Hey Randy, thanks for the video. I am a hunting industry professional and live in the Northern corner of UT (Logan), very close to both ID and WY. I had UT and WY deer tags this year and can attest to the extreme winter loss of deer and antelope, and in some areas even elk. I believe that the buck deer loss was significantly higher than what the Wildlife divisions in all three states have admitted to. In WY canyons where for 3 years in a row we would see 20 bucks in a day with half of them being 3-1/2 or older, this year we found maybe two or 3 bucks in the entire canyon, with NONE of them being older than 4-1/2. I spent 9 days archery hunting and 5 days during the rifle season in Region G of WY and saw a total of 26 bucks with only 2 being of an age class over 3-1/2 years old. My 2 cohorts (one a resident in that unit) combined saw 4 mature deer the entire season (Sept 1 archery through Oct rifle season) and we all ate tags. In Utah I left my tag at home and took my daughter up looking for her first buck, and we never saw an antlered animal in several days during the rifle hunt. I believe it will take WY/S.E. Idaho and N. East Utah 5 years with better than good winter conditions, and good wet summers, for the deer herds here to even begin to heal. It wouldn't surprise me if it were closer to that decade mark before that tri-state region shows any kind of recovery. The divisions should have closed hunting in select units of those areas to all deer hunting in 2023 and possibly 2024.

Thanks for the info Randy I have points collecting in Wyoming for elk and pronghorn that was not good news to hear the cost increases, I can swing it but man they sure are making this a rich man's sport that's unfortunate !!

Good stuff - thank you. Being a resident in CO I have seen the results of last years harsh winter and this years LATE start to winter. Thanks again - good information at the right time.

Damn Randy this is some of your most high value content LOVE TO SEE IT.

I sensed Colorado making big changes, they’ve surveyed me asking very specific elk vs hunter density questions almost every year the last 3 years. I gave them honest answers though….there’s more orange hats in that unit than Walmart has in stock 😅

thanks Randy for all the information and tips you provide!!

Midwest born hunter here who has dreams of moving out West eventually. I feel like I was born in the wrong time. Balling on a budget, building points in WY & CO for the past few years since graduating college, bought my Dad his first point for elk, deer & pronghorn in WY for my Dad's 61st birthday, this type of info REALLY hurts to hear as I can only dream of escaping these small pieces of whitetail woods for mountain hunts. Really hoping mother nature plays nice with the wildlife for years to come. Had an absolute blast on my first western hunt this past spring hunting bear in Idaho. Didn't get to take one home with me but I'm absolutely hooked on hunting out there. Id rather die with memories than money but the cost of these tags are getting insane. I plan to hunt as time goes on, pending being able to draw tags, but who knows if I'll ever be able to retire lol. Send all the positive energy this WI boys way for getting a good spot in line come December 1st. Thanks for the info, Randy!

hey randy. would you guys make a video. for a First time moose or caribou hunter. in alaska. from gear to just how to go about it doing it. And if it's better to get a guide. if you don't have or know somone to go with. and you're just on your own. thanks love the videos.

Thanx

Silver Wolf! Randy Newberg!

Getting Idaho tags has turned into a circus!! Not to mention, resident hunters hate nonresident hunters!! I’ve found notes on truck saying go back where you’re from, when parked a trailheads. Others have had their trucks vandalized.

Can we get a video on getting meat / antlers back home if you fly to hunt…

This really sucks for most of us who really want to just get a hunt anywhere. Definitely sucks for new hunters.

Best of luck. I’ll stick to my resident Wyoming bear, antelope, deer and elk.

One of the main ticket items you missed for Idaho - If you go in person to any in state, more specially Idaho f&g themselves, you stand a 90% better chance of getting a tag as a non resident then waiting in the online line.

Is that 1200 for general rifle tag for deer and pronghorn? Or is that for the special draw?

Great content. I burned my Wyoming points last year and i'm officially out of the game.

Big game populations in Wyoming took a tremendous hit during last years winter. This winter is supposed to be just as bad sadly.

The outlook for nonresident Western diy hunting is trending in a bad direction. Between worsening draw odds, greater numbers of applicants, price increases, potential reductions in NR tag allocations, and lobbying by outfitter associations, it's not a positive outlook. Rarely are any updates Randy provides to any states annual application videos positive ones. They almost always skew negatively to impact NRs and tags are simply getting harder and more expensive every year

I hunted OTC CO for the first time this year and everyone I met it was their first time also. CO is using OTC as a cash grab and nothing more. Why would you be so conservative in some units then allow ever to get get killed in the next unit. Makes zero since to me.

Well.. I'm not burning 4-5 points for Wyoming deer if it won't be good (possibly) for 3-4 years.

Guess I need to just give up the dream of ever hunting an elk. No way I’m paying that much I might as well buy a dang beef cow.

1200$ for a SPEED GOAT?!!? They must be smoking

What ethnicity is Randy’s adam’s apple?

We need an OTC overhaul for elk here in colorado. Way too many out of state hunters and not enough elk to go around. Unlimited elk tags for 2nd and 3rd season is insanity. Sorry, but the numbers dont support the tag allocations and sales

I have mice in my house and live in overpriced Colorado. Do I need a tag for the mice ? Because apparently everything needs a tag nowadays

It’s ironic that these price hikes and decrease in tag allocations are in part due to media companies such as yours and many others increasing the demand for a finite resource. On the other hand your shooting yourselves in the foot. If everyone is using these paid strategies to increase drawing odds don’t you think that’s going to create a conflict of interest for all non resident hunters? I respect the grind to scratch out a living in the outdoor space but something has got to give. The last few years in the field have ridiculous.

Special draw Wyoming elk tag costs as much as sheep tags! Holy smokes!

How do you already know you will be hunting Arizona?

So here in wonderful Colorado, i was recently told by a DNR employee that the state is going to a straight 75/25 tag allocation across the board. 25% given to non residents in 2025. So there goes the points too. Fewer tags for those of us who live here and more money for the wonderful folks who make the rules. The complete opposite of WY. If we could adopt WY regulations, tag allocations and price hikes for non residents, I'd live here forever! But nope. It's hard enough to draw a decent elk tag each year and good luck trying to get a buck tag as it is already. Time to move to MT!

I don’t mean this to be rude at all but all the NR who don’t live in the west, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I live here and can’t get a rifle deer tag in my chosen general unit more than every 3rd or 4th year. The general elk hunts a shit show for me just as much as you. If I didn’t live here I would in no way pay to deal with the public land shit show it’s become. Save your cash. Buy a private hunt every 3-4 years close to home and you will have way more fun.

This is so far out of my means of living that it doesn’t even make sense for me to apply.

I’ll trade some East Texas crappie fishing trips for a hunt 😎

Randy, I have 13 elk points in Wyoming. I now have developed a physical condition that restricts me from hunting. Can I have my points transferred to someone I know? Thanks

The Wyoming Fish and Game is a straight joke... Given the fact, that 70% of the annual fees and revenue comes from NR hunters... they reduced the tags and then increased the prices!! How many guys do u think can afford $2,000 for an Elk tag? This is meant to drive out the NR hunters. Then we'll see what happens when the resident hunter has to offset the loss of NR dollars.... I have 23 points for Sheep and Moose and 12 points for Elk. Once those tags are drawn. I'll stop donating to a state that doesn't want me there. Wyoming wants my money from buying bonus points and application fees every year but makes it more difficult to actually hunt there.

Wow well bye bye wyoming to much for a working man sad

randyyyyyyy u beast

First

You make a few bucks off of our public land resources and the rest of us deal with slowly losing hunting. You media company’s will be the death of general season hunting. This is an unnecessary video. Hunting is expected to be an app, let people Figure it out for themselves

It's the worst system I've ever seen I'm done with Idaho it's a joke

I wanted to thumbs down the video purely around the information. I know that it is not the case, but it feels like an anti-hunting movement has infiltrated these state fish and game departments. Every year since 2010 seems to be getting progressively worse for tags, especially ones that an everyday person can afford. For these “content creators” in the hunting industry, tags certainly do not seem to be an issue. Disheartening as we rely on the meat, but it’s difficult to get due to the pursuit of trophies.

It’s ironic that nearly every western state had leftover tags available, some all the way into hunting season , before all the KZfaqrs came along