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In Montana NR Hunters secured over 85,000 hunting licences.

As a 6th generation Montanan I personally don't have a problem with non res hunters, if I didn't live here I'd want to come and hunt here also.

The problem I have is the fact that the country here cannot support the amount of tags fwp issues and our mule deer numbers are proof of that. Are too many non res tags contributing to that , damn straight. Is that the only reason behind it, hell no. Imo there are numerous problems with how our fwp runs things.

Fwiw as a resident I would be fine only hunting mule every other year or every three years. To keep blasting mule deer does is absurd. The fact that people just have to go home with a deer and settle for a little forky because they didn't get the one they wanted is absurd. That applies to non res and residents alike.

As to the comment that residents should be paying more for tags, I could justify a bit more but maybe you non residents should come and try to make a living in this state before you start flapping your holes.

Enough ranting for me.
 
To me it seems like the state is breaking the NR deer and elk cap? Are they not?
 
I think the vast majority of residents on this site are in favor of paying more as residents and adjusting management for benefit of the species. But this isn’t the typical demographic. Most don’t want to change license prices or management. Hell, I think a surprising % would be in favor of general moose and goat tags.
 
Eliminating a percentage of hunters who pay @ 10X the price of other hunters without reducing funding for wildlife departments or raising the cost to residents hunters produces a significant conundrum. Got a solution?

We evolved into the situation we are in over a long time. It is fairly easy for politicians to raise the price of non resident tags, since non residents can't vote. It also can be spun that they are making non residents pay their "fair" share. This is exacerbated by many resident hunters wanting their deer and elk tags to be cheap.

So, my seat of my pants solution, to start, is make deer licenses $50 and elk licenses $100 for residents. Also make the sheep, goat and moose tags for residents $250. I could be persuaded to have some portion that price fronted in the application and be non refundable.

However much that raises should be offset by fewer non resident deer and elk tags.
 
To me it seems like the state is breaking the NR deer and elk cap? Are they not?

Yes they are. We have our state legislators to thank for that. There’s been multiple self-serving bills to increase NR tags in various forms as well as a bill allowing FWP to separate returned elk/deer combos and sell them individually.

If we could get FWP to return to 17,000 elk/deer combo licenses, 6,600 deer only combos and 10% of B licenses that would be a huge improvement in NR over crowding.
 
Yep, I believe my point is proven, thanks............
Whatever dude, the only point you have proven is that you refuse to listen to factual information. It's either Annie up or lay off wardens and biologist if those tags are cut. That's just how it is, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that. 100% agree on tags should be cut in half for NRs but, fact is it takes $$$ to run any government agency. I could care less tbh isn't my s*** show and I don't have to deal with it come Oct/Nov. Cut em is my advice. Not gonna make a difference in your hunting in that place.
 
Yes they are. We have our state legislators to thank for that. There’s been multiple self-serving bills to increase NR tags in various forms as well as a bill allowing FWP to separate returned elk/deer combos and sell them individually.

If we could get FWP to return to 17,000 elk/deer combo licenses, 6,600 deer only combos and 10% of B licenses that would be a huge improvement in NR over crowding.
Thank you GM

Sounds like we gotta get the big guns to tackle those legislators. Randy! The elk signal is in the sky!

Surely they can be held accountable?
 
Whatever dude, the only point you have proven is that you refuse to listen to factual information. It's either Annie up or lay off wardens and biologist if those tags are cut. That's just how it is, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that. 100% agree on tags should be cut in half for NRs but, fact is it takes $$$ to run any government agency. I could care less tbh isn't my s*** show and I don't have to deal with it come Oct/Nov. Cut em is my advice. Not gonna make a difference in your hunting in that place.
Everyone already knows about Annie Up and the wardens and biologist, it's the FWP scandal of the century....................
 
Once again, NR telling a R that they need to pay more for hunting licenses...............
Brown bear knows what he’s taking about he didn’t say you had he just said it’s only way it’s gonna improve and he’s correct
 
I don't believe that all these tag sales are for bio's and wardens. We had a lot more of each when there was only 11,500 combo tags sold. Resident tags were far less also. There's money that the department can use and the legislature won't allow. This is legislatively driven. Who stands to make hay with more NR tag sales? I don't think it's money driven.
 
I don't believe that all these tag sales are for bio's and wardens. We had a lot more of each when there was only 11,500 combo tags sold. Resident tags were far less also. There's money that the department can use and the legislature won't allow. This is legislatively driven. Who stands to make hay with more NR tag sales? I don't think it's money driven.
FWP needs new trucks every year...............
 
2021 is the most recent year I have foia data for elk in colorado and we had 71,569 NR elk hunters - that's draw, otc, and youth draw elk hunters.

and remember, thats ONLY ELK. i suspect we get up into the 120,000, maybe 130,000, range for NR when you include every other species. i'd have to look sometime, i don't actually know.

but, don't know what y'all are complaining about up there in montana, sounds like you have it pretty nice ;)
 
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