Idaho hates NRs.

[Irrelevant]

I definitely don't see it as hating NRs. And the new costs only bring them in line with everyone else. Having hunted ID as a NR for the 5 of the last 6 years (and again this fall), I might take a break and hunt MT or WY again (if I can convince someone to party app with me), but I'll definitely go back, it's still a great deal.

 

[Kearnsie14]

I don't hunt Idaho so my comments here are less about Idaho and more general regarding western hunting. Regarding tag costs, my feeling is that they are what they are and will settle wherever the market dictates that they settle. As long as people will pay the cost, they'll charge what they charge and I'm fine with that. I'm also ok with NR tag fee increases. I don't like paying any more than the next person but I'm really grateful that they provide NRs with opportunity so I'll happily pay the tag fees. My greater concern is with the sentiment behind the NR tag allocation reductions and not necessarily the tag reductions themselves. I fully embrace giving residents the vast majority of tags, as I think most hunters do, and if the right allocation is 90/10 or something different than 90/10, that's fine with me. However, I get the feeling that many residents may secretly (or openly) desire the NR allocation to be zero and that seems confusing to me. Where the confusion specifically arises for me is the strange dichotomy between desiring NR hunters to both fund the lion's share of the tag fees for wildlife agency funding while also providing added political support for western public lands and hunting vs. secretly wanting NR hunters to stay home and "not take my tag or my honey hole." So the feeling that I get is that many residents of the western states (and if the ID changes and/or WY changes happen, I assume it's a majority of the residents of those states) want my financial contribution and they want my political support but they secretly (or openly) want me to stay home while I do that. By the way, I am very pro-resident so this isn't about me not sympathizing with resident frustration. If somebody took my tag and/or honey hole I wouldn't like it either. It's more of an eastern guy being confused about mixed messages that seem to be coming across.

 

[TheTone]

A big chunk of the non resident tag reduction will be a hope to change non resident distribution across units and zones. Some elk zones see a lot of non res tags sales, while others relatively few. It’s an interesting theory and if it works will most likely be a positive, if you’re a resident and hunter numbers go down and probably a negative in others areas as non residents buy tags in other places as a fall back

 

[Exhausted]

So, if all fees go through, the total cost for a deer tag, elk tag, and hunting license is going to run about $1,200 for Idaho.

For comparison, MT is +/- $1,100, WY is +/- $1,100, UT is +/- $1,350, AZ is +/- $1,300, CO is +/- $1,200, and NM is +/- $950 (I think). And all of that disregards any money spent on point in years prior.

Western hunting is just expensive for a NR. I hadn't thought much about how a recession might affect all of this before this thread, but it certainly seems like it would have an impact. If nothing else people start only chasing one species out of state each year rather than both deer and elk, let alone antelope, bear, etc.

 

[SummitsCalling]

Kinda "ballsy" to expect a state in which you don't reside to make things great for you.

Your one weeks worth of gas and groceries don't match a residents 52 weeks.

Your a GUEST. If you don't like the house rules, STAY HOME.

Seems like the typical uninformed mindset. I suggest you ask the businesses what happens if they lose the NR coming to the state for their short trip, across tens of thousands of people. How do you think their business would fair?

Ive lived in Hawaii, vast majority of businesses, hotels wouldnt exist without tourists. Hawaii already has serious economic issues with a good economy as is.

UT sells off their NR tags in many would argue is one of the West's greatest black eyes, truely disgusting. I'm sure you support that as well?

When sportsman stop to think, it's not about me me me, but the greater as a whole of sportsman we will fair better. Until then, we won't stop losing our great opportunities to be sportsman and pass the legacy on.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Ive lived in Hawaii, vast majority of businesses, hotels wouldnt exist without tourists. Hawaii already has serious economic issues with a good economy as is.

Hawaii collapses without tourism. Idaho gets by just fine without tourism. Apples to oranges.

 

[El Jason]

Hawaii collapses without tourism. Idaho gets by just fine without tourism. Apples to oranges.

Ask the folks in Riggins if they agree.

 

[brymoore]

Hawaii collapses without tourism. Idaho gets by just fine without tourism. Apples to oranges.

According to Idaho.gov, tourism is a $3.7B industry in Idaho. All the river towns are crying/slowly dying when they lost tourism due to the closed steelhead season.

I wimped out and dropped a few hundred dollars in a small Idaho town this year when I decided not to sleep in a tent in single digit temps.


Tourism is an important industry in Idaho.

 

[SummitsCalling]

Hawaii collapses without tourism. Idaho gets by just fine without tourism. Apples to oranges.

Actually the military contribute the most stable economic impact to that state(tourism bring in more money, but is dependant on the economy). Just the dip in Asian travel to the island are gonna cost Hawaii 30%+ in tourism revenue.

Do you have numbers to back Idaho doesn't need tourism? Every state needs tourism, it's a great economic addon, and no one in government would agree with you. NR pay the bills of most Western state F&G, it's how it works. Sportsman fighting to keep access is what we all should be doing, and the impact of out of state $s cannot be dismissed.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Ask the folks in Riggins if they agree.

I agree with that, but idaho as a whole is not driven by the tourism motor.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

If tourism stops who fares better idaho or hawaii? That's my point. Hawaii was built around tourism. Idaho was built around farming.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Every state in the country suffers without tourism some worse than others. That's a simple fact. Another simple fact is that making the damn NR cost for an elk tag $650 is not gonna break idaho or make idaho. It simply aligns us with our neighbors.
Act like a recession is gonna be worse in idaho now because of it. Give me a break.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Let's all come up with every cry baby excuse known to mankind to bitch about this price increase!! Recessions, tourism, to expensive, idaho hates NRs, blah blah blah, and add global warming to the excuses to bitch about it.
Good lord its been coming forever and everyone's known it. Its here next year and it's still a bargain compared to our neighbors and we have great OTC opportunities for the NR.

Please tell me how idaho "hates" NRs anymore than every other western state? I'd argue they "hate" them the least considering price and opportunities.

 

[TrickyTross]

Let's all come up with every cry baby excuse known to mankind to bitch about this price increase!! Recessions, tourism, to expensive, idaho hates NRs, blah blah blah, and add global warming to the excuses to bitch about it.
Good lord its been coming forever and everyone's known it. Its here next year and it's still a bargain compared to our neighbors and we have great OTC opportunities for the NR.

Please tell me how idaho "hates" NRs anymore than every other western state? I'd argue they "hate" them the least considering price and opportunities.

As a guy who will still be paying and be the "pesky NR", I've had to accept pretty much every state I hunt in that I don't live in will have folks who do actually hate me. I think that Idaho is acting in its best interest. Ill just have to make it happen

 

[Red Fox]

Let's all come up with every cry baby excuse known to mankind to bitch about this price increase!! Recessions, tourism, to expensive, idaho hates NRs, blah blah blah, and add global warming to the excuses to bitch about it.
Good lord its been coming forever and everyone's known it. Its here next year and it's still a bargain compared to our neighbors and we have great OTC opportunities for the NR.

Please tell me how idaho "hates" NRs anymore than every other western state? I'd argue they "hate" them the least considering price and opportunities.

I have to agree with this, plus they raised the price on all resident licenses in 2018. If you don't buy a tag every year or have a 3-year license you are going to pay more when you go to buy one. So it is not just the NR tags it just looks like they are getting inline with all the other sates around it.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

As a guy who will still be paying and be the "pesky NR", I've had to accept pretty much every state I hunt in that I don't live in will have folks who do actually hate me. I think that Idaho is acting in its best interest. Ill just have to make it happen

Oh yea there is guys that hate you in idaho I agree. I go to meetings and idaho is full of meatheads. I'm just saying IDFG is not trying to keep you out. And I'm not either.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

For elk in idaho after this year will be $815.50

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

So colorado and wyoming would be your better options moving forward. As far as price and tag opportunity combined I'd say idaho is still in the top 3 overall options for NRs.

 

[Elkmagnet]

This is a fee increase being "sold" as a way to reduce crowding. I don't see it reducing crowds in this current economy. Even post crash 5% reductionin total hunters? Thats probably high.
Anyway thats 2 years of Idaho's population increase. Assuming that the ratio of resident hunters is the same (its probably not) then it kicks the can for 2 years but only in a recession. So it does nothing but increase nr fees and makes non residents a higher percentage of Idahos budget. I believe we need to keep the % of funding that IDFG gets from non resident ballenced for various reasons.

 

[hossblur]

Seems like the typical uninformed mindset. I suggest you ask the businesses what happens if they lose the NR coming to the state for their short trip, across tens of thousands of people. How do you think their business would fair?

Ive lived in Hawaii, vast majority of businesses, hotels wouldnt exist without tourists. Hawaii already has serious economic issues with a good economy as is.

UT sells off their NR tags in many would argue is one of the West's greatest black eyes, truely disgusting. I'm sure you support that as well?

When sportsman stop to think, it's not about me me me, but the greater as a whole of sportsman we will fair better. Until then, we won't stop losing our great opportunities to be sportsman and pass the legacy on.

You mean the expo this week? You should ask Fin how I feel about that, or any of you guys supporting it.

But I also know when the snow gets deep it's not guts from Hawaii bulldozing in to feed.

I know it's not guys from Hawaii doing volunteer hours.

Not dudes from Hawaii sitting through mind numbing G&F meetings.

In Utah we pull more money from tourist dollars if it snows, than all the NR money spent here.

The NR tags DO help fund department budget, but only to a point.

My state bends over NR(Utah).

The elk I hunt winter in Wyoming. Their deer winter in the Crawford's. The Arizona strip is just a desert without Utah Deer migrating there.

I think there should be a cooperative agreement on what the public land mountain state NR pay, but a guy from Hawaii while 100% welcome if he has a tag, should be an afterthought to the residents first, then neighbors second.

Im looking at a trip to Hawaii this year. Those taxes you guys like on to hotel rentals, do we get to have them waived because I buy dinner in Hawaii?

No one makes you get on a plane and fly to ID.

The market says the tags will sale at higher prices. If the market decides prices are too high the tags won't sell.