Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting haven’t elk hunted colorado for a while - fees went up

Not a surprise really, the amount they went up is a suprise.

500 bucks for a cow elk tag... huh...
they must be trying to pay for ?

OK I used to hunt when it was 350 or so.... finally at the point where I have time to hunt...

Nobody bothers to tell you that from 45-55 you tend to put your head down and work yourself to death... At least I’m coming up for air.

Spot

I havn't given $350 for 12 years

these Western states really charge to much for a non-resident tag and without us non-residents these Western states would do very poorly but these states are also getting very greedy ! residents should pay half of what a non - resident pays to make it more fare ! now i am sure some residents will start posting how we non-residents are all wrong. grin

Lots of folks would drop a load in their shorts if they knew how much I pay in out of state fees every year to kill other state's critters....

$500 is a lot for a cow, but if a guy wants it bad enough then all is well.
Bull tags in some states are north of $1000 and I'd gladly paid that for the right tag...in addition to the license and the absurd number of stamps and permits they'll nickel and dime ya with. If it gets to being too much $, hunt something or somewhere else...I do think the higher a price gets, less and less people will be applying for said tag, as the law of demand comes into play. Sometimes it takes a big price hike to see that effect though.

I know a resident here that regrets applying for Wyoming bison this year because the $414 tag is just so damn much money...and yes he pulled a tag...
I, as a resident would gladly pay the non-resident fee (which is over 10X that amount) for that bison tag if I had to, and have been putting in for a hell of a lot longer than he has.
It's all in how much you want that tag...

The annual fishing tax for non-residents is now over $100

They were charging 1/2 price for cow tags a few years ago saying they wanted more cows shot to reduce herd sizes, now they are saying they need to build some areas back up. Colorado big game management principles are based on how much money they can take in, not what is good for the elk herd. If you don't believe this, read the last few pages of any 5 year big game management document.

Even before the last price increase for 2019, where in addition you had to by a small game license before you could even apply for any big game, Colorado CPW took in more money than any other two western states combined.

Really enjoy those from out of state telling us how our state should run. California styling you be.

That might be the most ridiculous thing I've heard in years

I’d love for you to cite a state that charges a resident 1/2 what it charges a non-res in tags for that states animals?

Dejà vu meets Groundhogs Day
😎

There is no question that the price of a Cow Tag in Colorado has gotten high and some may feel disproportional compared to residents. When I started going to Colorado in1979 the price was less than half what it is today. Today, for my Bull and Cow tags, it is almost $1,200. But...I keep going, and that is my, and everyone that chooses to pay the fees, choice. That said, none of us non-residents have to pay Colorado's State Income Tax's or sales tax's every day of the year. My wife and I purposely did not choose to retire in Colorado because of the Cost of Living being so high. So if Colorado choose to charge us non-residents high fees, so be it. We can always just say no. I always look at it as how much money I am saving by living elsewhere, and getting to hunt in such a beautiful state.

I will be the first to grouse about high tag fees and be first in line to buy one. If I could not afford the extra tag fees, then I probably can’t afford the other costs to go either! I’d rather keep driving my old pickup than have a $600 truck payment, too. Happy Trails

I used to buy a non-resident bull, cow and buck tag. Cow tags were $250 and I didn't mind doing some elk management and putting some meat in the freezer. Once the price of a cow tag went above $250, I stopped buying it. I'm glad I can afford to hunt elk and mule deer out of state, it ain't cheap.

Since antlers are the only trophy part of a deer, elk, or moose, why not just buy meat at the store and avoid cows and does all together?

You can buy quite a bit of meat for the price of a Colorado cow elk tag and a lot more if you factor in the ancillary costs associated with hunting.

The only reason that I shoot does is that I can do it with an almost unlimited number of inexpensive "River WMA" tags here in Nebraska and even when I do shoot does, I typically give more than half the meat away via Hunters Helping the Hungry.

I hunt cows because I like to hunt two seasons every year.ML for cows,OTC rifle for bulls.The cows eat a lot better than those stinky bulls. Those Nebraska corn fed and soy bean fed whitetails do taste good though . A lot better than these sage fed mulies.

I've lost nearly all of my interest in hunting anything bigger than deer anymore and really prefer if they cooperate such that I can drive to them and don't have to drag them very far.

Sage fed mule deer are one of the reasons that I'm leaning against buying a retirement home in South Fork. That and the fact that civilization is a 90 mile round trip to either Alamosa or Pagosa Springs.

I gave up on Colorado when they started requiring the purchase of the small game license.

thank you.

Then you haven't heard anything that comes out of Occasio-Cortez's mouth.

I hunted elk in Colorado for the 1st time last year and paid almost $700 for a bull tag. That ain't cheap, but there are no elk in GA. I don't have a problem with Colorado residents paying a fraction of that. They live there and pay taxes year round. I'm just a visitor and appreciate the chance to hunt there.