elks96
Long Time Member
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This was an email that I received... Long but it appears to be a decent representation of the happenings. Buzz can you confirm his account of the the days? Also I fully realize that he has his own slant on everything. He is totally fine with sacrificing NR to the outfitters as long as we get the 90/10. Totally disagree with that stance...
Buzz, what can you add or retract from this summary?
"Sportsman" representative and former Game & Fish Commissioner, Pat Crank, made a motion to keep the current tag allocation and therefore kill any chance of a 90/10 recommendation coming out of the WWTF. His motion was quickly seconded by Outfitter Lee Livingston.
Crank's motion came immediately after sportsmens' rep, Dr. Joe Shaffer, who favors 90/10, gave a subcommittee report on a the impact of 90/10 on tags (4,791 more Type 1 deer, antelope and elk tags for resident hunters), and his subcommittee's work on the issues surrounding a possible compromise with outfitters.
Earlier in the day, Wyoming Outfitter and Guides Association President, Sy Gilliland, had submitted a proposal to create a 40% Outfitter Draw for all nonresident deer, elk, and antelope limited quota tags, and all elk nonresident general tags. Under Gilliland's proposal, nonresident hunters who had committed to used an outfitter would be placed in a special draw and compete for 40% of the available nonresident tags. Gilliland argued that this system would create stability and predictability for Wyoming's outfitting industry.
After making his motion, Crank acknowledged that the resident hunter push for 90/10 is what "drove formation of the WWTF," and continued that he supported the outfitter wish list of an outfitter draw, draw, transferable doe/fawn & cow/calf landowner tags, and eliminating the current 7,250 cap on nonresident elk tags, but concluded that "90/10 is a bad idea."
Rep. Albert Sommers and Sen. Larry Hicks both noted that if the WWTF killed any chance of 90/10, resident hunters would likely oppose any other WWTF recommendations when they made it to the legislature, and each side needed to make concessions and come to the representatives with a "package proposal" all could support. Said Sommers, "If it's not packaged in a way everybody can support, it ain't happening."
Even Gilliland, not a fan of 90/10, supported a continued effort to find a compromise proposal.
At vote time, Crank's motion failed 11-6. Crank and Livingston were joined by Adam Teten and Josh Coursey, and outfitter/ranchers Jamie Flitner and Duaine Hagnn in voting to kill 90/10.
On Tuesday Morning, Dr. Shaffer presented the outline of a "Grand Compromise" his subcommittee would work on and brink back to the full WWTF at the June 8-9 meeting:
However .... shortly after, Crank made another motion that the WWTF recommend to eliminate the 7,250 nonresident elk tag cap, and go to nonresident regional elk tag management like deer. Prior, G&F Licensing Chief Jennifer Doering had estimated that eliminating the 7,250 cap would result in an increase of approximately 1,000 nonresident general elk tags. This change would not require legislative approval and could be made by the G&F Commission.
Typically, nonresident hunters with general elk tags congregate in the hunt areas with easy national forest access like the Grays River and Snowy Range ... and crowd these areas already busy with resident hunters. Dr. Shaffer disappointingly voted in favor of the motion, but wanted language added that the G&F Commission would consider impacts to resident hunters with general season tags in making their regional general elk tag quotas.
After quick discussion, the full WWTF approved Crank's motion 13-3, with Sen. Hicks, Rep. Sommers and Teten casing the "no" votes. Rep. Sommers explained his vote by stating that he felt eliminating the 7,250 cap should be part of an overall grand compromise.
It was unclear to me if this recommendation would go to the public for further comment or simply be forwarded to the G&F Commission.
Other Meeting Stuff ....
Buzz, what can you add or retract from this summary?
"Sportsman" representative and former Game & Fish Commissioner, Pat Crank, made a motion to keep the current tag allocation and therefore kill any chance of a 90/10 recommendation coming out of the WWTF. His motion was quickly seconded by Outfitter Lee Livingston.
Crank's motion came immediately after sportsmens' rep, Dr. Joe Shaffer, who favors 90/10, gave a subcommittee report on a the impact of 90/10 on tags (4,791 more Type 1 deer, antelope and elk tags for resident hunters), and his subcommittee's work on the issues surrounding a possible compromise with outfitters.
Earlier in the day, Wyoming Outfitter and Guides Association President, Sy Gilliland, had submitted a proposal to create a 40% Outfitter Draw for all nonresident deer, elk, and antelope limited quota tags, and all elk nonresident general tags. Under Gilliland's proposal, nonresident hunters who had committed to used an outfitter would be placed in a special draw and compete for 40% of the available nonresident tags. Gilliland argued that this system would create stability and predictability for Wyoming's outfitting industry.
After making his motion, Crank acknowledged that the resident hunter push for 90/10 is what "drove formation of the WWTF," and continued that he supported the outfitter wish list of an outfitter draw, draw, transferable doe/fawn & cow/calf landowner tags, and eliminating the current 7,250 cap on nonresident elk tags, but concluded that "90/10 is a bad idea."
Rep. Albert Sommers and Sen. Larry Hicks both noted that if the WWTF killed any chance of 90/10, resident hunters would likely oppose any other WWTF recommendations when they made it to the legislature, and each side needed to make concessions and come to the representatives with a "package proposal" all could support. Said Sommers, "If it's not packaged in a way everybody can support, it ain't happening."
Even Gilliland, not a fan of 90/10, supported a continued effort to find a compromise proposal.
At vote time, Crank's motion failed 11-6. Crank and Livingston were joined by Adam Teten and Josh Coursey, and outfitter/ranchers Jamie Flitner and Duaine Hagnn in voting to kill 90/10.
On Tuesday Morning, Dr. Shaffer presented the outline of a "Grand Compromise" his subcommittee would work on and brink back to the full WWTF at the June 8-9 meeting:
- Eliminate the current 7,250 cap on nonresident elk tags and go to regional management of elk for nonresident hunters similar to how deer are managed now.
- 50% Special Outfitter Draw - so 50% of all nonresident limited quota deer, elk and antelope tags, and 50% of elk nonresident general tags would only be available to nonresident hunters who had committed to use an outfitter
- 90/10 tag allocation for all deer, elk and antelope units with a 30% or less resident hunter draw odds
- 3-year wait period for resident hunters who draw a high demand limited quota tag - with "high demand" being 30% or less draw odds. Hunters would be able to purchase general tags during the wait period and/or apply for limited quota tags in hunt areas that were not "high demand" in terms of draw odds (31% or greater odds).
- 24-hour resident hunter head start for leftover tags
- Increase nonresident tag prices across the board to offset any budget shortfalls caused by the above changes
However .... shortly after, Crank made another motion that the WWTF recommend to eliminate the 7,250 nonresident elk tag cap, and go to nonresident regional elk tag management like deer. Prior, G&F Licensing Chief Jennifer Doering had estimated that eliminating the 7,250 cap would result in an increase of approximately 1,000 nonresident general elk tags. This change would not require legislative approval and could be made by the G&F Commission.
Typically, nonresident hunters with general elk tags congregate in the hunt areas with easy national forest access like the Grays River and Snowy Range ... and crowd these areas already busy with resident hunters. Dr. Shaffer disappointingly voted in favor of the motion, but wanted language added that the G&F Commission would consider impacts to resident hunters with general season tags in making their regional general elk tag quotas.
After quick discussion, the full WWTF approved Crank's motion 13-3, with Sen. Hicks, Rep. Sommers and Teten casing the "no" votes. Rep. Sommers explained his vote by stating that he felt eliminating the 7,250 cap should be part of an overall grand compromise.
It was unclear to me if this recommendation would go to the public for further comment or simply be forwarded to the G&F Commission.
Other Meeting Stuff ....
- Several outfitters in attended spoke in favor of Gilliland's outfitter draw proposal during public comment. When asked by Sen. Hicks if they would support 90/10 in exchange for the outfitter draw all answered "no"
- Jennifer Doering reported that 29,345 nonresident hunters applied for elk tags in 2022, which was up 8.39% from 2021 and up a staggering 34% since 2019.
- Doering also reported that eliminating the existing 7,250 cap on nonresident elk tags would result in approximately 1,000 additional nonresident general season elk tags.
- The WWTF unanimously voted to recommend to the G&F Commission that hunters only be allowed one Type 1 or 2 Antelope Tag. This proposal will go out for public comment and receive a final vote at the July meeting.
- G&F Wildlife Chief Rick King gave a quick presentation on Shed Hunting at the request of Rep. Sommers, who has concerns about the swarms of nonresident shed hunters who descend on western Wyoming each year for the May 1 opening. King reported that the current restriction of Shed Hunting until 6am on May 1 has helped the G&F with enforcement. G&F Director Brian Nesvik said it's unclear if the G&F has the legal authority to require permits or licenses for shed hunting and that current law, as he understands it, states that once the shed drops off the animal and hits the ground, it's owned by the landowner. The decision was made to ask the Wyoming Attorney General for an opinion on whether or not the G&F had the authority to require permits or licenses for shed hunting, and if so, if nonresidents could be charged more than residents.
- Crank gave an update on his subcommittee's work to reform landowner tags. The changes are still being worked on but the current draft would address some of the current abuse by requiring a 25% or greater ownership to attain a landowner tag, and disqualify any property which was purchased after being marketed as having landowner tags from the program. Crank intends to make further changes to the draft and bring it to the June meeting for formal WWTF consideration.
- Sy Gilliland reported that Wyoming is down 18,000 antelope tags 2018 - further reinforcing that Wyoming's most abundant big game animal is in trouble.