justhuntitall

Whats up with these tag prices ? I dont understand how they can sell a resident a tag for $35 and then hit a nonresident $470 for an elk tag and it not just westren states My home state of IL. is doing the same dam thing ! [:@] I can get a deer tag for $15 it cost you around $300 for the same tag it just aint right. The ground I hunt in CO. is fedral ground I pay the same taxes on as the people that live there so why so much more for me? I guess they know will pay what ever it takes. Its kind of like air have to breath have to hunt.

stubblejumper

In most places the biologists,the wardens,and the rest of the fish&wildlife personnel and all of their buildings,vehicles and other equipment and expenses are paid for by the state or province.Therefore the residents of the state or province do pay a great deal more than non residents do in the form of their tax dollars.

bigbulls

Like stubble said. Residents live, work, pay all kinds of taxes to their resident state. Nonresidents are there for a rew days a year and then leave to go back home.

mickeyelk1

Justhuntitall is correct, the tag fees are getting out of hand. Next year Utah is raising there tag fees almost double. I believe it is greed and the states are seeing what others states are getting for there tags and it seems to be a tag price war, "who can get the most and we are going to see who 's will be the highest". Next will be Arizona and by then Colorado will see that it's tags are the cheapest and then they will increase theres. The cycle will start over. It would be nice if all nonresidents would all get together and boycott any of the big three states. I mean Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. If nonresidents would not hunt in these states these states could possible have financial difficulties. All those residents couldn't keep it afloat. I didn't include New Mexico but maybe I should have. Allot of these state survive on the nonresident money and I know the state pays there employees but the money gotten from hunting license sales and money from sales of guns, ammo, hunting supplies and such from the Feds do pay for the buildings and all other essentials. In the Eastern states there is more Game Wardens per square mile than out West. There is probally more in the state of Penna. than any 4-5 states out here combined. These wardens don't make 50K a year, its allot less, and any state worker knows there not rich by any means. The sell of hunting licenses could easily afford paying there employees. They don't have allot of them! I apply in most of the states out west and its getting costly. I started in the beginning trying to just hunt in any state out west and all I could do is build bonus points. I wanted to hunt. I had to buy a license in some states with no guarantee of a tag and lost the cost of the license if not drawn. Last year I had 8 bonus points in Arizona and drew an Archery elk tag. If you figure the cost of the tag it was worth well over $800 in license costs excluding the tag fee. Who says we aren't paying there wages. It would be nice to just draw the tag without all the other fees. Costs are getting higher and we all understand but what it looks like is greed. How can you justify doubling license fees? My home state of Nevada is growing so fast and we don't have the animals for all to hunt. License costs for elk for nonresidents is outrageous, $1200. I have so many bonus points for all the species in the state that is mind bogling. I rely on other states to hunt. Put yourself in my shoes. If I only had Nevada to hunt elk in then my chances of hunting elk would be once every 20 plus years. 10 years of trying to draw and then if I harvested an elk then would have to wait another 10 years (state law)before I could start reapplying for the tag. So maybe 2 bull elk tags in your lifetime. For all you elk hunters could you live with that? If you love to hunt than you know this will not work. I know, I could move out of the state and to another where there is animals, but!!!!! So, with all these tag fees increases have you seen vast improvements in state recreational? I doubt it, just more money in those pockets. The residents are thinking if they keep raising the tag fees there will be no hunters from other states because of the cost. Wrong, the rich will always have money and be able to hunt, now they won't have to wait as long between tag drawings and they will still get the better areas because of the bonus/preference points. I believe the states are seeing the applications increasing every year and they are seeing $$$$ signs. Most states have went to the Credit Card application process. Why do you think? More people to apply and more application money$$$$. The Credit Card makes it easier and more profitable. I believe that all states should get together and decide on the same price for all tag types. Raise the price as inflation goes, this is, in some ways,how state wages are calculated for there raises. I better get off my soap box before I pi$$ off everyone. Some of you don't know how well you've got it. But this is my 2 cents.

cherokee_outfitters

I totally agree I don't want to see hunting become a richmans sport, but I think that day is already here. So where do go from here when the Dow won't listen to public info. Raising tags has its purpose. For one I know why colorado did it a couple years ago was to limited the numbers of hunters in the field and pressure on game. But that back fired on them and they started to give out more tags and you could of bought a 2nd cow tag for a $100 bucks as a non-resident. Did they give the resident a cut on the tag nope because it was only $30.
Used to be a few years ago I would travel out of state for a deer tag it cost as much for a non-resident elk tag, so where was the fairness in that. 300lbs of meat is quite a bit more for the money. So I believe what they have the prices at now are somewhat fair. But future increases are not going to be good on anyone.
Is it really fair that someone moved to a state and pays taxes in that state has to give up their tag to someone that chooses not to live in that state. Nope. I hear all this hype about non-resident not getting drawn for trophy area. It is easier right now for a non-resident to draw a trophy unit in colorado right now than it is a resident. Especially in rifle seasons. Most of our residents are drawing in 8years while a non-resident draws in about 4 to 5 years. Of course some units are not that way but most are.

Colorado has been one of the most fair states to non-residents there is. But all that has been published over the last ten years is how bad Colorado's quality of bulls is. Go to nevada or arizona for a trophy bull. That's all in good they are killing bigger bulls but for all those people trashing how bad Colorado is, when you can't draw your tag in arizona or nebraska or where ever. Colorado still lets you in to hunt an over the counter bull tag. That's really being two faced.

Hunting pressure has to be controlled and that is the states best way is to raise license vs. limiting the number of hunters in a total draw and running into lawsuits like arizona did. The divisions of wildlife are trying their best to make it all work for everyone and maintain an elk herd or deer herd.

Lets put it right. If I wanted to hunt back east for deer or whatever my options are.

1. still go after a draw tag on quality deer states being a non resident.
2. pay upwards of 250 to $300 for a deer tag
3. pay a landowner a trespass fee or by chance have a buddy with farm ground.
4. hire an outfitter for a deer for around $2500 about going rate.
5. hunt state ground that is so small that is will be overrun by hunters.

Feel very lucky there are western states with tons of national forest to hunt on. And there are still some states where you can go hunt with out drawing.
If I had to pay $500 as a resident to hunt elk I would save up and do it every year. I love it that much. I bet most gadgets they buy every year for hunting they really don't need add up way beyond $500.

If you haven't looked around lately everything cost an arm and a leg anymore. Take your family to dinner and a movie and you've spent $50 to $100 in one night. What did your new truck cost $30,000 to 45,000 wow thats a chunk of change. A new atv you ride around on cost $7,000 and that's just the beginning. And trust me I have to save all year for my out of state trips while I starve for the love of hunting. I don't have a new truck or atv not that I would own one. The thing is how much you willing to give up for what you love to do. I'd give it all.

You want to keep the prices down and the draw less. Join the rocky mountain elk foundation or one of the deer foundations and keep putting them animals in good habitat and in states where they don't have them so there's more opportunity to hunt them.

So you can't draw a arizona tag I say that's arizona's loss. Hunt somewhere else.

Rangerlab

States have a right to set the price they want for a license. Supply and demand dictates how almost everything else in the country is priced, so why shouldn't hunting tags be any different. Whether you think it is fair or not is beside the point, the fact is there are plenty of hunters who are willing (albeit grudgingly) to pay these fees in order to hunt in the western states. That shows that while they may seem expensive, there are still alot of people that think they are worth it. If it is important enough for you to hunt elk every year, than maybe you should move to a state that has more liberal resident elk tags. Don't get me wrong, I hate paying $800 for an elk tag just as much as anyone else. I also hate paying $1.85 for a gallon of gas, but I do it anyway because I like to drive my truck. As long as I can afford it I will still keep hunting out west. And when I can't afford it, I'll move out there so I can.

ironranger

I don't mind paying more for the privilege to hunt other states to a point but don't like hearing the residents bad-mothing the non residents. On another forum I read a quote saying "I wish they would limit the non residents or cut them out totally".

If your state wants to get rid of non residents the first step would be to start paying non resident fees then the game departments won't need our money. Of course, I doubt that the business owners who want our money would agree with that statement.

Wolf killer

Let me start off by saying I have nothing against non-residents.
I live, play, work & hunt in Montana. I have lived in Nevada for 2-years, I moved because of the poor drawing odds. Nevada figures a elk tag is a once in a lifetime tag. I want to hunt elk every year. I have also lived in Idaho, Arizona & New Mexico. Arizona & New Mexico are not as hard to draw as Nevada IMHO. I never did draw a tag in Arizona, New Mexico or Nevada. I only tried for the state that I was a resident in at the time. Every year I would send in my application & every year I failed to draw. This allowed me to buy a non-resident Idaho Panhandle region elk tag over the counter. I have family living in Idaho & I grew up there so this made it a easy hunt for me.
I can relate to how the non-residents feel. I also know how residents feel. I feel if I work & live in a state I should get better odds at drawing a tag & get it for a cheaper rate. I figure I am paying enough in taxes to the state of Montana every day to earn this right.

ironranger

I understand what you are saying Wolf Killer and meant no disrepect to anyone on this forum. I really enjoy going to Colorado and Montana and have met some really great people along the way and have also run into a few that rubbed me the wrong way...which takes alot. when I hunt, I always attempt to respect the land and others around me when hunting. I guess with hunting as in other segments of life we always have people who don't have respect for either the land or for others around them. Sometimes, as I've seen in Minnesota also, it's the residents that lack respect. Other times it the non-residents. Just wanted to point out that there are good and bad in both groups...

Wolf killer

I agree 100%. Did you draw a non-resident tag for Montana this year?