Idaho Lowering Tag Fees

Ya, I read that earlier today as well and I liked the part where they attmited Idaho currently has the highest prices out of 11 other western states for deer. But like you I also hope they realize that the unsold non-res deer tags were just as much about the product as it was the price.
 
Ditto!!!!!!!!!!!! Wolves are only half the problem. Hopin that gets controlled soon and then we can actually make suggestions to F&G that will work.
 
If you build it (lower prices/keep killing wolves) he will come

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Glad they admitted the price hike last year backfired. Will probably happen to Oregon this year for their steep hike.
 
game is scarce so are hunters. i hunted there not much game so i hunt different states.wolves will ruin the 3 states hunting just watch.give it a few years.wolves grizzlyslions need to be managed like all wildlife.wyo has the right idea wolves in yelly belly ok out of park predator shoot them om sight. hold your ground wyo you are right. sorry about rant
 
We'll there you have it. I've heard a thousand guys on here say money is the driving factor in deer managment by the state agencies. This is the first time I've seen it published by a division.

"...The result was a reduction in nonresident general deer tag revenue of $666,000 compared to 2008..."

"Idaho Code 36-415 gives the Commission authority to...encourage increased tag sales"
 
Well I hope they learned a lesson from this. You cant let the game numbers deplete raise tag fees and expect to make as much or more money, especially in a bad economy. Something needs to be done and I hope it happens soon as I love hunting there.
 
Perfect!!. We have gone to Idaho for the past twenty years until last year. Money talks!! We all sent emails to the game department last year and told them we were through with their state because of high prices and low deer numbers.
 
Now they just need to do the same with the elk tags. More like $100 lower. Still won't go back until they do more about the wolves.
 
There is still a problem. They think it is about the economy and for the most part it is NOT! The fact is the guys that hunt have the money to hunt Idaho "if" the quality of hunting was here. I can't even begin to say how many guys I know that have said. I won't go hunting if I don't draw a good tag. For years I have bought a sportsman?s pack. Last year like all the other years I got a sportsman?s pack, and it had an elk tag in it. I never went elk hunting because I didn't get a good draw. Here in southern Id we don't have much for "open" hunts. If you don't archery hunt you have NO chance at a bull unless you are willing to travel. Add that to the low numbers of elk we have about anywhere in the state you can see that there is NO value here. There are a lot of guys like me that have shot a LOT of deer and elk saying that what we have here in Idaho now is not worth spending money on.
I don't think I am alone thinking that open hunts are not worth it now. I know that there are guys that go out and shoot deer and elk on open tags. I have been there and done that. Most are shooting dink bulls and little bucks but a decent buck or bull comes in once and a while. Shooting a good bull ?over 300 BC? or shooting a good buck ?over 160 BC? on an open hunt is like winning the lottery here in Idaho.
At 3.00 dollar a gallon plus gas I won't spend one tank of gas trying to shoot a spike bull or a two-point buck.
The hard-core truth is dropping the price of tags will not bring back hunters. Opportunity to hunt is not enough if there is NO game. Availability of game is the key. Without game hunting licenses and tags will go unused. The small game we start our kids hunting is in very short supply. Whether it is rabbits or chukar the small game numbers are dwindling. This year my son and I walked a total of 62 miles searching for chukars. We killed a total of ?7? chukar. I look back at chukar hunting just 4 years ago. We hunted every day we had the chance. We spent TONS of money on gas and everything that goes with hunting. We walked over 160 miles. We never hunted a covey more than once that year. I personally shot 163 chukar that year and my son at 12 years old got a bunch and that was his first year shooting. We NEVER once hunted the same covey twice. We NEVER flushed the same birds again after the first flush. The shear numbers of birds back then were amazing. I know weather has a lot to do with bird numbers. But this is just one more reason why license sales have dropped. Until we get hunt-able numbers of game of all types I don't see price reductions as being the golden ticket to tag sales. Ron
 
Last year I spent 6 days deer hunting in Idaho being a resident of Idaho with an OTC tag. The experience was very dismal. High number of hunters being forced into fewer and fewer general deer units. I know there are some units in Idaho in which a person can backpack in and still have a quality hunt in a general deer season and I may do that this year, but the easier access units need to be managed better. I think they need to look at having the whole state going to controlled hunts or maybe try choose your weapon. IDFG should try something for hell sakes to bring back a quality deer hunt in all units.
It amazes me that any non-residents come to this state to hunt deer when there are so many other states with better deer quality and deer numbers. They must not do their research.
 
I know they made some serious cash on the wolf tags, but IMO they should be damn near free. $186 for a nonres wolf tag is ridiculous...How about all the businesses that benefit from us nonres guys, food, gas, motels etc. States need to give these damn predator tags away so the deer and elk can rebound. The problem is IDFG gets all its funding from these licenses and tags. But if they thin out the preds more there will be more deer and elk tags sold.

HK
 
> Last
>year I spent 6 days
>deer hunting in Idaho being
>a resident of Idaho with
>an OTC tag. The experience
>was very dismal. High number
>of hunters being forced into
>fewer and fewer general deer
>units. I know there are
>some units in Idaho in
>which a person can backpack
>in and still have a
>quality hunt in a general
>deer season and I may
>do that this year, but
>the easier access units need
>to be managed better. I
>think they need to look
>at having the whole state
>going to controlled hunts or
>maybe try choose your weapon.
>IDFG should try something for
>hell sakes to bring back
>a quality deer hunt in
>all units.
> It
>amazes me that any non-residents
>come to this state to
>hunt deer when there are
>so many other states with
>better deer quality and deer
>numbers. They must not do
>their research.


Very good post! Ron
 
Idaho should have installed a point system years ago. I have never applied there. Why apply when you have to buy a Lic, and if you do not draw oh well and get nothing. If they had done a point system they would have a ton of revenue and return customers even if they raised prices. I do not agree with this at all but when you get sucked into the point game most people that gather points will not quit.
 
Points systems suck balls! The problem with point systems has been hashed out so many times that I won't elaborate.
 
I had a chance to review, with several others, the point system Idaho proposed a couple years back. Some of us crunched teh numbers and teh syestem would only give you a 5% better drawing odd on an average demad hunt. Until I can see proof that a point system will significantly help draw odds, I will be opposed to them.
 
whem your already taking work off, buring lots of gas to go out of state and maybe paying for a hotel the $40 makes no difference to people, i have seen a big drop in elk in the past 7 yrs of living here in ID. 2 yrs ago i hunted the same area that i have hunted the 5 previous yrs and did not see one elk. last yr went to a new area and did kill a 5 point bull with my bow but was lucky. if i was an out of stater i would do the same thing that i have started doing, buying points in WY and left over tags in WY.
thanks
the provider
 
I will have to disagree with Ron about the chuckers. I have seen more birds this year than ever before and I used to hunt birds a lot. As far as big game, a large majority of this state needs to be shut down to hunting completely for about 10 years, it is pitiful.
 
Well we are going to have to disagree. I can say for a fact we do NOT have record numbers of chukars not even friken close. Even the F&G counts at Brownlee prove that. While there might be good numers in small areas due to weather, record numbers over the state like we had 5 and 6 years ago is NOT there. NUMBERS back that up. Ron
 
I agree with the guys above that posted: it is about the product as much as the price. the quality and population numbers of the game we hunt keeps declining.
That having been said, states are having to deal with problems brought on by the federal government. Namely putting top end predators back into ecosystems that really did not need them. The old school view of wildlife management was we should manage wildlife for the benefit of people. We should be increasing hunter opportunities. Rural areas benefit big time from hunting dollars. But selfish federal land and wildlife managers could care less. They draw their pay checks no matter what.

----------------------------------------
Measure wealth by the things you have,, for which you would not take money.
 
They should let any hunter with a deer or elk tag take a WOLF on it just like you can take a Lion or a bear...
 
Wolves should be treated the same as coyotes. If you have a hunting license you shoud be able to shoot as many wolves as you can find.

We drew Montana last year and had a blast. We saw deer all day long. We all took decent bucks Montana has more deer and Antelope then they know what to do with. The ranchers were practically begging hunters to shoot deer. They were telling us the winter kills are huge on young deer and antelope we found countless sculls and bone piles. I love Idaho but until they get a handle on there tag prices and wolf problem we will be spending our money in other states.
 
I also hate the Canadian wolves being here, and as far as I'm concerned there should be a bounty on them and some of the sporting groups should get together to raise the bounties. If some group would do that I would be the first to donate. There is another problem in my view and that is us hunters. With todays modern equipment, especially range finders, it has made game alot easier for everyone to take at ever increasing distances with all weapons. However it is still the responsiblity of the game departments to guard against excess loss of numbers and quality. If it takes reducing opportunity to do it, then they need to do it!
 

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