I don’t see any way this could result in more money for WY. Sure, there’s fee increases but the much more expensive tags & fees for non residents, being sold in much lesser volume has to reduce total income without even factoring the likely more significant gas, lodging, food, etc.
I agree. Doing this sounds budget neutral for WG&F but damaging to the communities and businesses that provide goods and services to the nonresident hunters. I also think it is unfair to the people who have been buying preference points for years to lower their odds by a large margin and jack the rates significantly at the same time. If this passes, they should get a one-time chance for a refund.
I suspect that there will be a lot of pushback by communities and businesses that depend on nonresident dollars. With the ongoing war against mineral extraction industries and the current budget shortfall, every little bit of additional economic contraction is going to hurt.
