Wyoming's Access Yes Program

[FLIPPER]

Hunters and anglers contributed more than $150,000 for the 2002 season.

Nonresidents contributed $71,200

Residents contributed $34,800

Nonresident and resident totals contributed an additional $31,831, when buying over the counter licenses

Direct donations came from Conservation organizations for a total of $12,000

I find it ironic that some western folk bash nonresidents for hunting, camping, hiking, fishing and visiting, when nonresidents provide more funding for your wildlife programs than you do.

 

[Nut]

Because Wyoming is good at passing the buck to non-residents? I read that somewhere before.

 

[Ithaca 37]

It sure is ironic. They scream like hell if the F&G talks about raising license fees and they scream like hell about non residents coming out here to hunt. Not the smart ones, though, just the ones who are always against everything.

 

[BuzzH]

I have never bitched about the NR hunters just because I know they fund a bulk of the fish and game departments in the West.

I've begged and pleaded with MT's fish and game commission to raise resident fees for years! I mean good grief, I believe the resident sportsmans license is $68 which is birds, fishing, conservation, deer, elk, and bear. The same tag for NR is around $800.

When I served on the MT Wetlands Protection Advisory Council, I told Pat Graham, the then F&G Director, that MT residents get off way too cheap. We had a debate about the cost of the NR waterfowl stamp. At that time, both NR and Resident hunters payed the same $5 for the stamp. Our council was getting hammered because we were "giving away our ducks to NR hunters." Everyone from the commission to the biologists to the average resident was screaming for an increase in the NR stamp. It was proposed to jump to $50 for NR. I was the only person on the board to vote against it. I thought it would be better to just raise the stamp fee across the board to $10 for both Residents and Non-Residents, rather than shift more of the burden on the NR's.

Well, the stamp is now $50 for NR's, but at least I tried.

I really appreciate Non Resident hunters, without them managing our wildlife in the West would be impossible.

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 03-16-2003 17:51: Message edited by: BuzzH ]</font>

 

[Oak]

Flipper, I think that most westerners don't bash non-residents for coming out and doing all those things. I think what they resent is the non-residents that think they should be able to come out and hunt for the same price as residents because "it's federal land that we all own" or some crap like that. We know who pays the majority of the bills. You might be surprised at how many think that the resident prices are too low, also. Those who have a clue about what it takes to manage the wildlife they hunt would probably be in favor of raising resident fees. Unfortunately, the good ol' boy bubbas have a lot of influence in the politics in the West, and proposed fee increases usually get shot down.

Oak

 

[1_pointer]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR> the good ol' boy bubbas have a lot of influence in the politics in the West <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Sad, but all too true.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

That makes sense since out-of-staters don't vote for state officials...