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Darn Non-Resident Hunters?!?

All I can say is if everything works out, there will be a white f250 with WV tags on it headed to western Colorado this fall. I hope to see a lot of you guys out there having fun and even get to talk to some of you. You see that truck, flag me down and say hi!!
 
Inconsiderate slobs are everywhere. I just seem to notice them more if they have out of state plates.....

Appreciate your honesty b/c I couldn't agree more….I think we all subconsciously want to blame the easy target, which are the 'outsiders'……I'd be lying if I said I haven't had these same thoughts, on some level, in the past!!
 
I recently hunted moose in Maine as a non-resident hunter. I had a once-in-a-lifetime tag. I located a reputable outfitter and arrived in camp a few days early so that I could scout areas with my outfitter. He selected a remote area which he was watching for some time and had cameras up which produced a few bulls. The location was reachable by logging roads.

On opening morning we arrived at our location several hours before daylight. I asked why we needed to be there so early and was told that once their trucks (2) were there that no other hunters would try hunting the area. "Locals respect the first vehicle/hunters in any location" I was told.

It sounded good but a 1/2 hour before daylight two other pick-ups arrived and passed by peering into our vehicles. They parked within eyesight of our location. They began calling, we were calling, it was just messed up. We eventually left the area. In the vast wilderness areas of Maine there was just no reason for this to happen but the late arrivals just didn't give a crap.
 
I went to Montana in May for 2 weeks for bears. I treated every area I was in like it was my own back home. I actually took out more garbage than I produced in that time. Locals on the other hand weren't too nice. Someone stole a bunch of clothes I had drying in my camp. Also somewhere else someone broke into my truck cap and stole my lantern and jumper / power supply pack. Had a few times in different areas where local people came to my camp and told me to get the f out. Including one guy who was rather rude about it then the next day came and found me and started glassing the same hill 50' away from me. The next day he seemed very gracious to see me because he had 2 flat tires on one side of his truck. Normally I'd drop a day of hunting to help someone out but this guy got a California Howdy and I drove right by him. Not sure how he made out. He had about 9 miles of walking to do and no cell service.
 
I've seen it come up on a lot of threads and am so confused by this concept of "non-residents" being bad stewards of the land/resource (trash, disrespectful, bad sportsman, etc), YET most hunters hunt multiple states!! Does that mean they are perfect citizens in their own state, then complete degenerates in the non-res states??!!

Or maybe, bad apples are just that! I have family who hunt and live in a few other western states, and am in the field a lot Aug - Jan…..my brother and I alone have 7 hunts in 4 states this year. During all my time in the field, I have seen absolute no correlation between res and non-res with respect to being bad stewards, and again, for all those hunters that claim non-res people are the problem, I hope you are all looking in the mirror the next time you hunt outside your home state.

By the way, I'm the guy who will always welcome you into my camp to chat or have a beer, and genuinely want to support my fellow hunters. If you have a flat tire, I will offer to help. If you are in the camp next to me and are a slob, I'm going to stop on my way out to clean it up (and likely report you). AND, I'm a big believer in supporting the local small business owners (motels, super market, restaurants, gun stores, etc) and local guides/outfitters (when I am too busy with family or work to scout a new area).

IMO, I see this non res BS here and elsewhere a lot when residents are trying to justify changing res vs non res fees or allocations. But again, MOST hunters are both res and non res hunters, so I scratch my head. On this particular subject, I do think the actions of one (state) can ruin it for the rest of the states, so I do wish their was a 'Western State Alliance (equal representation from each state)' to set basic standards on allocation/etc……that way, no one feels like they can screw people for the sake another state did it (ie - change to 90/10 or worse b/c their residents have to deal with that as non-residents in the boardering/surrounding states)…..BTW, this isn't a 90/10 debate, just using as an example.

Good luck to all the res and non res hunters on your hunts this year and keep a look out for those bad apples!
I travel from Michigan to Idaho panhandle. (DAV non-resident) they recently changed the odds drastically. December 1st of 2020 10:00 a.m. mountain standard Time I was one of 300 out of 20,000 applicants (DAV non-resident) that was selected. Expressing my gratitude. Last September while hunting (archery Elk) in unit 6 my wife and I were sound asleep at 10:00 p.m. because 4:00 a.m. comes early. There was a very rude knock on the door of my fifth wheel. It was a couple of hillbilly deputies based out of Wallace Idaho. They immediately started accusing me of several felony accusations stating that they got a report of me beating my wife and then shooting her 😅. Turned out to be a couple of loser residents that didn't appreciate me hunting their turf. It was all a blatant lie with a very fictitious police report. They would not tell me who put them up to this. Extremely frustrating and very unprofessional and very distasteful. After realizing they were complete fools they did make a report of my permanent RV plate being stolen the first night we were there off the back of the RV. I guess my point is it's too bad that local residents can be intimidated by somebody that travels over 4,000 miles round trip and probably spends several thousand dollars in the community...
 
I went to Montana in May for 2 weeks for bears. I treated every area I was in like it was my own back home. I actually took out more garbage than I produced in that time. Locals on the other hand weren't too nice. Someone stole a bunch of clothes I had drying in my camp. Also somewhere else someone broke into my truck cap and stole my lantern and jumper / power supply pack. Had a few times in different areas where local people came to my camp and told me to get the f out. Including one guy who was rather rude about it then the next day came and found me and started glassing the same hill 50' away from me. The next day he seemed very gracious to see me because he had 2 flat tires on one side of his truck. Normally I'd drop a day of hunting to help someone out but this guy got a California Howdy and I drove right by him. Not sure how he made out. He had about 9 miles of walking to do and no cell service.
How do you know it was locals who stole your stuff did you see them get a plate number or just assuming it was locals, theres plenty of NR running around Montana roads
 
A while back our group drew 4 coveted buck tags in Idaho and we put tags on 3 good bucks, mine got posted in Peterson's magazine. While skinning our bucks out, a game warden came by and and validated our tags and we chatted a bit. We mentioned seeing doe carcasses every morning along the dirt road and hearing gunshots several evenings after dark. That evening, that same game warden showed up with a dirt bike and after the first shot he blasted out after the poacher - a local resident. The game warden stopped to thank us, but it was us who thanked him.
 
Wyoming gets a lot of out of state hunters. Most of what I've seen are great people and are no different then locals when it come to ethics in the field.

Maybe it's me but I injoy running across out of staters in the camps and field. I enjoy visiting and talking about hunting and customs of other states.

Some the best two days of the year is the last two days before the season starts where we open up our range for sight in days. I always work both days where I get to visit with hunters from across the country.

Best part of hunting is meeting and making friends with others of similar likes.
 
My son and I did some crabbing Friday in the Severn river right past the Naval academy . The parking lot for boat trailers had many Pennsylvania tags ( mostly all ) and it did not bother me in the least. They are not my crabs and if you obey the laws and pay your fees then I'm ok with you fishing Md waters. Most of the hunting done on the eastern shore of Md is out of staters , so says my sons high school friend who is now a game warden. Maryland has a lot to offer so why is it bad that other than residents want to experience the Maryland way of life?
Truth is it creates income for a lot of Md business and jobs. Let the game commission figure out the management end and remember sharing isn't a bad thing because you meet some great outdoorsmen in the process .
 
I've seen it come up on a lot of threads and am so confused by this concept of "non-residents" being bad stewards of the land/resource (trash, disrespectful, bad sportsman, etc), YET most hunters hunt multiple states!! Does that mean they are perfect citizens in their own state, then complete degenerates in the non-res states??!!

Or maybe, bad apples are just that! I have family who hunt and live in a few other western states, and am in the field a lot Aug - Jan…..my brother and I alone have 7 hunts in 4 states this year. During all my time in the field, I have seen absolute no correlation between res and non-res with respect to being bad stewards, and again, for all those hunters that claim non-res people are the problem, I hope you are all looking in the mirror the next time you hunt outside your home state.

By the way, I'm the guy who will always welcome you into my camp to chat or have a beer, and genuinely want to support my fellow hunters. If you have a flat tire, I will offer to help. If you are in the camp next to me and are a slob, I'm going to stop on my way out to clean it up (and likely report you). AND, I'm a big believer in supporting the local small business owners (motels, super market, restaurants, gun stores, etc) and local guides/outfitters (when I am too busy with family or work to scout a new area).

IMO, I see this non res BS here and elsewhere a lot when residents are trying to justify changing res vs non res fees or allocations. But again, MOST hunters are both res and non res hunters, so I scratch my head. On this particular subject, I do think the actions of one (state) can ruin it for the rest of the states, so I do wish their was a 'Western State Alliance (equal representation from each state)' to set basic standards on allocation/etc……that way, no one feels like they can screw people for the sake another state did it (ie - change to 90/10 or worse b/c their residents have to deal with that as non-residents in the boardering/surrounding states)…..BTW, this isn't a 90/10 debate, just using as an example.

Good luck to all the res and non res hunters on your hunts this year and keep a look out for those bad apples!
Couldn't agree more. It is silly. I hunt (at least) Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Virginia every year, and, Canada 🇨🇦 almost every year...very rarely do I encounter a "clown"..... anywhere..."they" tend to be the exception...not the rule...
 
Where I live, the primary difference I have seen between residents and non-residents is trespassing. The locals pretty much know eachother and know that if they trespassed to hunt, they would be recognized. Non-residents seem to feel emboldened by a sense of anonymity and the belief that if they can't be identified, they can't be prosecuted. (Criminologists have long identified that mentality as a primary factor to explain higher crime rates in big cities vs small towns.) Every year, local landowners post (on Facebook) game cam pics of hunters trespassing and asking for help identifying them, which never happens because they are either nonresidents or perhaps a resident from a distant county.
The other issue I have seen stems from ignorance and the failure to learn the game regs. My county has a federal wildlife preserve and another large national forest watershed area where hunting is not permitted. Both are clearly shown in the regs. But every year it seems, nonresidents shoot big game animals in those areas, most likely because they did not study the regs or pay attention to the signs. It doesn't take too many instances of that reported in the local newspaper to get the "anti" non-resident sentiment stirred up.
It has been a long time since I hunted out of state. But I do recall being denied permission to hunt birds because I was a non-resident. But I never put much stock in that explanation. It was just the landowners' excuse for saying NO.
 
I've seen it come up on a lot of threads and am so confused by this concept of "non-residents" being bad stewards of the land/resource (trash, disrespectful, bad sportsman, etc), YET most hunters hunt multiple states!! Does that mean they are perfect citizens in their own state, then complete degenerates in the non-res states??!!

Or maybe, bad apples are just that! I have family who hunt and live in a few other western states, and am in the field a lot Aug - Jan…..my brother and I alone have 7 hunts in 4 states this year. During all my time in the field, I have seen absolute no correlation between res and non-res with respect to being bad stewards, and again, for all those hunters that claim non-res people are the problem, I hope you are all looking in the mirror the next time you hunt outside your home state.

By the way, I'm the guy who will always welcome you into my camp to chat or have a beer, and genuinely want to support my fellow hunters. If you have a flat tire, I will offer to help. If you are in the camp next to me and are a slob, I'm going to stop on my way out to clean it up (and likely report you). AND, I'm a big believer in supporting the local small business owners (motels, super market, restaurants, gun stores, etc) and local guides/outfitters (when I am too busy with family or work to scout a new area).

IMO, I see this non res BS here and elsewhere a lot when residents are trying to justify changing res vs non res fees or allocations. But again, MOST hunters are both res and non res hunters, so I scratch my head. On this particular subject, I do think the actions of one (state) can ruin it for the rest of the states, so I do wish their was a 'Western State Alliance (equal representation from each state)' to set basic standards on allocation/etc……that way, no one feels like they can screw people for the sake another state did it (ie - change to 90/10 or worse b/c their residents have to deal with that as non-residents in the boardering/surrounding states)…..BTW, this isn't a 90/10 debate, just using as an example.

Good luck to all the res and non res hunters on your hunts this year and keep a look out for those bad apples!
I totally agree and there are always bad apples, hopefully the exception rather than the rules. Also remember that non-residence licenses cost more and therefore bring more funds into the area for game management activities. Also the funds spent in the local area such as food lodging, and fuel help the local area. Live by example and use encouragement for those that have gone astray, for people are entrusted to take care of the Earth.
 
Great thread. In CO, me and my family/friends have seen good and bad in hunters and fishermen since day 1. To me everything has come down to the individual and how we apply our values. If it morphs to the group thinking, whether it's the hunting group or the political group or any other group, there is where the wrong left turn is made. With all of us who make bad individual decisions, it's up the rest of us to reason with this person, to see the good. We are toast if we give up that fight. We'll be out there soon... good luck everybody.
 

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