Wyo Wildlife Task Force and the new outfitter/landowner draw proposal

[88man]

I just hate the argument or the comments about how a guy can't afford a tag because it went up like 50%. 90% of the time we can afford what is most important to us and we live in a country where we have stability and so much opportunity. Sometimes you just need a little time to pay for things and make sacrifices other places.

Sorta like more custom guns and $1000 bows and every gadget known to man has made the cost of hunting gear per hunter increase way more than the cost of tags. I know Ill get ripped by the guys endorsing products and getting marketing revenue making people want expensive clothing and gear etc. My 82 year old father hunts/fishes more days that most guides and he doesn't have a piece of gear newer than 10years old that comes to mind. His budget is tight and he doesn't want you to buy him gear because he enjoys being outside and doesn't need it.

Guys at our hunting clubs complain when the dues increase $25 a year and we do so much for wildlife and youth, but they keep buying new trucks a have totes and closets filled with sitka and kuiu & first lite gear. Heck they got so much money they buy the branded none hunting clothing from these companies.

I just don't like to hear pricing people out.

 

[bullbugle307]

I just hate the argument or the comments about how a guy can't afford a tag because it went up like 50%. 90% of the time we can afford what is most important to us and we live in a country where we have stability and so much opportunity. Sometimes you just need a little time to pay for things and make sacrifices other places.

Sorta like more custom guns and $1000 bows and every gadget known to man has made the cost of hunting gear per hunter increase way more than the cost of tags. I know Ill get ripped by the guys endorsing products and getting marketing revenue making people want expensive clothing and gear etc. My 82 year old father hunts/fishes more days that most guides and he doesn't have a piece of gear newer than 10years old that comes to mind. His budget is tight and he doesn't want you to buy him gear because he enjoys being outside and doesn't need it.

Guys at our hunting clubs complain when the dues increase $25 a year and we do so much for wildlife and youth, but they keep buying new trucks a have totes and closets filled with sitka and kuiu & first lite gear. Heck they got so much money they buy the branded none hunting clothing from these companies.

I just don't like to hear pricing people out.

Agreed. It's mostly a cop out, at least for resident hunters. And if it's not, you probably shouldn't be looking to hunting to fill your freezer anyways. If your that bad off, meats almost always cheaper at the store, and the government will probably pay for it anyways at that point.

Or, get game meat from other hunters. There's always people out there hunting that don't really want anything to do with the meat. Sad but true.

 

[BrentD]

Sadly this statement I believe is true. I don't see a scenario where non resident hunting in western states isn't screwed.

Agreed. And it may get uglier from there.

 

[SaskHunter]

The closest gas station to my hunt area sees a 1,258% rise in Diet Coke and mini donut sales when season starts.

#NRDiabetus

 

[Dougfirtree]

Sadly this statement I believe is true. I don't see a scenario where non resident hunting in western states isn't screwed.

You're probably right (especially for DIY cheapskates like me), but it's interesting to imagine how the opposite could happen, too. There are a lot of very powerful, wealthy people who don't live in the Rocky Mountain west. What are the avenues by which the masses of non-residents could leverage their power to influence state policies to their advantage? I mean, we're already seeing the ways in which the powerful ones are trying to do this with outfitter tags, landowner tags, etc. Just an interesting thought experiment to add to the fray...

 

[bullbugle307]

You're probably right (especially for DIY cheapskates like me), but it's interesting to imagine how the opposite could happen, too. There are a lot of very powerful, wealthy people who don't live in the Rocky Mountain west. What are the avenues by which the masses of non-residents could leverage their power to influence state policies to their advantage? I mean, we're already seeing the ways in which the powerful ones are trying to do this with outfitter tags, landowner tags, etc. Just an interesting thought experiment to add to the fray...

Start pooling your money and donating to campaigns I guess?

 

[Dougfirtree]

Start pooling your money and donating to campaigns I guess?

Ha ha, starting my own PAC in Wyoming!? To be clear, I'm not advocating for this kind of mobilization against resident interests. Just a thought experiment that occurred to me.

 

[Archer86]

Ha ha, starting my own PAC in Wyoming!? To be clear, I'm not advocating for this kind of mobilization against resident interests. Just a thought experiment that occurred to me.

Haha.. or better yet start a non profit similiar to the outfitter non profits to advocate for diy hunting in all states that advocate for residents and non residents land access all things diy hunting and fight back agains the outfitter associations. to bad that will never happen.

 

[bullbugle307]

Get Trump to endorse your ideas. You'll have Wyoming voters and politicians turning inside out to get it done.

 

[rwc101]

WYDIYHA

 

[JM77]

You're probably right (especially for DIY cheapskates like me), but it's interesting to imagine how the opposite could happen, too. There are a lot of very powerful, wealthy people who don't live in the Rocky Mountain west. What are the avenues by which the masses of non-residents could leverage their power to influence state policies to their advantage? I mean, we're already seeing the ways in which the powerful ones are trying to do this with outfitter tags, landowner tags, etc. Just an interesting thought experiment to add to the fray...

Was this you in college?

 

[Dougfirtree]

Was this you in college?View attachment 233809

Totally, except I lacked the guts to talk to Minnie Driver and it sure as hell wasn't MIT, or Harvard. Also, I could never keep a collar that wrinkle-free.

 

[Elkmagnet]

I could never keep a collar that wrinkle-free.

We going deep but how do people do it!?

 

[huntin24/7]

I haven’t ever really had any contempt or hatred for outfitters(although it’s getting more difficult to avoid that feeling with what’s happening in WY and MT the past few years) and take no issue with guys hiring an outfitter. Hell, we all will probably use one at some point. But, this all seems so simple to me as far as tag allocation. Everyone goes into the same draw aside from residents going in one draw and non res in another. I don’t really have a problem with WY special draw either. But I don’t think there is ever an instance anywhere under any circumstances that a person choosing an outfitter should take precedence over someone else willing to put up the money for an application. Draw the tag and choose whether you want to go with an outfitter and which one or go diy. It should really be that simple.

 

[manitou1]

NR hunters that hire a guide don’t wear boots?

I buy locally.

 

[Shangobango]

I have been scarce due to work and just following this in the background.

My thoughts are, (not that anyone should care) l, that the outfitter set aside being tabled is great. I am shocked that the 90/10 aspect is not moving forward and not shocked at all that they are discussing raising NR prices. I think that was going to happen regardless of what happened with the other proposals.

I don’t mind the raising of prices to a point, but we collectively as hunters and conservationists are going to have to figure out a sustainable long term solution to the cost/opportunity equation or we will continue to barrel down a path I think leads to fewer and fewer people being able to afford to be involved in hunting and therefore having any reason to care about conservation.

The whole “well just go hiking and blow your elk call at elk, why do you have to hunt” line of thinking falls flat for me and many others. I am a hunter. I experience the world as a hunter. If you think it is just ok to erase that worldview and say just go take a hike and expect hunters to stay engaged with conservation, I think you are delusional and you probably don’t value hunting as a medium by which to experience the natural world or honestly don’t value hunting period as much as many of us do.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

I am a hunter. I experience the world as a hunter. If you think it is just ok to erase that worldview and say just go take a hike and expect hunters to stay engaged with conservation, I think you are delusional and you probably don’t value hunting as a medium by which to experience the natural world or honestly don’t value hunting period as much as many of us do.

I think that makes sense and don’t disagree. However, I think someone could say that if the value of conservation and wild places doesn’t transcend your love of hunting, you don’t value those things as much as many people do.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

To be clear, I’m not being critical, it’s just the other side of that coin IMO. And Lord willing we’ll all get to keep experiencing the outdoors through hunting and many other avenues.

 

[Shangobango]

I think that makes sense and don’t disagree. However, I think someone could say that if the value of conservation and wild places doesn’t transcend your love of hunting, you don’t value those things as much as many people do.

Perfectly fair point. The same could be said of backpackers, hikers, fisherman, etc. We need everyone involved.

I just know that for me personally, right or wrong, I would not have ever developed the love of wildlife and wild landscapes to the same degree if it were not for hunting.

I don’t have to tell you or most others on here that the connection between a hunter and nature is not the same as the connection between a hiker and nature, most of the time. I know plenty of non-consumptive users and by and large, they don’t have the same opportunity to develop that connection to the same depth as a consumptive user because they do not have to in order to be successful at their activity.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Perfectly fair point. The same could be said of backpackers, hikers, fisherman, etc. We need everyone involved.

I just know that for me personally, right or wrong, I would not have ever developed the love of wildlife and wild landscapes to the same degree if it were not for hunting.

I don’t have to tell you or most others on here that the connection between a hunter and nature is not the same as the connection between a hiker and nature, most of the time. I know plenty of non-consumptive users and by and large, they don’t have the same opportunity to develop that connection to the same depth as a consumptive user because they do not have to in order to be successful at their activity.

Hope that makes sense.

Great way to put it and I agree.