Missouri Survey on Non-Resident Hunting

[Primosguy]

The numbers don’t support that statement. Look at the charts. You may want to believe that it’s all the NR fault but how many people that knock on your door to hunt do you say yes to? There has been a 10 fold decrease ish for one increase in NR tags. I know of plenty of residents that have locked their land down for themselves or family. NR haven’t caused the drop in resident access alone. The greed of someone else shooting MY buck or MY up and comer has more to do with it. Plus the unrealistic goal that there is a boomer behind every tree like they see on TV to only be disappointed. The younger age groups want immediate and EASY trophy’s and when that doesn’t get fulfilled they go golf.

It seems like you're insinuating every hunting resident in Missouri is blaming NR hunters for all of our problems. Quite the opposite in my personal opinion, I blame the MDC for the unlimited access they give to the NR hunters, not the NR hunters for taking what's given. If Iowa allowed unlimited over the counter NR tags or guaranteed NR landowners a tag each year do really think that would not have an effect on hunting land access and quality of the herd? Of course it would, these regulations are what make Iowa great and a standard of what other states should aspire to be. Would allowing 10s of thousands of NR hunters into the state and depleting the quality of the resource and access to the resource be the fault of the NRs, or the fault of the Iowa DNR for letting it happen? It would be the fault of the DNR by way of the NR, and the NR would get blamed for simply doing what they're allowed to do.

As DWGH mentioned in another post the lower quality of the hunting nowadays in northern Missouri is somewhat due to overcrowding and has reduced many resident hunters time spent in the field. The lower hunting quality in my opinion is due to many different MDC issues/regs, but the limited access to quality hunting ground is definitely on the shoulders of the NR. Again, by way of the MDC. I don't specifically know what numbers you were referring to when you said "the numbers don't support that statement" but I can assure you that I've tried to find my friends a lease up around my farm for the last 4 years and everything is leased to NRs from Arkansas. They are great guys. Not blaming them in any way shape or form, but that is a fact that they lease all the surrounding farms. Those numbers do support my statement. If Missouri went to a draw like Iowa has and a tag was given every 6 years as opposed to over the counter, do you think those guys from AR would still pay to keep that lease each year? I would think probably not. And once those farms became available for lease again, I'm confident they would be filled by Missouri residents hunters.

I completely agree with you that NR hunters are the low hanging fruit and get unfairly blamed for many of Missouris problems, but I hold the MDC responsible for letting it happen, not the NR. That being said, the NRs absolutely do have a direct effect on reducing access to resident hunters.

 

[Muskrat24]

It seems like you're insinuating every hunting resident in Missouri is blaming NR hunters for all of our problems. Quite the opposite in my personal opinion, I blame the MDC for the unlimited access they give to the NR hunters, not the NR hunters for taking what's given. If Iowa allowed unlimited over the counter NR tags or guaranteed NR landowners a tag each year do really think that would not have an effect on hunting land access and quality of the herd? Of course it would, these regulations are what make Iowa great and a standard of what other states should aspire to be. Would allowing 10s of thousands of NR hunters into the state and depleting the quality of the resource and access to the resource be the fault of the NRs, or the fault of the Iowa DNR for letting it happen? It would be the fault of the DNR by way of the NR, and the NR would get blamed for simply doing what they're allowed to do.

As DWGH mentioned in another post the lower quality of the hunting nowadays in northern Missouri is somewhat due to overcrowding and has reduced many resident hunters time spent in the field. The lower hunting quality in my opinion is due to many different MDC issues/regs, but the limited access to quality hunting ground is definitely on the shoulders of the NR. Again, by way of the MDC. I don't specifically know what numbers you were referring to when you said "the numbers don't support that statement" but I can assure you that I've tried to find my friends a lease up around my farm for the last 4 years and everything is leased to NRs from Arkansas. They are great guys. Not blaming them in any way shape or form, but that is a fact that they lease all the surrounding farms. Those numbers do support my statement. If Missouri went to a draw like Iowa has and a tag was given every 6 years as opposed to over the counter, do you think those guys from AR would still pay to keep that lease each year? I would think probably not. And once those farms became available for lease again, I'm confident they would be filled by Missouri residents hunters.

I completely agree with you that NR hunters are the low hanging fruit and get unfairly blamed for many of Missouris problems, but I hold the MDC responsible for letting it happen, not the NR. That being said, the NRs absolutely do have a direct effect on reducing access to resident hunters.

I’m not saying that at all but what I am saying is MO could allow zero NR licenses and the access for MO residents to private ground would not get much better if any. I don’t believe that the farms IF let go by the AR hunters would not be leased up again. The numbers I am referring to are on the tag and harvest data charts letemgrow posted. 10 less R tags for each one NR increase. If the AR hunters can draw every other year you think they are going to let the lease go? I’m local to the state and I have lost far more permission from locals locking it down than I have from NR leases. No doubt different area of the state but eliminating 100% of the NR tags is not going to greatly open access in several parts of the state. I do think there would be some net gain to the public pressure. My guess is the AR hunters will stagger their draws within their group to keep leases if it comes to a draw system. And what I am saying is the access issue is because of people locking down ground to improve their hunting experience and that is BOTH NR AND R.