Wyoming Outfitters & Guides Association

[Founder]

WYOGA was very instrumental in helping to defeat the recent attack from Wyoming Senator Hicks and others who want to take non-resident hunting tags from non-resident hunters (SF0094). Those pushing this bill wrote it up with a call for 30% of the few tags leftover for non-residents to be for outfitted hunters only. So basically, this senator, and whomever else was behind this bill, wanted to cut NR's DIY tags to 7%. Yep, 7%!!

Non-residents really should appreciate the fact that WYOGA is on our side on most issues. Of course we need to stand up for ourselves by sending letters and emails and voicing our concerns when others want to take our opportunity.
Remember, while we might not be residents of Wyoming or other states, we must still try to preserve our opportunity as best we can. When we quit, our opportunities will go away to others who want it more.

I just wanted to post this because in another thread I jumped to conclusions and thought the outfitters were in part behind that senate bill that Hicks was pushing. I apologize to WYOGA and their members.

Status quo is good.....no NR tag cuts and no outfitter allocated tags. Eventually no silly Wilderness rule that makes no sense and is only meant to benefit a few outfitters in that area.

 

[Geko42]

It was a stupid bill! If they were going to do that to nonres they would eventually do that to res too. Nonres or res we dont need that kind of stuff happening

 

[alaska_bou]

I would like to ask if hunters from states like Utah, Idaho and New Mexico will lobby your respective states to increase non-resident tag allocations to reciprocate Wyoming's generosity?

Yeah, I didn't think so...

 

[jims]

Colo welcomes nonres with open arms! Colo small town business's know the boost in economy that nonres provide to their communities. I've never raised a stink about nonres in Colo because I know how important they are to local business.

Colo offers OTC elk tags. Up to 35% of deer and elk tags in limited units are issued to nonres in units that take less than 6 pts to draw and up to 20% of total tags are issued to nonres with more than 6 pts to draw (3 year average). These allocations increase with left over tags.

It sure would be nice if other states followed suite and Wyo remains status=quo!

 

[Founder]

I would like to ask if hunters from states like Utah, Idaho and New Mexico will lobby your respective states to increase non-resident tag allocations to reciprocate Wyoming's generosity?

Yeah, I didn't think so...

No one is asking Wyoming residents to lobby for non-residents. I have absolutely no problem with everyone in Wyoming, or any other state, asking for more Utah tags and calling or emailing decision makers. Non-residents of Utah and any other state should do what they can to preserve what opportunity is still exists, regardless of where it is. It makes no sense to me to just throw my hands in the air and say "I lose without even trying".

I think every state should be offering 25% or so of tags to non-residents.

 

[Bluehair]

Colorado doesn't have any elk anymore because of OTC tags. But we will sell you one anyway. Sarcasm with a grain of truth.

 

[rocky2track]

Here's the groups' presentation and data that caught the eye of Mr. Hicks and proposed to set tags aside for outfitters.

 

[Founder]

Well, hopefully Mr, Hicks will ignore this "Screw the Non-resident" group in the future and not look foolish presenting silliness to the Wyoming senate. Probably not though.

I got a chuckle out of this proposal this "Screw the Non-resident" group had............
"Charge companies using Wyoming harvest data and hunt area coordinates for commercial profit: gohunt.com, huntingfool.com, onxmaps.com, etc."
This dude needs to read the first amendment. No one even has to travel to Wyoming to sell hunt area coordinates or harvest data! How would Wyoming even enforce such silliness?
Maybe the state can charge people for evening saying the word, "Wyoming"?

 

[Founder]

In one part of that PDF it says, "Fight for the future of big game hunting in the West."

In another part it says, "Resident hunters and outfitters share a common goal … Decrease the number of DIY Nonresident Hunters in Wyoming."

So the future this "Screw the Non-resident" group envisions is one that divides sportsmen, creates battles based on where we all live. Crazy.
You all are more than welcome in my state. I don't pull up to the trailhead looking at license plates and complain when it's not from my state. I complain no matter what state they're from.....ha ha ha

 

[rocky2track]

I found the data interesting. For NR elk, even if LQ tags were cut to 10%, I think more GEN tags could be given out so there wouldn't be much of a loss there. For Region G & H deer, there would be little loss as there are few LQ areas. The set quota of NR General tags would remain the same for deer. Now for antelope, there's gonna be a loss of Type 1&2 buck tags for sure. I looked at the antelope areas in Sublette and Sweetwater Counties. Its pretty much 25% of the buck antelope tags go to NR hunters. Depending on the area, residents could get approx. 20-30 more buck tags per area if its reduced down to 10%. Add that up through the region and its approx. +200 more buck tags for residents. I'm going on 8 years since having a buck antelope tag west of the continental divide, just bad luck in the drawings I guess. For some areas its easier for NR to draw some antelope areas than myself as a resident. I also looked at Moose, Sheep, and Goat. When reduced to 10%, looks like a loss of 30 sheep, 36 moose, and 13 goat. It be more if the State did decide to not allow any NR tags if there are less than 10 tags for an area that is in the proposal that Mtn Pursuit put out there. About 15 moose areas and many sheep areas would go bye bye. The $$ loss in NR tags just in moose, sheep and goat would be approx. $157K and assuming most those are guided hunts, especially sheep, in the $7500 range, probably going to take $350K-$500k+ out of the outfitting industry alone, maybe more. There needs to be alot more discussion, but at first glance to protect state businesses and help local economies, it may not be 10% across the board for each species.

NR are taking many of the leftover tags. I'm neutral on this. In this day and age, you better take advantage of the tags available in the first drawing as a resident. The days of getting a leftover deer, antelope, or elk tag a week, a month, before the season starts has passed. People are looking for any opportunity just to go hunting somewhere.

 

[Deerlove]

Rocky I've traded barbs with MT pursuit, and he's a clown.

 

[rocky2track]

Rocky I've traded barbs with MT pursuit, and he's a clown.

He was the editor for our local paper here in Sublette County before he left for Teton....we know. I don't agree with most the stuff he's got on his website, but how tags are allocated does raise eyebrows.

 

[BuzzH]

rocky2track,

Pretty much agree with your assessment, except this:

" in the $7500 range, probably going to take $350K-$500k+ out of the outfitting industry alone, maybe more."

NOT true, a lot of residents go guided for sheep...it wouldn't be a loss of jack chit to the outfitters. Depending who draws, it might be a wash or even increase their bottom line.

 

[rocky2track]

NOT true, a lot of residents go guided for sheep...it wouldn't be a loss of jack chit to the outfitters. Depending who draws, it might be a wash or even increase their bottom line.

That certainly could be the case. I know a half-dozen +50 year old's that have gone that route with the sheep. I'm not that age yet...but have 19 sheep pts and the outfitter brochures have been showing up in my mail.

 

[BuzzH]

That certainly could be the case. I know a half-dozen +50 year old's that have gone that route with the sheep. I'm not that age yet...but have 19 sheep pts and the outfitter brochures have been showing up in my mail.

Wait until you draw...you'll get solicitation from every single one of them. I got 8-10 the week after the draw results were out last year.

My wife has 20 points now and she is also getting the brochures as well.