Letter: Hunter blames senator for lack of tags

Dear Editor

Under a bill that went before the State Senate in February, an additional 3,000+ Wyoming resident hunters would have drawn an antelope tag this year. 

But, the bill, Senate File 94, failed on introduction. In fact, just one state senator, Larry Hicks of Carbon County, voted to introduce it.

Sweetwater County (District 12) Senator, Liisa Anselmi-Dalton co-sponsored the bill, but then at vote time, she switched sides and voted against introduction!

When it counted, Sen. Anselmi-Dalton sided with the greedy outfitters and entitled nonresident hunters over the Sweetwater County resident hunters she represents! 

Wyoming is by far the most liberal western state when it comes to nonresident hunter tag allocation. We currently give 25% of our bighorn sheep and mountain goat tags, 20% of our moose and antelope tags, and 16% of our limited quota bull elk tags to nonresidents. Arizona, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado all limit nonresidents to 10% or less for these big game tags. 

SF94 would have changed Wyoming’s tag allocation to match Montana’s “90/10 Plus” allocation - where 90% of limited quota big game tags go to resident hunters and 10% to nonresidents. 

If SF94 passed, Wyoming resident hunters would have received 3,665 more coveted tags in 2019 (2020 numbers aren’t out yet):

34 more Bighorn Sheep Tags

44 more Moose Tags

14 more Mountain Goat Tags

622 more Limited Quota, Type 1 & Type 9, Elk Tags

3,011 more Limited Quota, Type 1, Antelope Tags

24 more Bison Tags

We’re not beat yet. Over a thousand Wyoming Resident hunters are working with Senator Hicks and others to get another 90/10 Plus bill introduced in 2021.

Want to help? Vote for John Kolb over Anselmi-Dalton in the Nov. 3 general election. 

Mr. Kolb, the Republican candidate opposing Anselmi-Dalton, has promised to support 90/10 tag allocation for Wyoming resident hunters and to co-sponsor the 2021 bill making the change. Unlike Anselmi-Dalton, John Kolb is putting Wyoming residents first.

Next, go to 307hunter.com and sign up. I’m a fifth generation Wyomingite who also didn’t draw an antelope tag this year, and we need your help getting this changed.

Rob Shaul

Hoback

 

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