ALERT: New Wyoming bill introduced that impacts nonresident hunters

I've been on the phone a bunch this week and receiving emails from folks about Wyoming's new 90/10 license split allocation and nonresident fee increase bill. As you may recall, back in 2020, a similar bill was introduced and then it was quickly shut down. You can read more about last year's bill and see all the comments here.

Wyoming's Senate File Number Sf0103

On March 1, SF0103 was introduced by Senator Larry Hicks that will change the split for resident and nonresident license allocation to 90/10 and it causes nonresident license fees to increase. Read details about the bill here. This bill will have an impact on nonresident hunters in the state of Wyoming.

SF0103 was presented to the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee earlier this morning on March 2 and I was able to catch the live stream. If you missed the live stream, you can watch part one of the video recap of that meeting here. Note: the link will start the video at the 53:36 mark when SF0103 was heard. The saved live stream recording cuts off, but you can watch the second part here. The bill will be heard again by the committee on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

Screenshot of Wyoming bill SF0103.

---

What This Bill Would Do

90/10 Split of Resident to Nonresident Licenses

Nonresident Fee Increases

Then to offset the cost the state would miss out on due to a cut in nonresident license sales, tag fees will also greatly increase for nonresidents. Note: this bill will eliminate the nonresident special license fees.

Also, nonresident application fees will increase from $15 to $17 (an increase of 13.33%).

It's worth noting that these fee increases are a lot higher than what was used last time this bill was introduced.

Resident Fee Increases

SF0103 would also increase resident application fees from $5 to $7 (an increase of 40%) and a resident turkey license would increase from $14 to $20 (an increase of 42.90%).

Read THe full bill details here

SF0103 fiscal notes.

---

What Can You Do?

Whether you are for or against this bill in Wyoming, if you want to do your part you can contact the Senators that are on the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee. Their contact information can be found below. SF0103 will be heard again by the committee on Thursday, March 4, 2021.

Note: No matter what side you're on about this bill, remember to keep your comments well thought out and be nice.

If passed, we could see these changes being implemented on January 1, 2022.