Hunting Outfitter in WYOMING

[CoElkHunter]

Let's see.....pronghorn, Mule deer, Elk. Over 3k in licenses IF you can get them.

Kudu, Gemsbok, Eland. Not impossible to get all 3 in a weeks time if you work at it.

Wyoming legislators......epic fail.

It's not just Wyoming. The NR fees keep increasing throughout the Rocky Mtn. states albeit at a slower pace, but they're forcing an ever increasing number of hunters to reconsider a hunt there.

 

[375er]

As I said earlier in this thread, a case study in how to put yourself out-of-buisness.

 

[TKessel]

I’m a resident / outfitter in Wy. Non residents account for nearly 70% of our Game and Fish funding.
I have had residents come up to me and say I didn’t draw my elk license because of your non resident hunter drew it.
Non resident hunters are keeping resident hunters license costs low, that will change and the bitching will start.

 

[375er]

I’m a resident / outfitter in Wy. Non residents account for nearly 70% of our Game and Fish funding.
I have had residents come up to me and say I didn’t draw my elk license because of your non resident hunter drew it.
Non resident hunters are keeping resident hunters license costs low, that will change and the bitching will start.

The money will come from somewhere or ultimately the wildlife and the land will suffer.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I believe 35% of deer, pronghorn and elk tags here go to NR hunters in GMU with less than 6 PP. If 6 or more PP, the NR hunters get 20% of the tags. Fair system as far as the PP go, but the NR license fees are still outrageous IMHO.

 

[CoElkHunter]

The money will come from somewhere or ultimately the wildlife and the land will suffer.

Fewer hunters, the less the small towns who rely on the hunters' dollars will receive. The state Governments don't seem to grasp that.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

Hello EVERYONE! I have just a couple points in Wyoming for 3 different species, looking at booking a hunt in 2023 or 2024.
Wyoming points now. I currently have 2 Antelope, 1 Deer, and 3 Elk Preference Points. Looking at Elk or elk and another one. I'm In Indiana, so I want to make the trip worth it.

Does anyone have recommendations for an outfitter in the mountains in Wyoming? I went a hour NW of Casper before, for Mule deer, shot a decent buck. It was mainly sage and a few trees. Looking for more of a Forest, Mountain hunt. I find it so hard to just start looking and finding a decent outfitter. Also, my last outfitter was kind of lazy, I had a young guide, and they just wanted to drive in the 4X4 most of the time. I would rather do some walking.
Thanks in advance!
Eric VD

Contact JR Hunting. Based in Wyoming he delivers a great service!

 

[TKessel]

Fewer hunters, the less the small towns who rely on the hunters' dollars will receive. The state Governments don't seem to grasp that.

True!
Wyoming also started requiring outfitters to charge meal & lodging tax the past couple of years. Less hunters and a decrease in game with definitely hurt the state in more ways than they realize.

 

[LivingTheDream]

I’m a resident / outfitter in Wy. Non residents account for nearly 70% of our Game and Fish funding.
I have had residents come up to me and say I didn’t draw my elk license because of your non resident hunter drew it.
Non resident hunters are keeping resident hunters license costs low, that will change and the bitching will start.

Man you are in a tough spot from a business perspective. I imagine less tags will also make it harder to get repeat clients since it will make it harder to draw every year.

I also think as tags get harder to draw expectations start to build, since some hunts might be considered once in a lifetime.

 

[TERMINATOR]

Wyoming just said FU to NR hunters

Huge price increases for the NR Special Tags

Google “Cowboy State Daily Price of going hunting

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

 

[375er]

Huh?

 

[TERMINATOR]

Huh?

Huge jump in NR Special License Fees starting in 2024....trying we weed out the Riff Raff in th NR Special Pool to insure the outfitters clients get drawn. The definition of "Riff Raff" in Wyoming is "a NR hunter that doesn't use a outfitter". A DIY NR hunter is barely better than vermin.

Gonna be crazy this year as people try to burn points this fall to beat the fee increase coming in 2024....and at the same time I expect Wyoming to cut tags in a big way, especially on the antelope and mule deer as they just had the winter of the century this winter.. Point creep will probably be huge this year with people trying to burn points and the WG&F cutting tags.

Then in 2024 I think the NR Special Tag point requirement will be dropping big when the fees get stupid high (like just short of $2K for a elk tag, $1500 for a deer tag) but the regular pool will stay high as more people get pushed into the NR Regular Draw out of the NR Special Draw

And all of this with the shadow of NR tag cuts in general in discussion. Wyoming is doing their best to cut off their nose despite their face with the outfitters and resident hunters trying to drive out the NR DIY guys. Those people spend a lot of money in hotels, restaurants, bars, gas stations etc. In fact, they Wyoming Tourism Council was pushing for the status quo...cuz they know where THEIR $$$ comes from. But the Wyoming Guides and Outfitters Association was focused on getting tags for their hunters at the expense of the mom and pop places that the NR DIY guys spend their money on. If you are hunting with a outfitter you are staying at their lodge or their outfitter tents...not in a motel and eating in restaurants

 

[LivingTheDream]

What a weird video...pretty much interviewing himself. Would be nice if they talked about winter kill and the possible impact that is having on the animals and available tags.

 

[Siennacoyote]

Wyoming is getting ready to change up their preference point system and the non-resident hunters who have been buying points are getting the short end of the deal. I have 21 moose and sheep points and still just a little short to draw.

I have done two antelope hunts with SNS Outfitters and they were top notch hunts. However, I am not sure I'd book another hunt with them. For my last hunt, I booked it in Sept 2021 for a Sept 2022 hunt. Three months after booking the hunt and paying the deposit, I received a letter telling me the price was being increased by $100 due to inflation. That didn't set too well with me.

You might contact Bruce (@gillettehunter ) as he is a resident in Wyoming and can help point you in the right direction.

I’d cancel the hunt. That’s not right

 

[TERMINATOR]

What a weird video...pretty much interviewing himself. Would be nice if they talked about winter kill and the possible impact that is having on the animals and available tags.

Sy is all about Sy....

Huge outfitting business...massive client base....

He was on the Wyoming Wildlife Task Force and making sure the outfitters got what the outfitters want...high success for their clients to draw tags. But they may find out that even the people that use outfitters have a limit of how much they will spend for tags and will find out they are killing the Golden Goose.

The real losers are NR hunters that want to DIY hunt in Wyoming.

 

[375er]

Huge jump in NR Special License Fees starting in 2024....trying we weed out the NR Special Pool to insure the outfitters clients get drawn

Gonna be crazy this year as people try to burn points to be the fee increase this fall....and at the same time I expect Wyoming to cut tags in a big way, especially on the antelope and mule deer as they had the winter of the century this winter.. Point creep will probably be huge this year with people trying to burn points and the WG&F cutting tags.

Then in 2024 I think the NR Special Tag point requirement will be dropping big when the fees get stupid hight.(like just short of $2K for a elk tag, $1500 for a deer tag) but the regular pool will stay high as more people get pushed into the NR Regular Draw out of the NR Special Draw

And all of this with the shadow of NR tag cuts in general in discussion. Wyoming is doing their best to cut off their nose despite their face.

"I bless the rains down in Africa............"

 

[Siennacoyote]

I have 12 elk points in Wyo but the outfitters I like are all between 10-15k so I’m seriously considering a self guided trip instead of my dream to do it on horses and mules with a quality outfitter. I would rather spend that kind of money in Africa!

But you can eat the elk. That’s a positive

 

[Siennacoyote]

A friend and I have been talking about planning g an antelope hunt in the next few years . With a tag fee that high there are other things I’d rather spend the money on.

 

[TERMINATOR]

A friend and I have been talking about planning g an antelope hunt in the next few years . With a tag fee that high there are other things I’d rather spend the money on.

Don't forget that the NR Regular Tag Fee is not going up. But what this will do is force more of the DIY guys to gang pile into the NR Regular Draw pool....thus significantly lowering your chance of drawing a tag and jumping the point creep in that pool. That was the entire purpose of the increases in the NR Special Tag fees. It had become obvious that the current differential in price was not enough to dissuade the Riff Raff (NR DIY Guys) from putting into the Special Draw. Most people (myself included) were like "Well, I am saving thousands by going DIY so I can afford to splurge on the tag itself"

Sy and the outfitters figured that the people paying for guided hunts will grumble a little but will still pay the new insane NR Special Tag fees but that fewer DIY guys will. They are purposing pushing the DIY hunters out of the Special pool. That was 100% the intent.

And to be clear....I watched every minute of every meeting of the Wyoming Wildlife Task Force via teleconference and saw the discussions and attitudes of the people involved.

I watched the dynamics play out among the various special interest groups on the task force play out for two years