Get out your Wyoming wallets!!!

[dvolmer]

Just heard the Wyoming task force approved the recommendation to increase NR special elk to $1950 and deer/antelope NR special to $1200 each.  About a 55% increase in WY NR special elk. 

[Dan-o]

Wow.....

[Jpmiller]

Any change to the regular draw?

[Mtnwalker]

Any change to the regular draw?

Yeah, the odds just got way worse 

[meatwhack]

That elk has to be special to cost $1,950.

[Jpmiller]

Any change to the regular draw?

Yeah, the odds just got way worse 

Fortunately I'll.be gunning for the general tag with 6 points so hopefully I'm still good.

[trophyhunt]

Wow is right, unreal. The king is taking HIS animals back, the rich only need apply!

[High Climber]

Ouch. Do you have a link? I wonder if regular tags are going up as well or only special

[bugs n bones]

Holy Ghost

[trophyhunt]

Ouch. Do you have a link? I wonder if regular tags are going up as well or only special

[one shot kill]

Ouch. Do you have a link? I wonder if regular tags are going up as well or only special

 :yeah:X2.
I can’t find anything in the Wyoming laws or bills that past.

[dvolmer]

So I am by now ways an expert on any of this and all I know is what I have heard and read.  So i will try to explain what i have heard (but it might not be totally accurate in all areas so feel free to research all you want).

The Task force was asked to address a few issues this year.  One of them was the 90/10 issue for deer, elk, and antelope.  From what I have read and understand, this failed to get past the Task Force thank heavens.  Another thing that failed was an allotment of NR tags for outfitters.  The outfitters are not happy so they have driven this new Special license increase.  I think the task force sees a way to help the outfitters without allotting tags specifically to them.  The idea is, that if a fella is willing to pay a large sum for a guided hunt, he wont mind paying a huge amount for the tag.  The outfitters are having a hard time booking their clients because they have guys that want to pay them for a hunt but they cant get drawn for the tag.  Outfitters feel that the regular DIY hunter wont pay the huge increase and more of their clients will be able to get tags in the special draw.

This is the jest of what I have seen and read.  How accurate it is can be debated.  It is my personal opinion that all of the tags in these high demand western states in the next few years will have huge price increases.  Pretty much a supply and demand issue.  For example, if there are a 100 permits that cost $500 each allotted and 1000 applicants apply, the state would much rather weed out 850 guys that cant afford an increase and have 150 guys applying for the 100 tags at $1200 each.  There is something to be said about the money they make each year by people buying points and how many of them will drop off and the state could loose revenue that way.  But I guarantee you that they have business analysts doing all the figures to come up with plans that will give them maximum income for their resources.  To the state task forces, legislators, and public of that state, the NR hunter is just a source to increase the funds they want and need.  Just my opinion.  If the tags belonged to any one of us, we would want to get as much as we could for them probably.  If you have a truck that you are selling and you know you can find someone to pay you $10,000 for it, you aren't going to sell it for $5000. 

If you want to know more on this, go to the "Monster Muley" hunting forum and look under the Wyoming State page and there is a thread on there explaining it better than I can.  A lot of guys on that forum are all for it if it increases their odds of gettin the tag they want sooner.  I guess it all depends on how deep your pockets are.  I personally hate to see it go to this.  Soon we will all be paying for an opportunity to hunt the "Kings Deer"!!!  But a lot of guys that are in their 50's-70's that are financially stable don't want to wait 5 to 10 to 15 years for a tag when they know there health will eventually take its toll on their hunting ability and will do just about anything to hunt a soon as they can and as much as they can before they cant due to age and health.  These guys have seen tags they used to get every year or every two years go to every three to five years in a very short time and a lot of the premium tags go to OIL.  I guess they want to live by Randy Newbergs quote "Hunt as much as you possibly can because you will run out of health before you will ever run out of money"! 

I have a close friend who owns 6000 acre cattle ranch outside of Evanston I have access in Region K of Wyoming for deer and antelope.  For 10 years I was able to hunt it every year until recently and have had some unbelievable hunts and great memories with some fantastic animals.  This will be my second year of not drawing a tag and not being able to hunt the ranch.  I will try to hunt it next year but the drawing odds are looking like it might not be likely.  It will probably be four years before I will be able to hunt the ranch again.  October 1st (opening day) will be a painful day for me this year like it was last year.  Would I pay $1200 instead of the $600 to hunt the ranch more often?  Im 57 years old now.  That is a question I will have to figure out but I think I already know the answer.

[buckfvr]

It should equate to an overall reduction of harvest which is necessary to improve the quality of the product.  In general, it seems as though that will be a requirement for all western states that put an emphasis on "quality", (except Wa.).

Reduce harvest in order to improve quality of herds while maintaining as much revenue as possible.  Something like that.   

[bobcat]

It should equate to an overall reduction of harvest which is necessary to improve the quality of the product.  In general, it seems as though that will be a requirement for all western states that put an emphasis on "quality", (except Wa.).

Reduce harvest in order to improve quality of herds while maintaining as much revenue as possible.  Something like that.   

There won't be a reduction in harvest. All the licenses will still sell out, no matter what the price is. This doesn't affect the regular draw. Only the special draw. But likely will cause a big jump in points required to draw licenses in the regular draw.

[jasnt]

We only get so many Septembers in a life time.