Right, and some do just that. Either become a resident or pay the NR fee's the State's citizens charge.
No reason to whine about it, everyone has options.
It's a fine line. I agree with you on NR hunters and the need to pay a larger amount, but you also have to take market considerations into account, which is why tying licenses to the CPI was a push for a few years.
But a couple of things that have been clanging around in the cranium: The outpouring of support we've seen in relation to a lot of bad bills comes from the same NR's that we charge high rates. In fact, on 143, it was the NR DIY sportsman that stood up quickly & went to bat for those in-state fighting this. That's worth note, and worth understanding the power that we have together, as residents & NR's, especially as DIY hunters.
I totally agree that the states have the right to set that cost of admission and use the funding as needed, which is why the amendment was a far better approach than the original bill. But if we get to the point where the product offered is not inline with expectations for quality and price, then the state will see a decline in some demographics hunting.
I don't think the $300 fee gets there with the B10, as it's still competitively priced with other states once you factor in the deer, elk, fishing, upland, etc that comes with the B10, but adding $300 the B11 probably will cut the DIY hard, and make them look elsewhere.
So, in our thought process, we should be reconciling the support resident hunters get from NR's who fight for us, as well as what the market will bear in those NR Tags. I'd rather have the army we have, and not bleed off support for DIY hunters & public land advocates.