Non-resident hunter rate drops about 40 percent

Non-resident hunter rate drops about 40 percent

December 18, 2001

BY THE COLORADO DIVISION OF WILDLIFE

DENVER — Preliminary license sales reports indicate that nonresident, out-of-state hunter participation dropped by about 40 percent this season from last year. Colorado Division of Wildlife officials say the decline is most likely due to the rise in nonresident big game license fees.

"When the General Assembly raised the price on big game licenses for nonresidents, we expected a drop in participation of about 40 percent," said Steve Cassin, chief financial officer for the DOW. "So far, the numbers indicate we were right in our estimation."

Last year, an elk license cost out-of-state hunters $250. This year, the price rose to $450. Deer licenses went from $150 to $270.

The Division supported the hike in fees because financial projections indicated that there would need to be dramatic cuts in the agency’s programs and services within the next five years without such an increase, said Cassin. In addition, Colorado’s nonresident big game license fees were way below average for western states.

"The low fees caused nonresidents to come to Colorado in droves, exacerbating the growing problem during hunting season," Cassin said.

But overcrowding was not an issue this year.

End-of-November sales reports show that about 60,000 nonresidents bought elk hunting licenses, compared with about 100,000 licenses sold by the same time last year. Fewer deer licenses were also sold. November sales reports indicate a 30 percent drop in nonresident deer license sales from about 30,000 in 2000 to 20,000 by the same time this year. Total license sales for the 2001 hunting seasons will be calculated in May.

The drop in nonresident participation has not affected overall hunting revenue, said Cassin. In fact, by the end of the second rifle season, hunting revenues were up by about $3 million from the same time last year, totaling $34.7 million. Sales from hunting and fishing licenses bring in about $55 million for the Division each year, representing about two-thirds of the agency’s total revenue.

Besides the hike in fees, recent national events may have played a part in the decline in hunter participation, say wildlife officials.

"Sept. 11th was on everyone’s minds," Cassin said. "Also, general economic conditions weren’t too favorable. We will probably continue to see the effects of these conditions next year, since most people plan their hunting trips one year in advance."

"The events that took place in New York City put a damper on the hunting scene," said John Ellenberger, big game coordinator for the DOW. "People were more concerned with what was going on with the country and the economy."

One significant effect of the lack of hunters is the impact on elk populations. Fewer hunters coupled with unfavorable weather resulted in a low elk harvest this year. In 2000, hunters took 60,120 elk.

This year, the harvest is expected to drop to about 40,000 animals, said Ellenberger.

In an effort to reach elk population objectives, Division officials are considering lowering the price of nonresident cow elk licenses back to $250 for the 2002 seasons to encourage nonresidents to hunt cows instead of bull elk.

As for resident participation, about the same number of Coloradoans joined this year’s hunt as in 2000. As of the end of November, license agents reported 300,035 big game resident licenses sold as compared to 300,709 during the same time last year.