FireFlyFishing
Well-Known Member
I'm going to defer to the in state folks and what they're saying here. They live there after all. If you don't like the prices, move there or apply elsewhere.
Thanks a lot OK
- Thread starter Gary in MD
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Nonresident hunting has turned into a rich man's pursuit. I'm not saying it is not worth it for some, but it sure is not helping to get the common lower income person into hunting.
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
There's still some states that are reasonable for deer hunting. If you factor in the gas, motel and food on top of the tags it's definitely not cheap anywhere.
I'm afraid many states will have to raise the cost of tags to offset their costs for fuel and manpower. Inflation is really hurting middle and lower income folks.
Outdrmn
Well-Known Member
What used to take me a couple Saturday side projects to cover my Idaho hunt now takes almost a two week remodel project 
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
Ain't that the truth! Got a text that our outfitter in Colorado had a cancellation for mule deer so we took the spots. Been doing overtime basically all year and going to be scraping to get the funds even with the OT. I miss the good old days, you know like 6 years ago.What used to take me a couple Saturday side projects to cover my Idaho hunt now takes almost a two week remodel project
victor3ranger
Well-Known Member
What sucks for me is the fact that I will never be able to afford hunting out of state.
I have always dreamed of hunting Elk, mulies, or moose but that's never going to happen
I have always dreamed of hunting Elk, mulies, or moose but that's never going to happen
Terry Lightle
Well-Known Member
Never elk or mule deer hunted but did moose hunt and killed one,but that stuff is over being on fixed income.My only out of state hunting now is coyotes which is my favorite by far.
If I get drawn and I get an opportunity, I don't eat tag soup anymore. I used to pass a lot of good deer on out of state hunts. But with the expense getting so high, I am not as picky. That's the trade off I believe most people will start doing…. Sucks but if I got to spend a grand to hunt and I'm fortunate to see a good deer, I take em. I've let a lot of 120 - 130" deer go in past until the cost went up. And wasn't doing any good anyways when local neighbors adjacent to our leases shot em. But it was their choice so I'm happy for em. But I've changed my mindset over the last 5-6 years and am quicker on the trigger. Got to pay to play, but it's up to you on what getting your money's worth out of it is.
I completely agree with ya there, but will add to those resident folks….do not cry when the non res guys start mowing down small deer and stuff. It's gonna change. I like to shoot a big deer, but my standard has went down a lot because I can only eat tag soup so much before I get the itch to get a decent deer.
I don't know the specifics of state vs federal public lands in OK but in most of the states I've been/hunted/worked the last agency you want "managing lands" is the state. Typically their budgets can't manage the lands they already own and acquiring more lands just puts quality management even further out of reach.
Kudos to OK for putting these funds back into public access for the outdoorsman but I'm curious as to what and how they manage these lands. Purchasing land is a lot different than managing it.
Kudos to OK for putting these funds back into public access for the outdoorsman but I'm curious as to what and how they manage these lands. Purchasing land is a lot different than managing it.
choprzrul
Well-Known Member
And there is the rub.....residents always seem to complain about 'quality' of their deer hunting and blame it on too many NR hunters. So....they jack up NR fees and now rather than NR passing on an average buck and eating tag soup, the NR hunter is going to be much more likely to settle on average.....and have meat in the freezer rather than having to show for it after spending big $$ on tags.
That is correct. It's really come down to jealousy I think. Now that being said, 99% of the residents I run into are done off the best people I've met. I even hunt with some of them. Networking is the best way to be able to hunt all over this country. But the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Eventually the resident tags will climb as well. They'll be cheaper than out of starters but they'll raise in cost too down the road.
Laguna Freak
Well-Known Member
You related to Tim Lightle? I went to school with him in little ol' Cleveland
I have never hunted out of the state that I live in. Mostly it was due to having six kids, and that kept me strapped for cash and time. But I lived in Alaska and then moved south to Wyoming. Both states have good hunting and plenty of public land. I assure you it was by design.
