Lex Anteinternet: The 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session. The Legislat...

Lex Anteinternet: The 2023 Wyoming Legislative Session. The Legislat...: Senate Bill 60 failed, which read as follows:

SENATE FILE NO. SF0060

Nonresident hunting license application fees.

Sponsored by: Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Interim Committee

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to game and fish; modifying the provisions of elk, deer and antelope hunting licenses issued to nonresident applicants; increasing nonresident license fees to hunt elk, deer and antelope; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.  W.S. 23‑2‑101(f)(i) through (iii) is amended to read:

23‑2‑101.  Fees; restrictions; nonresident application fee; nonresident licenses; verification of residency required; donation of refunded application fees.

(f)  Forty percent (40%) of available nonresident elk licenses, forty percent (40%) of available nonresident deer licenses and forty percent (40%) of available nonresident antelope licenses for any one (1) calendar year shall as established by the commission, be offered to nonresident applicants upon receipt of the fee prescribed by this subsection.  Seventy‑five (75) of the nonresident deer licenses set aside pursuant to this subsection shall be used for a national bow hunt for deer. The licenses authorized by this subsection shall be offered by drawing to nonresident applicants prior to the drawing for the remaining nonresident licenses issued. The licenses offered under this subsection shall be issued in a manner prescribed by rules and regulations promulgated by the commission. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit any unsuccessful applicant for a nonresident license pursuant to this subsection from submitting an application for any licenses remaining after the drawing during the calendar year in which the application under this subsection was submitted. The following fees shall be collected by the department and are in addition to the nonresident license fee for the appropriate big game species imposed under subsection (j) of this section and the application fee imposed under subsection (e) of this section:

(i)  Nonresident elk license ...... $576.00 $1,258.00 in addition to the license fee imposed under paragraph (j)(xix) of this section;

(ii)  Nonresident deer license .... $288.00 $826.00 in addition to the license fee imposed under paragraph (j)(xv) of this section;

(iii)  Nonresident antelope license ..... $288.00 $874.00 in addition to the license fee imposed under paragraph (j)(xxxi) of this section.

Section 2.  This act is effective January 1, 2024.

As can be seen, it would have raised the price of out of state big game hunting licenses.

I would have been in favor of this because, as a subsistence hunter, I favor locals getting tags first and this would have sort of helped that, maybe.  I can also see the point of not pricing things to the rich playground level as well.