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Wyoming proposed changes

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Wyoming proposed changes

Postby robloft » 02 11, 2020 •  [Post 1]

What is everyone’s thoughts on these proposed Wyoming changes? They haven’t been voted on yet and on Facebook a few people seem to think they won’t get passed but if they do how many people will go somewhere else? Resident prices stay what they are currently.


Elk (current $690 > new $800)
Deer (current $372 > new $550)
Antelope (current $324 > new $425)
Sheep (current $2,318 > new $3,000)
Goat (current $2,160 > new $2,500)
Moose (current $1,980 > new $2,500)
Bull bison (current $4,400 > new $5,500)

Non-resident Quota Moose (current 20% > new 10%)
Non-resident Quota Sheep, Goat (current 25% > new 10%)
Non-resident Quota Elk (current 16% > new 10%)
Non-resident Quota Deer/Antelope (current ~20% > new 10%)

*30% of all non-resident licenses reserved in a separate quota for those hunting with an outfitter. (aka guide draw)
*Special priced licenses/quota split would be discontinued.
*Hunts with 9 or less licenses would have 0 non-resident licenses.
*Non-resident application fee increased from $15 to $17

https://legiscan.com/WY/bill/SF0094/2020



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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby saddlesore » 02 11, 2020 •  [Post 2]

My guess is they will pass it. The legislature probably saw how easy it was for Colorado to jack up prices and they will follow.Does Wyoming have the requirement to buy a qualifying license before putting in for the draw ? Colorado it is $82 or so and then a $9 application fee. Elk tags wil be $670.25 for 2020 in Colorado
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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby Deanmac » 02 11, 2020 •  [Post 3]

Wow getting to be all about the money, makes it harder for a East coast guy to hunt outwest.
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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby Wyo67 » 02 12, 2020 •  [Post 4]

saddlesore wrote:My guess is they will pass it. The legislature probably saw how easy it was for Colorado to jack up prices and they will follow.Does Wyoming have the requirement to buy a qualifying license before putting in for the draw ? Colorado it is $82 or so and then a $9 application fee. Elk tags wil be $670.25 for 2020 in Colorado


I don't know what a qualifying license is. Current prices for bull elk in Wyoming, you'll have to put in the license fee ($692 full price regular / $1,268 full price special), a $15 application fee, and a 2.5% credit card transaction fee. That's it. If you draw, you'll also need to buy a conservation stamp $12.50 and if you bow hunt another $72 for the archery license. Preference points are available to be purchased later in the year.
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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby saddlesore » 02 12, 2020 •  [Post 5]

Several states,including Colorado, make you buy a small game license before you an can apply for a drawing. Another money gouging ploy.Not needed when you buy an OTC tag
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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby Tigger » 02 12, 2020 •  [Post 6]

As western states keep poking the golden goose, sooner or later, they are going to kill it. Less and less people travel out west to hunt and guess what, the kids don't go either. It is a self fulfilling prophesy, you want less nonresident hunters, over less than a generation, you are going to get less. A lot less. Then who is going to fund the Game and Fish agencies? Hunting is in a slow decline and there are many, many recruitment, retention, and reactivation efforts that agencies and nonprofits are undertaking to try and get more (an especially young) hunters afield. This undermines these efforts. It now takes OVER TWO YEARS to be guaranteed a WY general elk tag. By decreasing tags from 16% to 7% for DIYers could result in a 4 to 5 year wait. people will lose interest. They (and other states) are dangerously close to pricing out the average guy as well.
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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby Deanmac » 02 12, 2020 •  [Post 7]

Tigger wrote:As western states keep poking the golden goose, sooner or later, they are going to kill it. Less and less people travel out west to hunt and guess what, the kids don't go either. It is a self fulfilling prophesy, you want less nonresident hunters, over less than a generation, you are going to get less. A lot less. Then who is going to fund the Game and Fish agencies? Hunting is in a slow decline and there are many, many recruitment, retention, and reactivation efforts that agencies and nonprofits are undertaking to try and get more (an especially young) hunters afield. This undermines these efforts. It now takes OVER TWO YEARS to be guaranteed a WY general elk tag. By decreasing tags from 16% to 7% for DIYers could result in a 4 to 5 year wait. people will lose interest. They (and other states) are dangerously close to pricing out the average guy as well.


Exactly, I would like to take my 15 year old son, but as stated if makes me loose interest in going, so I doubt he will go in my lifetime.
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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby robloft » 02 13, 2020 •  [Post 8]

I’m reading online that this died in committee.


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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby Wyo67 » 02 13, 2020 •  [Post 9]

Tigger wrote:As western states keep poking the golden goose, sooner or later, they are going to kill it. Less and less people travel out west to hunt and guess what, the kids don't go either. It is a self fulfilling prophesy, you want less nonresident hunters, over less than a generation, you are going to get less. A lot less. Then who is going to fund the Game and Fish agencies? Hunting is in a slow decline and there are many, many recruitment, retention, and reactivation efforts that agencies and nonprofits are undertaking to try and get more (an especially young) hunters afield. This undermines these efforts. It now takes OVER TWO YEARS to be guaranteed a WY general elk tag. By decreasing tags from 16% to 7% for DIYers could result in a 4 to 5 year wait. people will lose interest. They (and other states) are dangerously close to pricing out the average guy as well.


I agree that there's a slow decline in hunter recruitment and it's becoming a rich mans game (for non-residents anyway). But, I seriously doubt people will lose interest. Applications for non-resident Wyoming elk have continued to increase over the past several years. Latest data showed a 10% increase in 2018 and nearly another 3% last year. The Wyoming nonresident elk quotas are set by law and the current level of 7,250 tags had nearly 24,000 non-residents applying for them. It's the increased demand that's continuing to drive up the length of time required to draw. It's not just elk either. My nonresident family and I used to be able to hunt a certain antelope area every year. Now it takes 5 preference points to draw.
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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby Indian Summer » 02 13, 2020 •  [Post 10]

My perspective: Non residents are guaranteed 7,250 full price elk licenses. The limited entry units come out of that number and the rest are General licenses. The bill stood to affect the percentage of LE tags available to non resident hunters. Since the 7,250 wouldn’t change that means if less LE tags are issued there will be more general licenses sold.

I hunt elk every year. So I’m most interested in draw odds and not saving points to hunt some dream unit every 8-15 years. The cost of everything goes up so I won’t complain about that. But if my chances of drawing a license goes up that’s fine with me.
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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby Tigger » 02 13, 2020 •  [Post 11]

Yep, given the demand for WY nonresident licenses, they could get away with poking that golden goose again (although as noted, this bill got crushed 28-1 in committee). However, back to the golden goose. The rest of the flock is showing signs of decline in health. CWD, hunter recruitment, ball sports, cost, etc are all chipping away at that flock of geese. Did you know that the Outdoor Foundation recently did a study and found that 48% of Americans over 6 years old did not recreate outdoors even 1 time last YEAR? That stat boggles my mind.

So on one hand we have a huge effort to hang on to our beloved activity and on the other we have states that have a little niche in demand just keep getting more and more greedy. Some state, some time, is going to poke that goose one too many times and be left with a mell of a hess. The wave of baby boomers buying licenses is going to crash soon. All of the state agencies are aware of this. There is a cliff coming up quickly. The easy solution is to lay that cost on the back of the nonresident. And in the short term, that will work. But that is not a viable, sustainable long term strategy.

Could this ever happen: in this day and age of social media and hunting forums, what would happen to a state game and fish agency if nonresidents organized and boycotted a particular state? One year is all it would take.

Two statistics I would like to see is the number of people applying for licenses and the average number of licenses applied for by each person over time. I suspect we may not have that many (if any) more actual people applying. We just have the same number of people applying for more tags. Exhibit #1 is me. I used to go out every few years. Then every year for elk. Now elk and antelope every year. I went from 0.33 licenses per year to 2 licenses per year. That is a HUGE jump when applied across a group of people applying in multiple states!

Here is something else to think upon. Who are our leaders? Who are the people to lead hunting for the next 10 years. There are not many. Randy Newberg and Steve Rinella come to mind and do a fine job of representing hunting. But there are not many more.

Sorry for the long rant, but this is something I think about. I want my grandkids to enjoy western big game hunting and I worry it won't be there for them.
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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby Indian Summer » 02 13, 2020 •  [Post 12]

Those “leaders” are for tv people. I think real people like us on talk forums play a WAY bigger role.


Yes everyone should boycott Wyoming. Man would I have a great year!!! :D
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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby robloft » 02 13, 2020 •  [Post 13]

Indian Summer wrote:Those “leaders” are for tv people. I think real people like us on talk forums play a WAY bigger role.


Yes everyone should boycott Wyoming. Man would I have a great year!!! :D


I know what you mean by tv people but I wouldn’t have gone to Montana if I hadn’t found Randy newbergs YouTube videos. Ive read magazine articles about elk hunting but I didnt know the first thing about applying or anything. I read on some forums and looked at the regs for a few states and was still confused until I watched several of his YouTube videos. And then I found some other videos and decided to apply. After I applied I read a lot more forums and watched his and several others YouTube videos about elk hunting.

Thing about the boycott is everyone would say they’re boycotting and all the people that just buy points would go ahead and try and cash them in along with everyone who said they’d boycott.


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Re: Wyoming proposed changes

Postby saddlesore » 02 14, 2020 •  [Post 14]

I have got to agree with Tigger. Last year, I went from 2 elk tags ,a deer tag, two antelope tags,to two elk tags.The only reason I bought a small game tag is I am required to if I want to submit an elk application. In 2023, when I am 80,they won' t get any of my money. You can take this X 4 as three more of the people I hunt with won't be hunting either.
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