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More Price Increases in Wyoming
By Guy Eastman
A new year has brought an ugly surprise for non-resident big game applicants in Wyoming. A very steep price increase is on the very near horizon for the “Special Draw” applications for non-resident deer, elk and antelope licenses. In addition, the prices on sheep, moose, goat and bison were also hiked for the new year as well.
The news is not all bad however, the “Regular Draw” prices for non-resident applicants where held steady as well as all resident license and preference point pricing.
As sure as time itself, a price increase was bound to happen at some point. Particularly considering the fact that the regular versus special draw has grown into parity, and in some cases the regular, cheaper draw actually had better odds over the past few years for a few hunts, which had the opposite of the intended effect on applicant behaviors, the logical decision was to increase the price of the special in an effort to push more applicants in to the cheaper draw and out of the special drawing.
The net effect is non-resident special elk went from $1,283 to now $1,965, a 53% net increase, while the special deer application went from $677 to $1,216, a net increase of 79%, and the special antelope license saw the steepest increase of more than 93%, from $629 to now $1,215. Needless to say, this will surely generate a substantial increase in revenue for the department from desperate non-resident hunters.
While these price increases might seem logical to some, the increase in non-resident prices for sheep, moose, goat and bison is more suspicious. In an interesting twist, last year the Wyoming Legislature decreased the non-resident allocation for these tags by about 35% on average. This year the state increased the price for these tags by about 50%, what a coincidence some might say.
In the end, the price for a non-resident sheep tag in Wyoming will rise by about 30% from $2,335 to $3,017. The non-resident moose license saw the largest increase from $1,997 to now a whopping $2,767, an increase of nearly 40%. The goat and bison licenses increased by 27% and 36% respectively. At these rates, every non-resident sheep tag sold equals nearly 20 resident sheep tags in revenue, not bad for the Department’s budget. I guess that 90/10 cut doesn’t hurt too bad after all.
The fact remains, this sport is getting ever more expensive no matter how you cut it. As more and more states continue to struggle with big game management more and more pressure is put on the Wyoming draw system, and I don’t see any end in sight for this trend. Buckle up, this is going to be a very rough year for draws and costs and it could just be the beginning.
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How To Build a SOLID Western Application Hunt Strategy
In this episode Brian and Dan sit down for a conversation all about western applications. They talk over their own strategy and how they get quality tags. They also answer listener questions all about applications. They talk about 0 point or OTC tags, low point tags and the tough to draw lotto tags. They dive into research and tools you can use to find the right tag that fits your wants and criteria. A great conversation between the two and another long episode as they had so much to cover.
Coming right out of eanchers’, outfitters’, and guides’ pockets. Good luck keeping up those prices.
Continuing to increase license fees may make those people in Wyoming who are resident hunters happy.
Fewer licenses and increased fees mean less competition in the field.
However it seems the Game and Fish people didn’t consider several factors. Or if they did they clearly didn’t give a damn.
Ranchers that allow hunting for a trespass fee are likely to be hurt. That extra cash is always a nice bonus.
Outfitters that count particularly on non resident hunters may also suffer from fewer clients.
Gas stations, motels, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, sporting goods stores will all see revenue decline.
With hunter numbers declining and costs increasing, what does Wyoming think the future is going to look like? Non residents bring revenue to your state economy and to your Game and Fish department. More money than residents. Continue squeezing them and pretty soon they won’t be there! Then try to explain these decisions…good luck.