Diminishing Opportunities as a Non-Resident

If one thing is certain in today’s hunting world, its change is constant.  Every year inflating costs, severe weather, regulation changes, and countless other things make it more and more difficult to secure hunting permits.  In many cases, hunters have given up the sport due to their inability to get tags.  You don’t have to be overly observant to see the lack of youth in today’s hunting landscape.  Unfortunately, this may be the end the tradition of hunting big game if we aren’t careful.  In this article I’ll try and describe changes I have seen in my lifetime, changes that are coming you need to be aware of, and opportunities that still exist in today’s world. 

When I started hunting deer in Utah in 1991, there were 200,000 general rifle hunters in the state.  We aren’t even half of that today.  Utah started its current point system in 1993.  Arizona and Colorado were shortly thereafter. Wyoming started in 2005 for deer, elk and antelope.  All of this has had a dramatic impact on the hunting world as we knew it.  For better or worse, we had to play the game if you wanted to hunt out of state.  In many of these states, I was able to get in early enough to secure some great tags.  Sadly, our new hunters will not be so fortunate due to the unforeseen point creep that ensued in every single state. 

Every one of the surrounding states has made changes to the non-resident tag allocations during this time period.  Several of these changes have been extremely impactful to those that started early in the game.  Arizona changed allocations from 20% to 10% for non-resident deer and elk tags.  I have one less than max points for deer and with this change it has subsequently doubled the amount of time required to be guaranteed a permit.  Wyoming has done the same thing on sheep and moose recently.  This has eliminated random tags in nearly every sheep unit and once again added countless additional years to draw.  They are threatening to do the same on deer, elk, and antelope. 

Idaho and New Mexico are the two states that resisted the norm and never instituted a point system.  New Mexico is a random draw for all hunts.  They have a guide draw that can substantially improve your odds but commits you to applying through an outfitter.  Idaho still offers over-the-counter deer and elk licenses.  However, they absurdly sell these permits in Dec the year prior.  In recent years, you have been required to log into their system and receive a random place in line.  Whether they like it or not, this has created a drawing for these permits.  The best permits are gone in the first hour.  Each of the last two years, I’ve had places in line greater than 35,000th in line and have not gotten a permit in Dec.  It does sound like changes are coming due to the enormous amounts of complaints and like it or not, it appears all non-resident tags will go to a drawing in the coming year. 

All is not doom and gloom.  Colorado is planning to revamp their drawing process in 2028.  They have used a preference point system since day one.  This system only gives tags to the applicant with the most points.  Their current plan is to change this to match what Utah does.  A percentage of tags will go to the highest point holders with the balance being drawn in a random manner.  This means that hunters without a large sum of points will now at least have a chance to draw some of the better tags in the state.  I’m guessing odds won’t be great but at least there’s a chance. It will also mean people like me, with a lot of points, will now only have half the tags available at the top point tier.  I’m greatly considering trying to burn my points before the change. 

Wyoming is also discussing a change to go to something like Nevada where bonus points are squared providing more random numbers for the applicant.  The lowest number is then used to dictate a successful drawing applicant.  In theory, the more points you have, the greater your chances are at pulling a low number. 

Every state has drastically raised its tag and license costs.  Especially on non-resident fees.  It’s sad but there are enough people still willing to pay to play that I don’t foresee prices ever coming back down.  Nearly every state currently requires an applicant to purchase a license prior to applying or to obtain a point.  Wyoming is the outlier where all of their preference points are purchased outside of the drawing process.  I have several friends, family, and colleagues that forget this fact and have missed a precious point.  Not sure if it was by design by Wyoming legislatures or not, but it is a bit ridiculous. 

So, with all of this going on, what do I do to still get tags?  I play the game each state offers to the best of my ability.  I build points, I play the odds, and I get my name in the hat in as many opportunities as possible.  If you are new to the game, learn all you can about states application/drawing processes as possible.  Figure out what you can afford and start getting your name in hats.  Pay attention to states that offer tags that have been returned to the general public.  Colorado, Nevada, and Idaho all have such systems.  In many instances, these tags are sold on a first come first serve basis. These programs are not a guarantee but every year amazing tags are sold in this manner. 

Many states offer landowner and conservation tags.  Many of these are out of the price range of the average joe, me included.  Like everything, the price of these permits has been adversely impacted from the supply and demand formula.  Not enough supply and outrages demand.  With that being said, and the price of applying for several decades taken into consideration, this maybe an option for people that don’t have points built. 

Another trend that is sweeping through the hunting world is raffle type tags.  It seems like daily I am seeing a new entity offering tickets to drawings at a price or for an incentive to increase membership.  In many cases, the tags being offered are the best of the best to increase the allure.  If you do the math for what these hunts cost and how many tickets are sold, you’ll quickly see why it is becoming so popular.  The old adage is true, someone has to win.  Since I am a Wana bee sheep hunter, this will probably be the only way I will ever hunt a stone sheep.  I occasionally buy tickets for some of these.  I try to stick to the groups that only sell limited numbers to at least lock in the drawing odds. 

One bright spot in all of this are the opportunities given to youth.  Nearly every state has special drawings, better odds, and cheaper prices offered to the youth.  Please take advantage of these opportunities to get your youth involved.  For a fraction of what it costs adults, kids under 18 can build points and draw tags to help get them excited and involved in the hunting world. 

It's hard to predict what the hunting world will be like in years to come.  Each fall is precious and should be treated so.  We never know when it will be the last one we get to enjoy.  Health, money, time, and diminishing opportunities are constant adversaries to being in the woods more.  Hopefully, this article has provided some insight into current trends and opportunities that still do exist for those looking to get out more.  Best of luck in pursuing your hunting dreams!