focus on trophy elk, mule deer, antelope and moose hunts and take B&C bucks most years.
