Utah bend over

[time2hunt]

New price proposals for Utah



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[High Climber]

Sucks man.  So is this years draw going to be on the 2023 line?

[actionshooter]

 Doubt it will stop many folks...

[Mtnwalker]

Ridiculous, the western states are just playing leap frog with each other now to see how far they can push it until sales decline. Pretty apparent with a 260% increase in the last 6 years alone that my kids won’t get to experience out of state hunting like I did. Can’t imagine what tags will cost 15 years from now

[time2hunt]

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[muleyslayer]

This increase definitely, makes me question if I should continue to build points in Utah. I understand the price increases every few years, but to just double everything seems like a slap in the face.

[Dan-o]

It's my home state, and my brother whom I love to hunt with still lives there.
But it sure is getting steep......

[Karl Blanchard]

Doubt it will stop many folks...

I'll bow out.  I don't mind paying a higher tag price but when the cost just to apply is that high, for absolutely dismal draw odds a guy has to know when its just time to walk away. I'll still hunt utah but it'll just be zero point general deer.  Heck it would be almost $900 for me and both kids to apply if we continued with all species🤮

[actionshooter]

Doubt it will stop many folks...

I'll bow out.  I don't mind paying a higher tag price but when the cost just to apply is that high, for absolutely dismal draw odds a guy has to know when its just time to walk away. I'll still hunt utah but it'll just be zero point general deer.  Heck it would be almost $900 for me and both kids to apply if we continued with all species🤮

I agree the odds are a big factor... I was more referring to the tag prices.

[baldopepper]

It'll be interesting to see how big of a drop off, if any, they'll have in non res applications. Guessing other states will be watching the results also. To much for me, probably just go tag along with family members there

[andrew_in_idaho]

Thinking about burning the handful of general deer points I have this year and being done with Utah. Option B is to just be done with Utah and not worry about the few points I have. I won’t be paying $832 for a general deer tag


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[baldopepper]

I don't think there's much support for encouraging non resident hunters in Utah. Years ago the influx of non resident hunters was a major economic boost to many smaller southern and central state areas.  Now the non hunting tourist visits to those areas has more than offset the loss of the non resident hunters.I think some areas (Moab area as an example) would really prefer hunters stayed away. I think that's getting to be a problem in many western state areas as the non hunting tourist population has increased hunters have lost the support of many smaller rural communities.  They simply don't need our money as much as they used to, and don't like sharing their big game with out of state hunters.  Suspect you're going to see these price increases continue.

[dvolmer]

I don't think there's much support for encouraging non resident hunters in Utah. Years ago the influx of non resident hunters was a major economic boost to many smaller southern and central state areas.  Now the non hunting tourist visits to those areas has more than offset the loss of the non resident hunters.I think some areas (Moab area as an example) would really prefer hunters stayed away. I think that's getting to be a problem in many western state areas as the non hunting tourist population has increased hunters have lost the support of many smaller rural communities.  They simply don't need our money as much as they used to, and don't like sharing their big game with out of state hunters.  Suspect you're going to see these price increases continue.

Agree!  Utah's population has really increased.

[GWP]

Wow! If you have F-U money it will be great as I am sure it will cut down on the competition. Seeing the attitude our State toward hunters that will probably be our resident fee’s soon.

[bearpaw]

I think the single biggest problem in every western state is the increasing resident population that all want a bigger share of the tags so non-residents are getting the shaft because the wildlife belongs to the residents of each state. I think this trend will only get worse as populations increase across the west.

[Bob33]

The state wildlife agencies will get twice as much money from half as many hunters so they'll be OK. The businesses that depend on tourism and related industries such as outfitting will suffer.

[Stein]

Man, when MT cracked $1k for elk everyone freaked out.  UT is going to $3,710??  They'll sell them though and use the money to put pictures of families on the regulation pamphlet and talk about tradition and keeping the culture alive.

[Skyvalhunter]

I think the single biggest problem in every western state is the increasing resident population that all want a bigger share of the tags so non-residents are getting the shaft because the wildlife belongs to the residents of each state. I think this trend will only get worse as populations increase across the west.

Agree 100%, the non resident allocation is smaller and smaller which is why I stopped NM. When they knock it down to 10% by the time you draw you have a lot invested. That's if you want to draw a quality area. If I had kids that I wanted to hunt a quality area out of State I would think twice.

[follow maggie]

Man, those are steep prices. This is why I’ve gone back to mostly bird hunting. It’s affordable to do as much as I want. I can still afford bear, Montana antelope & deer/elk in Idaho, if I can get a tag. But that’s because Idaho has generous discounts for disabled hunters, even non resident

[big wood]

I think it's all the you tubers posting there hunts causing more competition from the rest of the country that we never had to deal with. Like goegia, Tennessee, north Carolina etc. Those boys never applied for western states. Internet is ruining our way of life

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

I think it's all the you tubers posting there hunts causing more competition from the rest of the country that we never had to deal with. Like goegia, Tennessee, north Carolina etc. Those boys never applied for western states. Internet is ruining our way of life

 

[huntnnw]

I am in the waiting period for elk still and have 6 points for deer and Ill be bowing out also after this year. No thanks

[Ridgerunner]

Seeing the increase since 2019 is pretty depressing.  Why anyone with less than 15 points would even continue is beyond me.  I'm at 18 points and am going to look at see how I can possible draw some decent tags in the next few years and be done.  Odds are just dismal and the price to pay the game is too high for those odds imo. 

Sad thing is other states will continue to push the envelope, Wyoming basically doubled the prices of their special tags last year but at least in Wyoming you have a choice whether you want to put in for a special tag or go regular.  Here in Utah there is no choice. 

We all knew hunting was becoming a rich mans sport but the speed at which it is getting prohibitively expensive to hunt out of state is mindblowing.  I feel bad for the younger generation who now not only has to deal with terrible draw odds but absolute highway robbery for the opportunity to actually hunt out of state. 

[Mtnwalker]

The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if these extreme increases are being pushed by certain individuals who would like to see hunting go away, kind of like how they're attempting to price and tax people out of gun ownership in WA... Make it unaffordable, participation drops way off, less resistance as it fades into the ether. Hope I'm wrong

[link]

I've invested almost 20 years on LE DEA there. Thats considered late in the game there. Its just myself, so I'm "only" out another $160+ a year to apply. I suppose I'll keep going. If I ever do draw a tag, I suppose the high cost tag will be a pill I'll have to swallow if I want to hunt. Im only building NR points in 4 states. If I drop one, my potential future hunts really drop.
Someone mentioned its a slap in the face. I agree. But its kind of like dropping an insurance company you've been loyal to for years and years because you feel they wronged you with rates or coverage. You've just given them a ton of money in premiums, and they now know they'll never have to pay out to you a dime. I'm sure they love it when someone cancels.  I hate to reward them for their greed, but I'll keep going until I can't afford it.

[Bob33]

Another principle of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is being eroded.

[link]

Another principle of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is being eroded.

I see what you're saying here. I hate the fact that its getting so expensive too. it sucks. But...everyone has the right and equal opportunity to make money too. With the right to spend it however they want. You can't say someone doesn't have the equal opportunity to apply for an elk tag in Utah anymore because they raised their prices.

[baldopepper]

The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if these extreme increases are being pushed by certain individuals who would like to see hunting go away, kind of like how they're attempting to price and tax people out of gun ownership in WA... Make it unaffordable, participation drops way off, less resistance as it fades into the ether. Hope I'm wrong

Actually, in Utah you have some very influential people who beleive that big game are a state asset that the state has been selling way to cheaply for years.  They have pushed for more raffle and auction type tags and used them as an example of how much money can be made by literally selling big game.  I think they'll continue to push for these increases until the law of diminishing returns kicks in.  Sure, they'll loose a few applicants but until they finally reach the point where they don't sell out the available tags they'll just keep pushing.

[Alan K]

It's all about priorities in spending $... Some buy a case of beer every Friday, go through a can of chew or pack of smokes every day, have 5 kids to support, new vehicle payment, upgrading to the latest cell phone when it comes out, having 8 streaming apps... Lots of places to reprioritize for the average person if it means enough to them...

For me, I'll still be in, especially if this trims out a big chunk of the "competition". My wife will probably bail though because she has other priorities. 

[andrew_in_idaho]

Interesting note, this may all be much ado about nothing, apparently there is a line in the bill that states that the department of wildlife resources can charge less but cannot charge more than the stated amounts. Essentially these are the hard caps and not the set pricing.


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[Stein]

The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if these extreme increases are being pushed by certain individuals who would like to see hunting go away, kind of like how they're attempting to price and tax people out of gun ownership in WA... Make it unaffordable, participation drops way off, less resistance as it fades into the ether. Hope I'm wrong

Actually, in Utah you have some very influential people who beleive that big game are a state asset that the state has been selling way to cheaply for years.  They have pushed for more raffle and auction type tags and used them as an example of how much money can be made by literally selling big game.  I think they'll continue to push for these increases until the law of diminishing returns kicks in.  Sure, they'll loose a few applicants but until they finally reach the point where they don't sell out the available tags they'll just keep pushing.

I bet there are also resident hunters that want to see fewer nonresidents in the field.  This may or may not directly impact hunter numbers, but their will be fewer applicants and at some point the lesser tags won't get purchased at some price when other states offer a better option.  I bet most residents support sticking it to the out of staters unless they are benefitting from the increase in tourism.

[link]

The only way hunters in the field will decrease is if they lower tag numbers. They will sell every tag available. With the limited number of LQ tags, I can't see a scenario where any cost increase would cause there to be any unwanted tags. When you have 10 tags with 10,000 applicants, you'll never price out that many people. The only loss in revenue is going to be a relatively small amount because a few people stop applying.

[baldopepper]

It's a little more complicated in Utah. Many there really don't care much either way about out of state hunters , especially compared to other western states. What they fear is the influence private groups ( or group) have gotten over the game department. Profitability is slowly overruling opportunity when it comes to decision making. They are very much aware of how much some will pay for "elite" opportunity and their goal is to create as much of that type opportunity as they can..They disguise their goal under the guise of "conservation" just don't add the part of conservation, just not for everyone. I hope other western states don't follow their game plan.

[Stein]

Aren't there leftover tags in UT that don't get purchased?  Some from last year were unlimited on their website.  I don't hunt UT, so I'm not fluent in their system.

[baldopepper]

Aren't there leftover tags in UT that don't get purchased?  Some from last year were unlimited on their website.  I don't hunt UT, so I'm not fluent in their system.

I don't keep close track anymore, but family there tells me they do throw a few bones out by way of tags, but they also tell me those are pretty bare bones. I think they usually have a few spike only elk tags in selected units that go unsold and they're still fairly liberal on their archery hunts.

[bearpaw]

Interesting note, this may all be much ado about nothing, apparently there is a line in the bill that states that the department of wildlife resources can charge less but cannot charge more than the stated amounts. Essentially these are the hard caps and not the set pricing.


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   Exactly Right

We talked to UDWR, they don't expect pricing to go up to the max at once, the Utah legislature has authorized those numbers as the maximum they can charge, we were told to expect a moderate increase now.

[kselkhunter]

We shall see how much they increase this year.  Correct point about the wording that the UDWR has discretion in how much they raise up to the max each year.  The concerning thing is the legislature did increases every few years (ie 2020, 2022, etc.) and UDWR did the max increase every time.  That statement is always in the bills.   So we shall see if they indeed only do a partial increase for 2026, and how much it is.   Perhaps because the increase is so massive this year, they will roll it out over 3 or 4 years instead of all at once.

[Karl Blanchard]

https://wildlife.utah.gov/news/utah-wildlife-news/2089-nonresident-license-fee-increases-and-wma-access-changes-and-other-wildlife-related-laws-passed-during-the-2025-legislative-session.html

[dvolmer]

Costs in all of these high desired western states is just going to continue to rise, and I mean REALLY RISE! I don"t like it any more than the rest of you. But if I was going to have someone sell my car for me, I would want them to get as much as they could and what the car can bring. No different for out of state tags. The owners of the animals are the citizens of the state. I would imagine that they want the best bang for their buck. If a certain price non-resident tag has hundreds/thousands of applicants more than there is quota, the simple fact is that they are selling it way to cheap. As long as they sell all of their tags, the price will keep skyrocketing until supply meets demand at the highest cost possible.  If you owned all of the tags, you would do the same. It's nothing more than simple business. The only decent price tags anyone will be eligible for (and have the right too) will be the ones in the state where they live.  If you CHOOSE to live in a state that sucks for hunting (Washington State) then you better have a very big pocket-book if you want to participate in any kind of quality hunting experience in the future.  Like I said, I don't like it either. The states are feeding off of each other.  They each see what the other state has done and how they increased revenue and then they just follow. It's going to blow up exponentially in the near future.  Out of state hunting will soon be a sport for only the rich and wealthy.  Your option will be to pay up or move to the state of your choice that gives you the best options.

[High Climber]

https://wildlife.utah.gov/news/utah-wildlife-news/2089-nonresident-license-fee-increases-and-wma-access-changes-and-other-wildlife-related-laws-passed-during-the-2025-legislative-session.html

Not as bad as it looked originally but still pretty steep… looks like $1950 for LE Elk, $599 Gen deer, $1070 LE deer + license and app fees

[Magnum_Willys]

Just put in Montana General Deer-Elk Combo App.  $1450.00   Yikes. Probably last year I do that and Idaho same year.

[kselkhunter]

https://wildlife.utah.gov/news/utah-wildlife-news/2089-nonresident-license-fee-increases-and-wma-access-changes-and-other-wildlife-related-laws-passed-during-the-2025-legislative-session.html

Not as bad as it looked originally but still pretty steep… looks like $1950 for LE Elk, $599 Gen deer, $1070 LE deer + license and app fees

Yeah.  Utah stating "it's not doubling it's just moderate increases"...... the LE Elk went from $1070 to $1950.  So 86% increase, but "didn't double".  And LE deer up 60%.   Those are pretty significant increases. 

[time2hunt]

Dear Customer,

We’re reaching out to you because you’ve applied for Utah hunts in recent years, and we appreciate your passion and support for wildlife. Over the past week or two, you may have heard rumors about Utah’s nonresident fees, and we want to reassure you: There will be no changes to any fees related to the 2025 big game or antlerless application periods. (This applies to both of the drawings and to any permits obtained through them.)

Some nonresident fee increases will go into effect later this year, although these changes are generally lower and more modest than speculated. The Utah Legislature passed a law last month authorizing higher nonresident fees to help fund the purchase of large blocks of land that offer protection to wintering wildlife.


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[Bob33]

That's good news.