Montana fee proposals

[Stein]

Comments due today, the tag I have been buying is going up 416% which puts me out of that hunt.

http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/licenses/licensingAdvisoryCouncil.html

Link to proposal:

http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/licenses/licensingAdvisoryCouncil/resources.html

Basically, nonresident tags are going up, some by quite a bit.  There are no nonresidents on the committee, so stick it to the nonresidents seems to be the theme.  I get the shortfall, but the golden egg theory is going to fall apart at some point for them.

[snowpack]

Sad how all the different Fish and Games around the west think that below average license and fee costs are a bad thing. 

[Stein]

Yeah, if everyone jacks them up 50% they consider themselves "competitive."  We are really transitioning to a rich man's sport.  MT is considering capping their nonresident elk tags at $999 to avoid crossing over the $1k barrier.

Imagine what would happen if you had to pay $50 to park at the local city park or $100 to launch a boat.  For some reason, we just keep paying.

MT's estimates for the tag I get are for it to drop from 1,000 people to 600 with the increase.  That's 40% of the people that won't be able to afford it just in the first year.

[Ridgerunner]

$625 for a deer tag there?  It was only $340 three years ago .

[NRA4LIFE]

Ridge,

You're correct.  It jumped from $340 to $563 (I think) in one season.  Now to $625.  Those meat bison hunts are starting to look pretty attractive.

[Stein]

Elk tag is proposed to be $809 vs. $596 in Colorado.   I need to start researching CO for next year apparently.

Bison hunt is going up $500.

[grundy53]

Wow! I thought they were high already! Heck my grandmother and uncles live their and I hunt Idaho instead.

sent from my typewriter

[buckfvr29]

I hate trying to sort out the language that they use. So, if it passes, will I qualify for a discounted license because I and both of my parents were born in MT? The "come home to hunt" and the "non resident relative of a resident" requirements are confusing. It's a bit frustrating that because I don't have a close enough relative there, I don't qualify, even though I have 2 cousins there with fairly large ranches, and ALL of my aunts/uncles live there. Not trying to make it all about me but like most, I'm looking for any break that I can get.

[Bob33]

I already dropped out this year when they changed the fees to apply.

The good news is that the reduced number of people still playing the game will have better odds of drawing.

[vandeman17]

If that happens then I will ex Montana off my list of hunting destinations.

[grundy53]

The funny part is they are always running commercials on the outdoor channel trying to get people to come hunt there. Then they do this....

sent from my typewriter

[bobcat]

The rumor is that Wyoming will be increasing their fees next year as well.

[Magnum_Willys]

The proposals actually dropped fees for non-resident deer and elk hunters. 

"Cap the price of the nonresident big game combination license and
the nonresident deer combination license, including purchase of the new base hunting
license and application fees, at $999 and $625 respectively."

......These were set to increase with inflation.

Revise the refund policy to allow nonresidents who are unsuccessful in
drawing a permit to receive a 95% refund of the big game combination license at the time of
the drawing.

......a change from 80%

It was bad news for the bison/ram/goat tag fee costs but the refund was good news.

[trophyhunt]

The rumor is that Wyoming will be increasing their fees next year as well.

hope not, ill be waiting all my points and years applying.

[Stein]

The proposals actually dropped fees for non-resident deer and elk hunters. 

"Cap the price of the nonresident big game combination license and
the nonresident deer combination license, including purchase of the new base hunting
license and application fees, at $999 and $625 respectively."

......These were set to increase with inflation.

2013 fee for combo is $971 and deer is $575.  Still have a surplus of 2200 combo tags due to the price increase to$971.