Montana: Buyers remorse?
#11
MT and ID would be better served by lowering their non-resident wolf tag fee and then charging a trophy fee of say $150 to successful non-resident hunters. Not many people will pay that kind of money for what amounts to a long shot incidental. They'd be better off getting more people licensed to take them and then charge them after they bag one. Most folks would fork over the coin after they had one in the bag. Alaska has dropped the non-resident wolf tag fee in a lot of areas to encourage non-resident hunters to take wolves while they're hunting other species. Wolves are tough to target specifically and most are taken incidentally to something else just on a dumb luck basis.
#12
I think it will largely depend on the type of experience folks have. Most come out to Montana for a chance at a bull, but primarily to be in the mountains and enjoy all that the state has to offer. I would say that most folks consider a bull a "bonus" or "icing on the cake". Those doing the deer/elk combo are not paying anymore than they would in Colorado. If a hunter has the time and utilizes all the combo tags offer, he can have the hunt of a lifetime, elk in the west, mule deer in the east, along with great fly fishing and outstanding bird hunting. I understand not all have the kind of time, but many do.
Eyeball2 the deer/elk hunting in Trout Creek is still awesome & it doesn't take much effort to locate the buck/bull you are looking for. The wolves have definitely made their mark though; The bucks & bulls are staying low year around to get away from the pressure caused by wolves. I was out a bunch of times in that area last year & I seen & heard my fair share of these disgusting predators. Hope you can make it this way & help put our predator control to action!
-South
#13
MT and ID would be better served by lowering their non-resident wolf tag fee and then charging a trophy fee of say $150 to successful non-resident hunters. Not many people will pay that kind of money for what amounts to a long shot incidental. They'd be better off getting more people licensed to take them and then charge them after they bag one. Most folks would fork over the coin after they had one in the bag. Alaska has dropped the non-resident wolf tag fee in a lot of areas to encourage non-resident hunters to take wolves while they're hunting other species. Wolves are tough to target specifically and most are taken incidentally to something else just on a dumb luck basis.
#14
Spike
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 13
Couldn't have said it any better! Montana has so much to offer & the experiences you can leave with are priceless. I don't see the prices going down any time soon; as the price of everything else increases so will tag prices.
Eyeball2 the deer/elk hunting in Trout Creek is still awesome & it doesn't take much effort to locate the buck/bull you are looking for. The wolves have definitely made their mark though; The bucks & bulls are staying low year around to get away from the pressure caused by wolves. I was out a bunch of times in that area last year & I seen & heard my fair share of these disgusting predators. Hope you can make it this way & help put our predator control to action!
-South
Eyeball2 the deer/elk hunting in Trout Creek is still awesome & it doesn't take much effort to locate the buck/bull you are looking for. The wolves have definitely made their mark though; The bucks & bulls are staying low year around to get away from the pressure caused by wolves. I was out a bunch of times in that area last year & I seen & heard my fair share of these disgusting predators. Hope you can make it this way & help put our predator control to action!
-South
#15
I used to agree about the greatness of the hunt, but when i go back to new mexico sacremento mts where 35 years ago i saw 25-40 deer /day in archery season and now i go back and see 2-3 deer/day in hundreds of sq. miles of beautiful mtns. there isn't much thrill in the hunt. mostly the few deer around live in the edge of town to get away from the mt. lion and coyote. actually, it's pretty depressing.
-South
#16
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Kerrville, Tx. USA
Posts: 2,722
Couldn't have said it any better! Montana has so much to offer & the experiences you can leave with are priceless. I don't see the prices going down any time soon; as the price of everything else increases so will tag prices.
Eyeball2 the deer/elk hunting in Trout Creek is still awesome & it doesn't take much effort to locate the buck/bull you are looking for. The wolves have definitely made their mark though; The bucks & bulls are staying low year around to get away from the pressure caused by wolves. I was out a bunch of times in that area last year & I seen & heard my fair share of these disgusting predators. Hope you can make it this way & help put our predator control to action!
-South
Eyeball2 the deer/elk hunting in Trout Creek is still awesome & it doesn't take much effort to locate the buck/bull you are looking for. The wolves have definitely made their mark though; The bucks & bulls are staying low year around to get away from the pressure caused by wolves. I was out a bunch of times in that area last year & I seen & heard my fair share of these disgusting predators. Hope you can make it this way & help put our predator control to action!
-South
But as far as "the expience", I can get a great one in Colorado for $334 for a deer or $554 for an elk (I like most people can't afford to hunt both in the same year so you really can't add the two and compare).
Easy to talk about the experience for those paying resident fees, my contention is that many nonresidents, after spending almost a grand for JUST the license may have buyers remorse when they return without an elk
#17
Well last time i checked, there were no, none, nada, zip, zilch, zero hunts that guarantee to get you a shot at an elk for less then $1,000.00. anywhere, especially on public land. Whether you do a DIY hunt or book an outfitter, regardless of the cost of the tag you have almost the same chance that a resident has depending on where the resident lives. Funny thing about wild animals, they just don't care how much a tag costs, It's called hunting, not killing. Like i said earlier, it's about the entire hunting experience, not just the filling of a tag.
Maybe i'm wrong on this issue, but i don't think so. Yes the prices are high, but we have quality animals and have them in decent numbers. I hear no one complaining that they spent 500-1,000 dollars more on their new truck as compared to what they could get it for 3 states away, so why do it with the cost of hunting tags?? I just don't get it.
Maybe i'm wrong on this issue, but i don't think so. Yes the prices are high, but we have quality animals and have them in decent numbers. I hear no one complaining that they spent 500-1,000 dollars more on their new truck as compared to what they could get it for 3 states away, so why do it with the cost of hunting tags?? I just don't get it.
#18
Hey, I am all about "the experience" and I have hunted your great state three times and taken two bulls and a bear, and my brother got lucky and drew a moose tag and took a 49" bull! All hunts were great experiences.
But as far as "the expience", I can get a great one in Colorado for $334 for a deer or $554 for an elk (I like most people can't afford to hunt both in the same year so you really can't add the two and compare).
Easy to talk about the experience for those paying resident fees, my contention is that many nonresidents, after spending almost a grand for JUST the license may have buyers remorse when they return without an elk
But as far as "the expience", I can get a great one in Colorado for $334 for a deer or $554 for an elk (I like most people can't afford to hunt both in the same year so you really can't add the two and compare).
Easy to talk about the experience for those paying resident fees, my contention is that many nonresidents, after spending almost a grand for JUST the license may have buyers remorse when they return without an elk
-South
#19
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Kerrville, Tx. USA
Posts: 2,722
Well last time i checked, there were no, none, nada, zip, zilch, zero hunts that guarantee to get you a shot at an elk for less then $1,000.00. anywhere, especially on public land. Whether you do a DIY hunt or book an outfitter, regardless of the cost of the tag you have almost the same chance that a resident has depending on where the resident lives. Funny thing about wild animals, they just don't care how much a tag costs, It's called hunting, not killing. Like i said earlier, it's about the entire hunting experience, not just the filling of a tag.
Maybe i'm wrong on this issue, but i don't think so. Yes the prices are high, but we have quality animals and have them in decent numbers. I hear no one complaining that they spent 500-1,000 dollars more on their new truck as compared to what they could get it for 3 states away, so why do it with the cost of hunting tags?? I just don't get it.
Maybe i'm wrong on this issue, but i don't think so. Yes the prices are high, but we have quality animals and have them in decent numbers. I hear no one complaining that they spent 500-1,000 dollars more on their new truck as compared to what they could get it for 3 states away, so why do it with the cost of hunting tags?? I just don't get it.
Yes, there are probably many nonresident hunters who have been coming a long time, that will continue to come, but I will still bet you that it will be harder to sell out on the tags each year for the next few years
#20
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Kerrville, Tx. USA
Posts: 2,722
The "hunting experience" im talking about isn't determined on how little or how much something costs (the fact I pay resident fees means absolutely nothing); I just payed more than I would care to admit for an Alaskan Moose hunt last fall & had the time of my life & I left with more memories than I could have ever hoped for. I also payed $10.00 for a turkey tag this spring & shot a beautiful tom opening morning & I had the time of my life doing so. My point is the prices are what they are if you want to hunt in MT, AK, CO etc. you are going to have to pay the fees & if going into the hunt with the right attitude you very rarely leave disappointed. So either pay the price & enjoy being out there or don't. But whining about something you can't change is a waste of time...
-South
-South
Certainly price doesn't affect the "experience". But how many will continue to be able to afford it at that price, that is my question. I am not whining, just asked a simple question: Will there be buyers remorse? In your mind, when does it stop being whining and become a legitimate question? Would it be legit if you raised the price to $10,000 per tag? Well, for many nonrsidents, raising it to over $900 has the same affect as that price, they can no longer afford it. So enjoy the incredental move toward having more nonrsident hunters driving $50,000 pickups and monster ATVs
There is certainly a line states will cross at some point where price starts to affect applicants. It already has in Montana. Yes, you sold all your tags (this year) but applicants were WAY down. I will bet you a 6 pack that they will drop again next year.
Colorado is currently setting up a "summit" to determine why they have lost 10s of thousands of nonresident elk hunters. I can tell them: Certainly there are many reasons, but one of the biggest is that when they raised the price to over $500, they crossed a threshold where hunters can't afford to go every year.
If I were a resident, I would probably be worried too (Montana or Colorado). If nonresident hunters drop and therefore money coming in to the state drops, they will be raising my tag prices........... Othewise, why complain? Less nonresidents in the woods means more game for me.
Last edited by txhunter58; 05-14-2011 at 05:52 AM.