I only have this fall to base it on, but I don't see hunter numbers dropping. The Big Horns, and plains where I pronghorn hunt were VERY full with LOTS of out of state plates. Will price increase drive some out? Yup, it will. Will it drive out enough to actually make a difference to things like hotels, restaurants etc. that THRIVE on non-resident traffic where I live. Nope, most likely nothing there will change. All local hotels where FULL from Oct 1 through part of November, local restaurants where noticeably more crowded, even with C19 restrictions. Traffic in/out of the Big Horns was high and pretty much every where you could put a camper had a camper. Even into November elk hunting about 1/2 the trucks I saw driving in for hunting was out of state (including the one who pulled me out of snow!)
Non-residents supply a TON of money to local communities, so I am not in favor of cutting them off. But yes, residents should get most tags.
I've heard this bill was killed, but there are others to try and help:
- raising the stamp price and dedicating that money to purchasing easements to cross private land to get to public
- adding 1 cent to the 6% tax
