Utah bend over

[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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