Holy crap wyoming!!

[Fink]

In missouri we have a sales tax that goes to our game and fish dept. I think it's like 1/8 of a cent. It helps out a lot with operating cost.

I'd vote to repeal our 1/8th cent sales tax right now, if given the opportunity.

[Colorado Cowboy]

The problem with most G & F entities is that their mission has changed over the years. They now manage almost all the "natural resources" ( I use that term knowning they don't get involved much in minerals/oil) versus just the fish & game like 50 to 100 years ago. They do this for the most part with hunters and fishermans $$$. Managing nongame and fish costs lots of money too. Somehow the general population has to contribute to this mandate. Too many times the treehuggers (Sierra Club, Earthfirst, etc) have gone to court and forced the inclusion of lots of things that were never envisioned as part of the G & F dept's mission. Who pays for this.....why the hunters and fisherman of course!!!

[Doe Nob]

Wyoming's Game and Fish is by law damn near completely funded by fishing and hunting tag sales revenues.

So...going back to your earlier comments....In WY as a non-resident when i visit I pay taxes on whatever I buy. My property taxes go to pay for school, trash, sewer etc, things I use by living at my house. If its true WY G&F isn't recieving tax funds from residents other than tag sales, that argument kind of goes out the window and NR should be afforded more consideration for funding a major portion of the G& F budget. Particularly on lands owned by the Federal Government and maintained by any non-state agency. Is that going to happen, no - but that attitude of "Well move here then" is BS, residents are paying a lot less - bottom line.

[Chippy Hacky]

I would like to see some ideas of taking fish/wildlife management private. Maybe let the Mule Deer Foundation take over Mule Deer management and the Elk Foundation take over Elk management. Have elected or appointed public officials "oversee" the operation and let them come up with new ideas. Not saying that those two entities would be the ones, just throwing their names out there as an idea.

No matter what you do there is soo much government waste. Being in the fire service in high rank prior to starting my own business, I have seen lots of waste. The funny thing is that the waste is all justified but when you have people who know nothing other than spending someone else's money they have blinders on. Public entities must create and devise busy work in order to justify their funding. Let's face it, not to many public entities are willing to give up their funding and slit their own throat, even if it is in the best interest of wildlife. What happens is that some other public entity picks up your funding because they created something (busy work) to do with your funding.

I think that private entities could be more flexible, more efficient and have the ability to bring in more volunteers and keep costs way, way down. It could be done in one mountain range, for example or one part of a state, just kind of a test.

Unfortunately it won't happen though.

[SouthernWyo]

Doe Nob, you pay taxes here whenever you visit, we pay them all year, big difference. If you don't want to pay any sales tax in Wyoming, the choice is pretty simple, don't make the trip up here. No one is holding a gun to your head.

FYI, Residents pay less individually, but finance a larger portion of the WGFD budget collectively. The argument about land ownership has no bearing on financing wildlife management, which is a state responsibility. That argument holds no water and has been beaten to death.

Chippy, with all due respect, privatized management of the state's wildlife is quite possibly the worst possible suggestion that I have ever heard. Take a look into the North American model of wildlife management...

[Edelweiss]

So...going back to your earlier comments....In WY as a non-resident when i visit I pay taxes on whatever I buy. My property taxes go to pay for school, trash, sewer etc, things I use by living at my house. If its true WY G&F isn't recieving tax funds from residents other than tag sales, that argument kind of goes out the window and NR should be afforded more consideration for funding a major portion of the G& F budget. Particularly on lands owned by the Federal Government and maintained by any non-state agency. Is that going to happen, no - but that attitude of "Well move here then" is BS, residents are paying a lot less - bottom line.

Ok, so you think it's BS. Then move to Wyoming and register to vote, so you can vote for politicians that will cripple the Fish and Game by not charging non-residents 10 times as much.

[Edelweiss]

I would like to see some ideas of taking fish/wildlife management private. Maybe let the Mule Deer Foundation take over Mule Deer management and the Elk Foundation take over Elk management. Have elected or appointed public officials "oversee" the operation and let them come up with new ideas. Not saying that those two entities would be the ones, just throwing their names out there as an idea.

No matter what you do there is soo much government waste. Being in the fire service in high rank prior to starting my own business, I have seen lots of waste. The funny thing is that the waste is all justified but when you have people who know nothing other than spending someone else's money they have blinders on. Public entities must create and devise busy work in order to justify their funding. Let's face it, not to many public entities are willing to give up their funding and slit their own throat, even if it is in the best interest of wildlife. What happens is that some other public entity picks up your funding because they created something (busy work) to do with your funding.

I think that private entities could be more flexible, more efficient and have the ability to bring in more volunteers and keep costs way, way down. It could be done in one mountain range, for example or one part of a state, just kind of a test.

Unfortunately it won't happen though.

If you want a good example of privatisied wildlife enterprises go to Europe. Germany has 350,000 hunters in an area the size of Montana. Montana has 350,000 resident hunters, and aout 175,000 non-resident hunters. Under the Germany system, public hunting land is leased to a hunter for 5 years, at about $3500 per square mile per year. Because of the abundance of roe deer and wild boar, this is usually a cost shared by 3 to 4 hunters, who have to shoot about 30-40 roe deer per year and hopefully the same number of pigs. Areas that have red stags are usually 4 square miles and $10,000 per year, and those that have chamois and ibex are usually $100,000 per year and 12 square miles. The trees are leased by a forester and the farm land is leased by a farmer, and anyone can hike on it, but not camp.

Texas and South Africa are bad examples of privatised wildlife management. Not that you don't have anywildlife, but only those with access to the land can hunt it.

[Grizz]

Doe Nob,
This is an interesting thread. Non-residents bitching about tag prices in a state they do not live in? The answer is simple... if you don't like it, don't visit. I doubt we will miss you.

[Colorado Cowboy]

Be careful what you wish for! If there were no NR's to pay the bills of the G & F Dept, the residents probably couldn't afford the tags. Talk about a rich man's sport!!!

[Edelweiss]

I am not a Wyoming resident either, but I grew up there most of my life and am probably moving back next year.