IMO, there are 2 entities that profit via non-resident hunters. G&F dept's and G/O's, and that's it.
G&F dept's profit via increased license fees. G/O's profit obviously via guiding/outfitting clients. Everything else is a wash. G&F as well as G/O's won't want you to hear or believe that though.
My rationale:
A NR is going to give you MAYBE 1wk worth of revenue. Restaurant, fuel, hotel, groceries, etc. A resident hunter gives you an entire season.
Non-resident hunters are a renewable resource. Someone new is added to a group, a patriarch takes a group on a "lifetime hunt". Somone graduates college and gets a job, or someone retires and finally has the time and $$ to go hunt out of state. Resident hunters once they sell their stuff, or at least decide they're done, they're done. When decide hunting is no longer worth it and they're done, the folks who sell fuel, hotels, food, etc have lost weekly revenue from ~9/1-12/31. Even longer if the hunter gives up scouting trips and winter predator hunting.
I know an awful lot of folks who were lifetime hunting dog owners that have not replaced dogs because what little habitat we have left is leased primarily to NR's coming to hunt birds/waterfowl for a few days.
