First of all, exactly what part of the state are you from? I thought you were NR at first.
Second of all, there are A LOT of issues at hand here when dealing with the cap. Believe it or not I think the out-migration is one of them.
The young people who are choosing to stay and live in ND aren't the one's who enjoy playing video games non-stop. The majority of the young people staying are the one's who hunt. Really, besides the great outdoor resources what other benefits are there for young people to stay? I believe that if everything goes to pay or leasing there will be no reason left. If you can't afford to hunt here because there aren't any jobs that have wages high enough to compete with some high rolling NR's who promote the expansion of guides and pay hunting...why not move to some where you can make enough and come back a couple weekends a year? Which does nothing to help ND in the long run.
The notion that less hunters, means less competition, means more access is only partially true; as you're saying and which I agree with to a certain extent. I see the whole debate being more of a freelance hunting vs. pay hunting. If I it was my choice, I'd rather see more restrictions put on the outfitters than on freelance hunters...yet there does need to be a limit.
With that said, that is what us freelance hunters are fighting for...the preservation of the freelance hunting experience in ND. Part of that experience is the relatively low competition (compared to other states), which isn't going to be around with an unlimited amount of hunters. What happens when the next drought cycle hits (if it already hasn't :roll: )? Do you think the resource can support all the hunters that currently hunt ND? Personally I don't. Which is what the HPC is all about, utilizing what the resource has to offer. It allows for more hunters in good years, and less hunters in bad years. So that everyone who hunts ND can experience a quality hunting experience....whether or not if you happen to have a fat wallet and can pay for guides and access or if you're an average blue collar Joe.
This bill isn't going to increase the amount of land locked up or the amount of guides. The vast majority of the students are already purchasing a resident ND license anyways, so it's not going to increase numbers much, if at all. It'll only make it so those kids are no longer breaking the law. We're talking number increases most likely in the low hundreds, not thousands. Which I think is worth it if some of these students stay and take up residency in the long run. This bill is more about attracting young people to live here, which I believe the HPC encourages as well.
