Why Idaho Is Trying To Attract Out-Of-State Hunters And Anglers

Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact Idaho

Idaho doesn’t cater to as many out-of-state hunters and fisherman as it once did.  The Idaho Business Review reports that’s prompted the Fish and Game Department to step up marketing efforts.

Idaho Fish and Game’s Michael Pearson told the Idaho Business Review that the number of non-resident fishing and hunting licenses sold by the state fell by 13 and 26 percent respectively from 2007 to 2011.

Ads have been placed on outdoor recreation websites and in periodicals like California Sportsman, he said. For the first several months leading to fall, the ads tried to recruit hunters with its “I hunt Idaho” slogan. As fall approached, it switched over to promote the steelhead fishing that is prevalent in October and November.

In the first year of the marketing effort, 2011, the IDFG saw an increase of about $370,000 in sales for deer hunting tags above the year’s projections. For elk, it saw a $250,000 increase over the projections, Pearson said.

Still, IDFG officials cautioned that they didn’t know for sure if the increases over projections were caused by the marketing efforts.

“We we just can’t tell,” Pearson said. ”We are biologists, we are accountants and things like that, we are not marketing people by training.” – Idaho Business Review

Out-of-state hunters are an economic good for Idaho, since many of them also spend money on food, fuel, and a place to stay.  Plus, as the Business Review reports, non-resident recreation licenses cost more, meaning more revenue for the the state.

In some cases, nonresidents end up spending more than tenfold what a resident would. Hunting sheep for example, costs residents about $185 in 2012 including a license, tag and vendor fees, according to an IDFG survey. A nonresident would pay about $2,271. – Idaho Business Review