In 2015 hunters and fishermen injected $27.6 million into the local economy in Carbon County alone with $19.9 million coming from hunters. If you take the USFWS National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation from 2011 and adjust it to 2015 dollars, the average spent by residents was $90.91 per day, and the average spent per day by non-residents was $579.82. So, if a non-resident came here for one week, a resident would have to spend over six weeks hunting to bring the same amount to the table. Then there is the issue of just the license fees. According to the Wyoming Game and Fish, currently (2018-2019) non-residents get 20 per cent of the hunting licenses, but they also account for 80% of the total license fee funding.
SF 0094 also known as the 90/10 bill was a bill introduced this year to allocate 10% of licenses to non-residents, and 90 percent of licenses to residents. The bill would have potentially raised some non-resident license fees by as much as 47%. The bill was soundly defeated upon introduction and got nowhere. Leading the opposition was the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association. I hate to think what would happen if a couple of hundred outfitters had to close their doors. The WYOGA had unwavering support in opposing the bill from goHunt, Wyoming Stock Growers, Wyoming Business Alliance, Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association, and the Wyoming Wildlife Federation. I am one of the many resident hunters who also opposed the bill.
SF 0094 also known as the 90/10 bill was a bill introduced this year to allocate 10% of licenses to non-residents, and 90 percent of licenses to residents. The bill would have potentially raised some non-resident license fees by as much as 47%. The bill was soundly defeated upon introduction and got nowhere. Leading the opposition was the Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association. I hate to think what would happen if a couple of hundred outfitters had to close their doors. The WYOGA had unwavering support in opposing the bill from goHunt, Wyoming Stock Growers, Wyoming Business Alliance, Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association, and the Wyoming Wildlife Federation. I am one of the many resident hunters who also opposed the bill.
