shootbrownelk
Well-known member
You nailed it with that last sentence, and higher points and tag fees are not a factor. Those with deep pockets will fork it over. I've watched hunting become a "Rich Man's Sport" for decades here in Wyoming.
Wyoming Draw Results 2026
- Thread starter Hawk Tuah
- Start date
D_Walt
Well-known member
To be fair, no NR vacation hunts are cheap, but I still wouldn’t consider the cost of a NR public land DIY hunt a “rich man’s sport”. Rich or poor, still takes the same amount of time to accumulate points. Any working stiff that wants it bad enough can come up with $75/year for a point and a grand for an elk tag. Especially if it’s 10 years between tags, which, I guess could be spun to say it’s even more affordable than before
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Especially if it’s 10 years between tags, which, I guess could be spun to say it’s even more affordable than before
That’s not a bad point actually. Damn you for point it out though
Redraider7
Active member
Haha nope! Raw doggin itTo justify the special draw, I am hoping you had spotted an especially big cow last year and had intel that she had at least made it through the middle of January…
Chad Gus
Well-known member
It'd be cool if they put me on the front page, again.
seeth07
Well-known member
My WI Outdoor News front page photo of me holding up a 9lb walleye from Post Lake as a kid still is hung up on the wall of my house! Still very much so proud of that day
SaskHunter
Well-known member
Couple refunds incoming! Not too mad about it, should still have some good hunts this fall OTC and still a few more draws to come!
WapitiBob
Well-known member
Yea, for 2nd choice.
Chad Gus
Well-known member
I have mine next to the euro mount of the buck
Nick87
Well-known member
As a kid I always wanted to send my pic in for the deer corner or whatever it was called. Never did, that was illinois fish and game magazine though.
BAKPAKR
Well-known member
How about a photo of the cover and the euro?
GoWyo!
Well-known member
Well, you still have time to buy preference points if you still can. I’m done with that nonsense as Buffalo and goats don’t use the point system. Only thing left to hope for is antelope.Can't believe I forgot to put in this year
Chad Gus
Well-known member
Carl 9.3x62
Well-known member
It was mostly ewe sheep I forgot. Wasn't planning on applying for anything else.
dan.kirkpatrick
Well-known member
struck out on a type 6 cow tag this year.
LopeHunter
Well-known member
Indeed, Joe Sixpack had better live in a state with everything he intends to ever hunt or will have a rough time playing the $1000 and up non-resident bull elk tag game plus play the points game and all the fees to enter those draws.
Non-resident big game hunting is not really for the person who can only save $100 a paycheck for a discretionary expenditure on hunting adventures. Now, if you are someone who sits on a big pile of discretionary cash or recently inherited from a rich uncle or marriage into a rich family or got an injury settlement or won the lottery then none of the whining resonates re rising costs.
The 30-year old me from the early 1990s transported with my earnings post-grad school to the present day would need about 10-minutes of consideration to shut down all efforts to chase after non-resident big game tags. No way would pay $1000 for a bull elk tag when had a lot of other obligations with my young family. Maybe could have shook loose $1000 for a bighorn sheep ram tag. Maybe.
So, I have empathy for the small game hunter in Iowa that dreams of a mule deer or bull elk or OIL hunt since those are not possible in Iowa. A non-resident pronghorn hunt over in Wyoming might be achievable.
I have rubbed elbows with a lot of Joe Sixpack hunters and Richy Rich guys. Shared campfires. Shared a conversation as met passing each other on a trail. Can be nimrods in both types of hunters but I will roll my dice with Joe Sixpack if must decide who will be the one person I share a campfire. My camo does not match, most was bought on sale or off eBay. My vehicle is more likely to be over a decade old than newer than a decade. My back pack is older than most of the Epstein children.
Yet, the way states are milking non-residents with the for-profit corporate mantra of maximizing revenue per non-resident through rising application fees/mandatory hunting licenses and the cost of each big game tag awarded to a non-resident means the odds are growing that I will be rubbing shoulders with Richy Rich types. The deep pocket types that donate to expand outfitter allocations and transferable landowner tags. The types that fuel outfitters locking up more private land. The types that expect an outcome which looks impressive in their corner office and remind everyone who is signing the paycheck this hunt.
No tears for or by me. I know how to work the system. Life is less about fairness and more about navigating the game. The non-resident game is out of reach for a greater percentage of hunters than a decade ago, two decades ago....and in another decade some of the non-residents participating now will be priced out of the game.
My remaining life is short now and do not have much desire to willingly be around nimrods.
That reminds me, I need to by a solar-powered cappuccino machine for my outfitter to put in the pannier on my elk hunt. See you on the mountain!
ovis2
Well-known member
26 years. Drew a Unit 7 bighorn tag!
