wymoosehunter
Active Member
- Messages
- 134
Just wanted to add my perspective on the SB 196 debacle. I am just an ordinary Joe making ordinary Joe wages, married to an expat New Mexicana, and our son just became of age to hunt in most states. The three of us have sat down and looked at finances and hunt opportunities and established a game plan for all of us. Our game plan included New Mexico. I have hunted NM twice, once for mountain lion with an outfitter (total rip-off w/an unethical outfitter), and a DIY hunt for Oryx (a great adventure). My wife has hunted NM twice, both for Oryx, and both great experiences (WSMR and an off-range hunt).
When I really started chasing tags, I put in applications to 12 states (AK, WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, UT, NV, CO, AZ, NM, and TX) and because of how states have shown poor judgment/treatment to the NR hunters that apply in their respective states, I have quit applying in Oregon (the current title holder of the worst), Washington, (close runner up), and Utah (making a break for the top spot), because of how they have screwed NR sportsmen in the draw processes and the very negligible return on limited dollars for the applicant.
I have been burned by too many states when it comes to the chase the points/change the rules in the middle game and as such, carefully evaluate how I am going to spend my limited dollars for applications.
New Mexico went from one of the most friendly (although expensive) towards NR hunters (tied with Wyoming), to a proposal that will make it somewhere between Utah and Oregon (which is sucking hind teat). Gone will be my $15,400 (yes, $15.4K) in $ that we send the state of NM for the chance to draw a tag for sheep, oryx, and ibex every year. I know that between my family and my other hunting partners that come with us to NM, we have spent at least $15k in tags, travel, motels, restaurants, and other things, enriching NM with our $. That will end with passage of SB 196. We will drop NM as a place we spend our $ on applications, but more importantly, NM will lose out on our $ that we won't leave behind by not hunting in NM. Add that up with the huge number of other NR's who will feel the same way, and NM becomes another F&G disaster like Oregon and Idaho (and soon Utah).
I, for one , will be lobbying the legislators of my home state for a reciprocal law regarding the allocation of tags. It will essentially be do unto others as they do unto you. For example, all California hunters will be limited to only one (1) elk tag and (1) sheep tag for all of Wyoming because that is the maximum that NR?s are restricted to in California. Utah hunters will only be eligible for a handful of premium tags as that is all they allocate for the NR. New Mexico hunters would only be eligible for 2% of the tags across the board (outfitter welfare tags would not count as part of the 10%). I would also advocate a provision for like fees. So NM hunters would have to pay the same for a WY tag as a NR would pay for a like tag in NM. Additionally, I will lobby to get rid of WY policy of giving at least 25% (deer and antelope is over 40%) of our tags away to the damned NR?s who want to hunt here. We as Wyomingites need to keep them all for ourselves and screw the other citizens of this country who have no damn business coming to our state and taking our precious resources that we could keep for ourselves. Tit-for-Tat. (This is satire, as it will only spur additional angst and ill-will among sportsmen and does not make economic sense. But it does make the point).
Short sightedness on behalf of stupid legislators and egged on by selfish idiots (not just in NM), and in- fighting between hunters will only lead to more encroachment by the anti-hunting crowd and further restrict our heritage and sport. I would ask that each sportsman/woman in NM think this through and come to an objective and reasoned decision and make sure that this does not pass the NM legislature.
WyMo
When I really started chasing tags, I put in applications to 12 states (AK, WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, UT, NV, CO, AZ, NM, and TX) and because of how states have shown poor judgment/treatment to the NR hunters that apply in their respective states, I have quit applying in Oregon (the current title holder of the worst), Washington, (close runner up), and Utah (making a break for the top spot), because of how they have screwed NR sportsmen in the draw processes and the very negligible return on limited dollars for the applicant.
I have been burned by too many states when it comes to the chase the points/change the rules in the middle game and as such, carefully evaluate how I am going to spend my limited dollars for applications.
New Mexico went from one of the most friendly (although expensive) towards NR hunters (tied with Wyoming), to a proposal that will make it somewhere between Utah and Oregon (which is sucking hind teat). Gone will be my $15,400 (yes, $15.4K) in $ that we send the state of NM for the chance to draw a tag for sheep, oryx, and ibex every year. I know that between my family and my other hunting partners that come with us to NM, we have spent at least $15k in tags, travel, motels, restaurants, and other things, enriching NM with our $. That will end with passage of SB 196. We will drop NM as a place we spend our $ on applications, but more importantly, NM will lose out on our $ that we won't leave behind by not hunting in NM. Add that up with the huge number of other NR's who will feel the same way, and NM becomes another F&G disaster like Oregon and Idaho (and soon Utah).
I, for one , will be lobbying the legislators of my home state for a reciprocal law regarding the allocation of tags. It will essentially be do unto others as they do unto you. For example, all California hunters will be limited to only one (1) elk tag and (1) sheep tag for all of Wyoming because that is the maximum that NR?s are restricted to in California. Utah hunters will only be eligible for a handful of premium tags as that is all they allocate for the NR. New Mexico hunters would only be eligible for 2% of the tags across the board (outfitter welfare tags would not count as part of the 10%). I would also advocate a provision for like fees. So NM hunters would have to pay the same for a WY tag as a NR would pay for a like tag in NM. Additionally, I will lobby to get rid of WY policy of giving at least 25% (deer and antelope is over 40%) of our tags away to the damned NR?s who want to hunt here. We as Wyomingites need to keep them all for ourselves and screw the other citizens of this country who have no damn business coming to our state and taking our precious resources that we could keep for ourselves. Tit-for-Tat. (This is satire, as it will only spur additional angst and ill-will among sportsmen and does not make economic sense. But it does make the point).
Short sightedness on behalf of stupid legislators and egged on by selfish idiots (not just in NM), and in- fighting between hunters will only lead to more encroachment by the anti-hunting crowd and further restrict our heritage and sport. I would ask that each sportsman/woman in NM think this through and come to an objective and reasoned decision and make sure that this does not pass the NM legislature.
WyMo
