Apps down (a little)
Money collected up (a lot)
Our biggest increase last year was the big 3 as they didn't have to front the cost of the license to apply, only a $3 app fee. This year there's a $50/$100 pp fee. Our overall apps will be down compared to last year. Deer/elk/antelope will probably remain essentially the same.
There was a 14.3% increase in Deer apps from 2017 to 2018. 3.7% increase from 2016 to 2017
Me and all my buddies have already discussed we are using the points we got and simply not applying again unless we are guaranteed to draw with a couple points or less. Too expensive to mess with the current system anymore. I've got WAY better things to do with my money than blow $300-$500 a year on preference points and applications in several states. Like actually putting that money towards a real hunt every year! Furthermore we see the writing on the wall. States just keep increasing there fees and apps and preference point cost. The inflation never ends and when it takes 10-20 years to draw a tag at some point you just say "F it, never again".
I'm only 40 so I'm on the young end of the hunting spectrum. The average age of most hunters is 50+, and it continues to age. Lots of hunters are old enough and at a point in their life they have expendable money and "nothing to lose" by continuing to apply for these hunts they honestly may never actually get to participate in. Once those baby boomers die off who will be applying for these points? Not me, and I sure as heck don't see the millennials spending $100 or more a year to simply buy points. (the few that actually hunt, cuz there ain't many)
I honestly believe in my lifetime I will see the point system completely collapse or at the very least the required number of points to draw significantly decrease as simply thru attrition as many of the hunters will either die or simply lose interest in applying do to old age.
I certainly understand your frustration, but I would encourage you to think 'longer term', especially if you like/want to hunt Colorado, and even other states.
Its true that in the coming years, the first wave of 'baby boomers' are not going to be in the mix anymore. And game departments are already communicating that the interest of the younger generation is low.
That means in the next 10 - 20yrs, guys like you can have some really good tags, but only if you keep applying for PPs and stay the game.
But hey, its your time and money.
What is it? Like 10 years without an application before I lose my points?
And man oh man am I glad I got all those bighorn points when I did!! Got 9 weighted points there. That’s $1200 worth of points in today’s market. Too bad I can’t sell them on eBay for half that. LOL.
Hoping to draw mulie tags next year. Got 12 points there. I’ll be out of that if I do. One and done I ain’t spending over $1,000 on points to shoot a dad gum deer. I just can’t justify that. Some people can and that’s cool I won’t begrudge them in anyway for it. But it’s not for me anymore.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying I won’t hunt mulies again. I just refuse to chase after a hunt that’s gonna take several years to draw. Cuz I’ve become witness to where that leads!!!
One thing I've noticed is that most of the younger generation of hunters I do know do not really talk about the cost of resident tags and are extremely committed to hunting. Its just what you have to do if you want to hunt.
Very few "casual" young hunters compared to when I was growing up. Deer camp was mostly guys who came out for a couple of days more as a way to get away than really committed to deer hunting. I only really know of one guy my age like that. Also just realized I'm dang near out of that 25-40 bracket. Yikes.
Wife and I just got drawn for the Bosque del Oso hunt with the price increase to $150 for a tag this year and the new $9 application fee times 7 points to get drawn I highly doubt we will be doing that again!
I agree the younger generation is a different breed of hunter. They don't seem to complain about tag prices BUT at the same time they don't seem to travel out of state to hunt much either. They like that "locavore" trend going around. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but that doesn't help states such as Colorado that desperately need the NR's money to keep their wildlife department afloat.
Lets rephrase that to "..... keep their PARKS department afloat"
2017: 550K
2018: 698K
2019: 590K
The increase in moose, sheep, and goat applications from 2017 to 2018 totaled 80,613 (including desert sheep). My prediction is that a large portion of the 108K application drop this year will be seen in moose, sheep, and goat. I guess we will find out soon enough.
I know two young family men who dropped out because they just couldn't justify spending $100 every year for who knows how long just to get a chance at drawing a $700 tag. I suspect they aren't alone and that Colorado has probably lost much of the NRs in the 30 to 40 year old age group.
On the other hand, I typically only put in for elk but actually put in for preference points for deer and antelope since they were only $9 for each additional species. I wonder how many folks that normally would have just put in for deer or bear or antelope took the same approach and went ahead and got an elk pp because it was only $9 more.
