Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Non-Resident ELK Prices

For every NR that does not want to pay $761 there are ten more in back of him that will pay $1000. Colorado is the only state that has unlimited OTC elk tags

CPW is not going to give up that cash cow.

Their 2022 herd counts show more elk than2021, but you see less.They will keep inflating those numbers so NR's will think there is an elk behind every tree so they will keep buying those tags.

Almost all NM rifle hunts are 5 days and less. A lot I disagree with here if I’m reading it right. Game departments absolutely could do some things better, but they’ve got a tough job pleasing everyone. They have to balance the opportunity people along with the quality people. Some want to find an easy deer and could care less if it’s a small fork and aren’t to bothered by other hunters. Others want a legit chance at a good mature animal and would rather hunt every couple years and not deal with a bunch of pressure. Throw in private wildlife conflict and things get worse.

Want to be angry at someone over increased demand, look at influencers, companies and social media. What do you think is going to happen when you have personalities making shows telling people of great OTC opportunities and explaining how easy it is? A well known podcast was going over draw strategies and mentioned multiple times a unit I was able to draw pretty regularly in the conversation and I haven’t drawn it in 3 years now. NR’s aren’t the only ones listening.

I’m afraid we’re loving Western hunting to death.

Anymore I have just applied in WY for the last few years. I’ve seen more elk there than other states. Granted I have not hunted elk in Montana. Getting a tag in NM is unlikely to say the least and I quit trying. I used to hunt just West of Rocky Mountain National Park in CO but my hunting buddies there are no longer. I evidently lucked out and drew a tag in Idaho the first time I tried in 1978.
Paying $700-$800 bucks for a license isn’t bad if you have a good chance at seeing elk.
I’ve applied all my life in SD and so far drew one tag.

Sure what has been put to rest is I despise being gouged and I despise those who are good with it. There should be a break on the federal land, does the state manage the federal land for wildlife? Does the state manage wildlife on private property? On what basis do you think the state making tags more expensive for NR hunters on either type of property being OK?

I have around 940.00 in my Idaho archery elk tag, Including the hunting license, archery permit and a few other things that let me hunt on National Forrest. I remember when I could do it for 400.00 and buy my tag when I arrived in Idaho. Times have changed no doubt. and I will continue to do everything I can to hunt elk in Idaho. I only have so many Septembers left.

Only issue I have with non resident applications is that if
you Don’t draw you’re stuck with a license. Each state NR license is goos $150+
So when I apply in 3 states and don’t draw, I’m stuck with them licenses for nothing. and close to 500$ down the drain. you do get the elk tag reimbursed in some states where you pay upfront but still. 3 Hunting licenses to nothing can be costly..
This probably keeps thousands of people away from applying, still sucks.

Because the game animals belong to the state. Been that way for years. SCOTUS has even ruled on it.

Because SCOTUS has ruled that’s the way it is.

I can only speak to NM, but yes, the state pays its way on management on federal lands. Every NM hunter hunting federal lands is required to purchase a habitat stamp. The money generated is leveraged and helps pay for drinkers, prescribed burns, mechanical treatments etc. Our state biologists work closely with federal biologists on management of wildlife as well as habitat.

In NM, a LO can sale unlimited OTC deer tags, unlimited antelope and unlimited elk authorizations in parts of the state. LO’s in other parts receive transferable elk authorizations. It’s up to the LO to decide how they are going to manage. In the primary elk zones the state decides how many elk authorizations each LO receives based on unit wide objectives.

The Pittman-Robertson Act is at least part of the reason many states require a non-refundable license to apply for draws. The more licenses they sell, the more funds they get from the act.

I'll bet I throw away well over $1000 a year just buying licenses for various states to apply for their draw. Sometimes I try to make as much use of it as I can....go bird hunt some random species I don't have at home, etc.

That’s the plan for me for Arizona this year. 99% I won’t draw

I travel out west to elk hunt every year, and have been doing it for almost 30 years. Everything related to my elk hunting has increased, which doesn't surprise me. My elk hunt is something I look forward to each year, so I'm not hindered by rising prices. I've been using outfitters who have the tags, so I haven't been doing a draw for probably 20 years. While it's not a stretch for me to handle hunting cost increases, I feel badly for the working man who has to negotiate the complicated draw processes and pay high fees. Hunting elk in the west is truly becoming a rich man's game.

Yes the state does manage the wildlife on federal lands, yes they also manage private lands out West.
The state conducts population surveys, they fly herd counts to set quotas. They allow LO to have licenses if they have animals on their property.
The wildlife is not owned by private landowners, it is managed by the state for it's residents.

Don't like the NR prices, move here and be a resident to reap the benefits, pretty simple the way that works.

Not Wyoming, we have a license fee but no qualifying license requirement to apply.

So I don’t have to buy a hunting license to apply for a tag?

If you want to bitch about fees, a seat at the Superbowl cost a minimum of $5,000.00. Where is the justice in that? It is no longer about football or hunting, it’s about money.

Hunting has been a generational tradition for thousands of years. Football is a more recent diversion that is as intoxicating as any drug and people are caught up in the successful marketing of sports.

Money has distorted the value system and taken over while the participants have stood by and watched.
Ever since the first European set foot on this continent, it has been about competition and beating the other guy.

Gone are the days of a father taking his son and a box of 30-30 cartridges, buying a couple deer tags and a tank of gas for $20.00 and going hunting. A ticket to a baseball game and a hot dog at less than $10.00 will only be seen in history books.

Welcome to the 21st century and the age of inflation and opulence where nothing is sacred any more. The best days were 50’s through the 60’s and we will never experience those golden years again. Like it or not it isn’t about fairness, it is all about money…

Agreed!

Regards,
Manny

In another chat group on the internet I am on there was a discussion about losing the zeal for hunting.

A lot of the people stated they have taken up fishing instead.

Name a state that doesn't charge higher fees for non-resident big game licenses.

And tell us what kind of discount your state gives for non-residents who hunt federal land.

Isn’t a conservation stamp required before applying for draws in WY? It is as close as they have to a hunting ‘license’.

I have a lifetime conservation stamp there so I have never really paid attention to if it is a prerequisite to apply for draws or not…as I haven’t needed to buy one in several years.

I've hunted Idaho every year since 1982. The changes Ive seen in SE, SW, and Central Idaho hunting country is amazing. Areas where Ive killed 30" bucks now have camp trailers parked weeks ahead of the season to reserve camping spots. The growth in population has also increased people who want to hunt. Garbage strewn along the roads and in campsites make me sick. This type of activity is from both locals and out of staters. The lack of respect for Mother Nature and hunting ethics makes no sense to me. I realize I sound like the "keep off my grass" old man, but really, these changes just break my heart.

Ive got 20 or 21 points for mule deer in Nevada, and have had to buy a license each year to apply. I had 18 points in Utah when I finally got drawn for a muzzleloader mule deer tag. Out of state hunting for a premium tag is extremely time consuming and costly, before you even get drawn!

I've worked hard to stay in shape to still get in the country I need to get to for mule deer. I'm fortunate to live in elk country, and have good numbers of them on my property and adjoining National Forest.

Bottom line, more people hunting the same land and the same animals is a supply and demand issue. Idaho just raised their out of state fees, but as can be seen, they still immediately sell out.

That said, some of the best times of my life were spent living in a canvas tent, around a campfire and a whisky, hunting the mountains of Idaho. Hard to put a cost value on those memories.

Regards,
Manny