Idaho hates NRs.

For elk in idaho after this year will be $815.50

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I'm not at all upset over Idaho's proposed price but I find it humorous that this report you posted included California's NR Elk cost in their "average" cost computation. That single state inflates their computed average by about $75. If I'm not mistaken, CA limits the total NR elk tag allocation to one per year, maximum (none are guaranteed to go to a NR). Now if they'd chosen to list PA's NR elk cost instead ($11.90 to apply, $250 for the NR tag if you draw, all 142 available tags may be drawn by NR with equal odds to those of PA residents), they'd get the opposite effect on their "average" NR cost. But that wouldn't really serve the intended purpose of the report would it? ;)

Yeah, yeah, I get it that PA ain't the West. But it's just as silly to list CA as a NR elk destination comparable to any of the other 10 states on that list, IMHO.
 
Yeah, yeah, I get it that PA ain't the West. But it's just as silly to list CA as a NR elk destination comparable to any of the other 10 states on that list, IMHO.
Yea I laughed at the CA part to. I grew up in north central PA and it might not be the west but boy do they have some monster elk!!! PA has done an incredible job managing them with the help of RMEF. Great success story!
 
I would argue that other general deer units in WY have significantly better deer numbers than most Idaho Gen units. (Not just G&H).
WY general elk (while it does take a couple points) also better than your avg Idaho general tag. Quite a few Colorado OTC elk tags I would take over an Idaho OTC elk tag too....I’ve hunted both a fair amount. Always enjoy Idaho, but as far as game quality & quantity ......I think a couple other places beat it as far as Value.

As I mentioned in my long post, I don’t doubt that there are 1 or 2 better options throughout the West. But what everyone fails to remember is that you, as a NR, can go to wal mart or login online today 2/12/2020, and buy the tag. No draw, no leftover, no drawing the “general tag,” no points, etc. Apples to apples for a TRUE otc tag, there is only ID and CO for non residents. That is value.
 
Yep and I pay for Wyoming's and Arizona's.
Difference is I'm not a whine ass about. I embrace it.
Not directly calling you a whine ass. Stating in general.
Haha I know that no worries, just felt that I had to state it. I was stewing on that Wyo bill that didnt pass. That had me upside down all day. I 100% understand as a resident how alot of them feel but here I am a little further east and every day until sept-nov i think about the mountains out west. I do feel fortunate to be able to get out there every year and I know there are some that take it for granted but no where near the amount us that cherish it and allow it to change our lives in the best ways possible
 
Haha I know that no worries, just felt that I had to state it. I was stewing on that Wyo bill that didnt pass. That had me upside down all day. I 100% understand as a resident how alot of them feel but here I am a little further east and every day until sept-nov i think about the mountains out west. I do feel fortunate to be able to get out there every year and I know there are some that take it for granted but no where near the amount us that cherish it and allow it to change our lives in the best ways possible
So many people in the area I live take it for granted. Sometimes I think some of em just hunt so they can complain about something. Haha
 
As a NR, the price increase against NR is what it is. NR have been exploited for probably as long as GFP's have been around. I'd be a lot more for it if there was a slight increase on the resident side of pricing too. Not asking for the world but it would definitely help ease the pain and there might be a little less anger. Spread the love around a little bit. I'm not overly opposed to the tag reduction in an effort to "reduce crowding" either. It states that reduction will specifically be against the general season pool of tags. NR are already limited to about 36% of the general season tags for elk. I think a 75/25 split would be fair but they should also eliminate the option to purchase a second tag. I get it, it's your state and you should have the majority option to enjoy the resources. On the flip side, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Hopefully this bill is a step in the right direction but I am a bit scared to see how big of a hit the general season percentage will be.
 
The pricing is what it is. Its not awesome and I hate thinking about people who dream about hunting out there but just can't drum up the funds. The thing that I get a little rattled with is the decrease in NR tags. I know there should be a balance weighted heavy for the residents of that state but I hope they keep that balance as long as the wildlife numbers support it. The points game that we get into can be a pretty hefty investment and then combine point creep with tag deductions is just a killer for a guys plan. Idaho has great country and has a lot to offer, can't argue with them for raising prices for tags. Why not every state around them still sells what they need to at much higher prices.
 
When sportsman stop to think, it's not about me me me, but the greater as a whole of sportsman we will fair better. Until then, we won't stop losing our great opportunities to be sportsman and pass the legacy on.

This right here.

Idaho does not hate me although some Idahoans might. I’ll apply and pay the fees since for now since I am able to. Thank you for the “opportunity”. But using surrounding states high fees as a technical arguement to justify ever more high fees just makes me laugh. How about what it should cost, not what it can cost. It’s just friggen hunting. Same as 200 years ago, no more, no less except we have highways, airplanes and internet now to make us feel like we are special. Grow a set, just one state, ANY state, and ban non-residents. Or raise our fees to $10,000. DO IT! It’s inevitable and the water torture effect is getting into my psyche. Yes, it bothers me that fellow hunters think this resident/nonresident balkanization is a good idea. It’s not. But some continue to think it will solve some problem (namely them not getting a tag each year, or having to share a parking spot with an unfamiliar licence plate).

I believe we are witnessing the swan song playing out in slow motion across the west. What was, is gone, or going. If anybody thinks that “our kids” or “our kids’s kids” will have anything remotely close to our opportunities, think again. We already gripe that we don’t have the same as our parents’ opportunities. There are exceptions here snd there, blah blah blah but c’mon. Population growth alone will do it. Development. Oil/Gas. These things are going up, not down anytime soon. Animosity amongst fellow Americans doesnt help. If things are better than what I am stating, why are so many people so pissed at each other all the time? Let’s admit we and our state govts and game agencies and non hunters and really just about everyone are all now part of the generation that is killing it off. Again, there are exceptions, good organizations, spokespeople like Big Fin, etc. But there’s forces beyond individuals’ control, Racing us to the bottom, until the hard stop and EVERYONe will one be asking just where the hell all that money went, followed by where did all the like-minded outdoorsmen and women go. Answer, they aged out or died. Or quit. And nobody replaced us. There may always be some animals around, and will definitely always be some increasingly rich dudes wanting to shoot them and willing to pay any sum for tags or access. But the future system, the almost guaranteed reading of the tea leaves says, to me, 50 years from now us gonna be painful to witness. For now I will try to enjoy every single minute I can out west in whatever hunts I can do for my remaining decades if I am able, but would not feign to suggest youth of today sign up for this increasingly acrimonious, expensive and frustrating lifestyle even though I DO love and treasure it myself.
 
To be clear I understand the sentiment and annoyance of a tag going up in price, but idaho is simply closer aligning themselves with the going rate with these price increases. They are not going ham and raising them to some astronomical number that exceeds every state in the country here. But let's all act like it's an astronomical number cause it is a reason to complain and we all love to complain.

Agreed, as a non-resident, the adjusted price is still good and lower than most surrounding states...
 
They lowered the NR quota in the unit I hunt this year. I didn't get a tag for the first time since 2013. The tags sold out in minutes but I have PLENTY of back-up options in other states. I saw the demand for these tags increasing every year and planned ahead accordingly. Noteworthy has been exponential demand concurrent with Instagram/Youtube heroes outing the unit. If I want to hunt Idaho bad enough, I'll move there.
 
Noteworthy has been exponential demand concurrent with Instagram/Youtube heroes outing the unit.
The Insta-famous aspect is VERY real. My buddy in Boise said some Utah hunters put up a You-Tube from a unit he hunts, complete with very prominent and visible landmarks. He said Ray Charles could have identified the unit. The next year the trailheads were completely awash in NR plates. We're starting to evaluate some not so far down the road retirement planning, which may very well involve moving back to my homeland.
 
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