A proposal to allow landowners to put their hunting tags up for sale could essentially make hunting in Wyoming the sport of kings, opponents of the measure say.
If Senate File 118 is passed into law, it would amount to “nothing more than the exploitation and monetization of our wildlife resources, the ‘King's deer’ if you will, to generate a revenue source,” Josh Coursey, the president and CEO of the Muley Fanatic Foundation, told Cowboy State Daily.
However, allowing landowners more discretion in how they transfer those tags to other people would be a just reward for their contributions to wildlife conservation, an agricultural spokesman said.
Even so, the details of SF 118 remain up for debate, Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, told Cowboy State Daily.
The controversy over landowner tags is nothing new, he added.
“It’s been a hot button issue for 40 years, that I can remember,” Maganga said.
One of the sticking points in the debate is whether the tags could be made available to out-of-staters, outside a landowner’s immediate family.
“Nonresidents, that’s always been the issue,” Maganga said.
What Are Landowner Tags?
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s landowner tag program allows qualifying property owners to apply for two hunting tags for each of certain huntable species. Those species include elk, deer, antelope and wild turkeys.
To qualify for tags, landowners must own at least 160 contiguous acres in a draw-only hunt area for each species being applied for, according to Game and Fish regulations.
If general hunting tags – which may be purchased over-the-counter – are valid in that area, the property owner can’t apply for landowner tags.
The land must also provide food, cover and water for the species being applied for. And it must provide at least 2,000 days of use each year for the species the landowner is applying for.
What that means, for instance, is if 10 deer occupy the land for at least 200 days a year, that counts as 2,000 days of use.
Or, likewise, if 500 elk are on that land for four days a year, again, that would also count as 2,000 days.
Under current regulations, the landowner may not put their tags up for sale. But the tags can be issued to immediate family members.
The regulations define “immediate family members” as the landowner’s parents, grandparents, lineal descendants and their spouses, or the landowner’s siblings.
SF 118 would change the regulations, allowing landowners to put their tags up for sale, so long as those tags haven’t already been issued to a family member.
Undermining The North American Model?
Allowing landowners to sell their tags would undermine the foundations of hunting as Americans know it – a coalition of hunting and conservation groups claim in a statement.
“Not only does this bill (SF 118) violate the first pillar of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, but it creates a system that removes opportunity from Wyoming hunters and allocates tags to the highest bidder. Wyoming wildlife belongs to all and is held in public trust. This bill will monetize and privatize our public wildlife by handing over resident opportunities to the wealthy few who can afford it. This is not the Wyoming way,” according to the groups’ statement.
The statement was issued by representatives of Wyoming Wildlife Federation, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Wyoming Chapter Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, National Wildlife Federation, Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation, Game Wardens Association, American Bear Foundation, Bowhunters of Wyoming, HOWL for Wildlife and the Muley Fanatic Foundation.
The North American Model of Wildlife Management, a system of policies and laws aimed at conservation, is hailed for saving numerous species of animals from being wiped out after completely unregulated slaughter up through about the late 1800s.
Free-for-all killing of wildlife, often for commercial gain, was replaced by regulated, licensed hunting, overseen by agencies such as Game and Fish.
Historically in Europe, wildlife was regarded as the property of royalty and aristocrats, hence, terms like “the king’s deer.”
The North American model rejected that approach, and instead regards wildlife as a public trust – for the enjoyment and benefit of all.
Tension Between Hunters, Landowners
That has led to some tensions at the intersection of hunting and private property.
Some claim that landowners allowing only exclusive access to hunting, such as outfitters paying trespass fees to take clients on ranches, undermines the principle of wildlife as a public trust.
Others argue that landowners have the right to control who has access to their property and are due some reward for all the vital habitat they provide for wildlife.
Opponents of SF 118 say it tips the balance between landowners and public hunters too far in the wrong direction.
“It is not a good idea, in fact it’s a terrible idea, deplorable if I am being frank,” Coursey said.
According to the coalition’s statement, SF 118 would erode decades of work to foster cooperation between hunters and landowners.
“If transferable landowner tags became the law, this would drive a wedge between sportsmen in Wyoming and landowners, as some landowners would undoubtedly sell those tags to the highest bidder,” the groups stated.
Can We Loosen Things Up A Bit?
Magagna said he’s also leery of anything that might drive a wedge between hunters and landowners.
But he also understands how the current regulations over landowner tags might be too restrictive.
It might be fair to allow landowners to offer their tag to a wider range of people – such as employees or friends, he said.
The purpose of landowner tags is “to recognize the contributions that landowners make to wildlife conservation,” he said.
If SF 118 fails, landowner tags could be discussed by a legislative interim committee, to finally get the matter resolved, he said.
“Our position is that we support the concept (of giving landowners more options for their tags), but it’s a complex issue and there needs to be some work on the details,” Magagna said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at Mark@CowboyStateDaily.com
