# Letter from USO



## smalls (Sep 9, 2003)

****UNITED STATES OUTFITTERS, INC. Are you ready for a Great Year? 2005 is looking to be an awesome year for a lot ofyou...the reason? Due to your lawsuit you no longer have to face the discrimination of being a nonresident hunter in some States.

First, the good news! Arizona nonresident quotas have been abolished. Arizona is now attempting to make changes to discourage nonresidents from applying, such as discontinuing their internet applications, raising tag fees, requiring full tag fees sent when applying and/or requiring you to purchase the nonresident license to apply. Any of these things will surely reduce the number of nonresidents applying, but should not affect your portfolios as usa fronts your tag fees and does the applications for you. A few of you who have not bought bonus points in the past may of course be forced to do so. However, you should buy bonus points now that you are on equal footing with the residents for drawing a tag. In fact, this is an opportunity to increase your applications to all four species in Arizona. This way you get four bonus points for the price of one.

Nevada nonresident quotas are also gone. They are also looking for changes to discourage nonresidents from applying and we will follow their development. Any attempt to reinstitute quotas will be met with further litigation.

As a side note, Montana and the other Ninth circuit states have not made changes to stop the discrimination of nonresidents and are opening themselves up to litigation as well as large damage claims. The longer they wait, the costlier the claims will be. If any of you want to be a litigant on these claims, please advise us and we will put you in contact with our legal team.

We are still waiting on the Tenth Circuit Court in Denver to rule on our case (Shutz vs Wyoming) presented to the court last March. This is a similar type case that was won in the Ninth Circuit (Montoya v Manning) and has laid the groundwork to stop nonresident discrimination.

Now the bad news! Even though the courts have rightfully ruled to stop the discrimination against nonresidents, the Game and Fish Departments are trying to go around the courts and attempt to pass legislation in the U. S. Congress to exempt wildlife issues from the commerce clause. This would mean that states could exclude you from hunting and fishing in any State completely. It shows how misguided and determined these Game and Fish Agencies are at discriminating against you. We will still need your help in fighting this through your donations and contacting your congressman. Enclosed are excerpts from an article published in "The Conservation Force January Bulletin" written by John Jackson.

To fight this legislation and continue with the efforts in your behalf, we are asking for a donation to the Nonresident Legal Fund of$100 from each of our applicants. As you have seen, no one but YOU, usa, Conservation Force, Dallas Safari Club, and African Safari Club have had the guts to try and stop the discrimination against you, the nonresident hunter. No other licensing service, hunting consultants, or outfitters have stood up to be financially counted in this effort. In the past you have seen what a small amount of donation from each of you has produced.. ... RESULTS LET'S NOT STOP NOW!

ForUnitedStatesOutfittersandProfessionalLicensingS ervice,2004was a banner year. Along with your winning of the Arizona Lawsuit, we had good moisture and a cool fall, all the ingredients for many trophies being harvested by our clients. We had 400+ point elk and 200+ point whitetail harvested along with hundreds of other trophies including sheep, moose, antelope, bears, oryx, mountain goats, and mule deer. No other outfitter can produce the quality for the price that usa provides. We are very proud of this, but we are appreciative of you, our clients, because of your trust in USO.

For 2005, changes will abound. Arizona and Nevada are dealing with having to treat resident and nonresidents alike, more litigation may be needed if discrimination is reinstated. New Mexico changes include moving up their main deadline to April 9th, looking at starting a bonus point system, point restriction in some areas, allowing guides for Oryx hunts and allowing crossbows for mobility impaired archers. New Mexico deadline for Oryx is Feb. 5th,for those of you that missed out last year need to get Oryx added to your portfolio. Any of you wanting private land elk hunts with guaranteed tags for 2005 should contact our office for availability.

Kansas, once again, has boundary changes for both draw tags and landowner tags. Those of you wanting Kansas landowner tags need to call to get a tag held for you in 2005. We are booking these hunts this year rather than just a waiting list as the demand greatly exceeds the amount of tags we receive.

Other states are increasing some of their license, tag and application fees. Several states have yet to formalize these changes, so we will keep you informed through our "SCREAMERS" on changes that affect your current applications and opportunities for new applications.

Price changes are in the works for our hunts also, but only for the Licensing Hunts for this year. Mainly because of the cost of fuel, we have increased the cost of these hunts from $200 to $300. usa is still fronting your tag fees for Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and Kansas. As in the past, we will continue to provide only guided hunts in these States, also included in the guided hunts are the Wyoming elk hunts. If your financial status has changed where you cannot afford to go guided, we need to remove or place your portfolio on hold. In States such as Montana, Idaho, Alaska, Oregon, Washington and California, we apply for unguided hunts for sheep, moose, and goats.

Please look at your portfolios now, as we are contracted to apply these applications for you each year and our first deadlines are Utah and Wyoming which is the end of January. If you believe you cannot hunt this year, for any reason, let us know before we start'applying. We can apply for "bonus only" or "hold" in order to fit your need otherwise we will apply to draw. It is foolish to apply and draw a special and valuable tag you cannot use simply because you forgot to notify us of your needs. To add insult to injury, you are still responsible to pay for the tag and it will be wasted as no one else can use this tag. So, review your portfolio and mail or fax your invoice back to us. If you have any questions or changes, notify us so we can do the best job for you.

Because of the legal changes that are coming about, you are in front of the line for many ofthese quality tags in the coming years. Thanks again for allowing usa to handle your applications. As always, your support, trust, and your business are greatly appreciated. 1-800-845-9929 . Off: 505-758-9774 . Fax: 505-758-1744****


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## Dan Bueide (Jul 1, 2002)

:evil:



This letter epitimizes the tail end of the commercialization process, and just reading it makes me want to take a shower. I buy what game I want, where I want and when I want, just because I can - move over, here I come. An elk or a deer or a pheasant is an article to be aquired just like a set of golf clubs or a car, and should be available to the highest bidder. If this one didn't send shivers down your spine, it should.

Chuck Orvik and Mike Hatch, these are the guys you're trying to emulate?


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

:******: :******: :******: :******: :******: :******: :******: :******: 
This is the biggest group of scumbags I know. I would rather walk into church with a whore than associate or be seen with this group of wildlife leeches.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

I wonder if the people that run these organizations and their clients enjoy the outdoors when they go on their killing adventures. This is a pretty stark example of what could happen to ND if we let it.

Bob


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## cgreeny (Apr 21, 2004)

Yes something like this is looming on the horizon for all here in ND as well. I feel for those states and their resident hunters, who are now just equals with the big money hunters from somewhere else. If they ever pass this in ND i think my land will be posted with a resident only sign. If the state can't help to police the land it should be left up to the landowner. Last fall I had hunters come ask for permission to hunt, nice guys, I asked where they were from and where they were staying. When they said the name of the guide they were staying with, I asked them why they needed to hunt my land when they had thousands of acres to hunt with him. He just told them to find something or somewhere new to hunt. Needless to say I told them go back to your outfitter and tell him to find you somewhere new to hunt. Sad to ramble on but this is starting to spiral out of control and it needs to be stopped.


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## goosehtr4life (Dec 16, 2002)

This article is the sadest thing I have ever read...

Send me some money boys, they can't stop us know. Our Lawyers won the case and great tags will be available. Just send me some cash and I will get the tags for you.

I guess if you have lots of cash and like to kill things these guys would be your ticket.

Do you think they care about the resource? Average Joe Hunter? Nope, just about killing and making boat loads of cash :eyeroll:

These guys scare me!!! I didn't realize they were this organized..And obviously very deep pockets.


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## goosehtr4life (Dec 16, 2002)

Now the bad news! Even though the courts have rightfully ruled to stop the discrimination against nonresidents, the Game and Fish Departments are trying to go around the courts and attempt to pass legislation in the U. S. Congress to exempt wildlife issues from the commerce clause. This would mean that states could exclude you from hunting and fishing in any State completely. It shows how misguided and determined these Game and Fish Agencies are at discriminating against you. We will still need your help in fighting this through your donations and contacting your congressman. Enclosed are excerpts from an article published in "The Conservation Force January Bulletin" written by John Jackson

Ya, Game and Fish departements don't care about the resource, you do right???


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## smalls (Sep 9, 2003)

USO is breeding a generation of shooters. Wealthy individuals who don't want to compete with the general poplus for tags. We see the same thing in ND where the g/o associations are lobbying for more (50) outfitter tags that they can sell at whatever price they can garner. The way it is set now in New Mexico, outfitters may end up with 25% of the NR big game tags!

It is very clear that USO is going after Montana, Wyoming and Kansas next. After that, Idaho. Who is to say that ND and SD big game hunting isn't next?

YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES! TELL YOUR SPORTSMEN FRIENDS TO WRITE THEIR REPRESENTATIVES!

Etree emailings have been effective, we know that the people in Bismarck have been getting them, but the fight is far from over. You need to KEEP TELLING THEM exactly what you want, and what the majority of the sportsmen in this state want!


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## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

That letter is absolute proof that market hunting is alive and flourishing. Those animals held in public ownership via the public trust are literally being bought and sold as a commodity by the market hunters. Nice line of business, selling something that you don't own or have to pay any overhead to profit handsomely. I'm with you Dan, I need a shower after reading that abomination.


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## RWHONKER (Dec 22, 2003)

That letter makes me want to vomit. How can someone or some group of people think they can buy wildlife. uke: uke: uke:


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## smalls (Sep 9, 2003)

As for precedence of whether or not states can show preference to its own residents when regulating its natural resources, here are some interesting quotes from the US Supreme court case Balwin vs. the State of Montana.

US Supreme Court:

"A State does not "own" wild birds and animals in the same way it may own other natural resources such as land, oil, or timber. But as noted in the courts opinion, ante, at 1861, and contrary to the implications of the dissent, the doctrine is not completely obsolete. It manifests the States special interest in regulating and preserving wildlife for the benefit of its citizens. Whether we describe this interest as proprietary or otherwise is not significant."

"We conclude that where the opportunity to enjoy a recreatinal activity is created or supported by a state, where there is no nexus between the activity and any fundamental right, and where by its very nature the activity can be enjoyed by only a portion of those who would enjoy it, a State may prefer its residents over the residents of other states, or condition the enjoyment of the nonresident upon such terms as it sees fit."


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## dosch (May 20, 2003)

More and more states are setting aside special trophy areas and implementing a "limited lottery draw" as a type of management program to yield more trophy animals. Some states are also providing public hunts on private land through cooperative programs with landowners. With this limited hunting pressure, the animals mature to their full trophy potential. This idea of limited permits is the same management concept used on United States Outfitters' private land leases. United States Outfitters had recognized this and is offering the best of these limited draw type of hunts to our clients through this innovative new service. The unique aspect of our program is that we physically apply the applications for you, the hunter, yearly, at no charge.

Started in 1991, United States Outfitter's Professional Licensing Service provides a new concept in the not-so-new sport of hunting. United States Outfitters has identified, in our opinion, the best hunting opportunities in many of the Rocky Mountain States. We consult with you about your hunting goals, then make the selected applications for you. This eliminates the hassle of the application process for you, i.e. incorrect applications, missed deadlines, and the required research and phone calls to find the hunt for you. With constantly changing regulations and hunt dates from state to state, this program provides a valuable service.

Most often, quality tags do not go unnoticed by others. The competition for these tags is intense. This necessitates making applications to numerous states to increase your chance of drawing a quality tag. All our applications are in areas having limited tags, and while other hunters may be present in the area, the lack of numbers is what gives these hunts the true "quality hunting experience."

In order to participate in the service and get your portfolio of applications started, you need to send us the one-time consulting fee of $120, any Fee for Bonus/Preference Point (if applicable), any Non-Refundable License Fee (if applicable), the Non-Refundable Application Fee, plus the tag fees per your choices in column 1 or 2 on the application form. United States Outfitters will provide information and recommendations, based on the extesive research and expertise we have acquired through the years as one of the leaders in the outfitting industry.

United States Outfitters will provide all the needed applications, statistics, harvest percentages, draw percentages and preference program information for you. It would be costly and time consuming for you to research and plan this caliber of hunt. The service does it all for you. Best of all, your application is filed yearly at no charge. That's right, your application is filed year after year at no charge until your permit is drawn or you voluntarily withdraw from the service. If the state increases the license cost or you have elected to use a state's bonus point program, you would then be invoiced for the amount of change.

Enrolling in the service is easy. United States Outfitters' Professional Licensing Application is completed to include all the information required by the various state game and fish departments. A Registered Agent and Limited Power of Attorney will also be executed by you in favor of United States Outfitters so United States Outfitters can sign your hunt application for you. The biography portion gives us an insight of the quality you are looking for as well as any physical limitations you might have.

Once you have drawn your tag, the Professional Licensing Service provides you the additional benefit of outfitting your hunt for elk, mule deer, antelope, coues deer, whitetail or mountain lion. You simply send in the one-time consultation fee of $120, plus the appropriate Fee for the Bonus or Preference Point, for each Species and each State. We will front the license fees and invoice you for the non-refundable application fees. When you draw one of these tags, you simply reimburse us for the license fee with your credit card on file. This way you are encouraged to submit more applications, which increases your chances of drawing a tag. Drawing multiple tags is possible, but very, very unlikely due to high quality of these tags and difficult draw odds.

If your application is unsuccessful, the rejection notice will be forwarded to you. The refund voucher from the state will be endorsed by United States Outfitters via the Power of Attorney and deposited in an insured pool account. The funds will then be available for next year's drawing. Each year, again at no cost, United States Outfitters will pay the application fee and will reevaluate your particular desires and compare those to the latest harvest rates, draw success, trophy production, etc. Then United States Outfitters will recommend to you either to apply unchanged from the year before, or change to a hunt code that better suits your new needs and wishes.

You may put applications on hold from year to year or ask that only preference/bonus points be obtained for that year in order to maintain preference, but not draw. If your circumstances change and you need to withdraw from the service, a simple written request will refund any monies you have in the program as long as it is not being held at the time by the state being applied to.

When you are successful in drawing your permit you will be immediately notified. United States Outfitters will outfit your hunt, have your tag in camp and provide you with any further information to make your hunt a quality experience. United States Outfitters does not provide unguided hunts. Drawing a tag through the Licensing Program guarantees that you will be provided a quality hunt through our services.

Nothing will replace persistence or just plain luck when it comes to drawing these types of tags, but what we have learned might help you find a little more of that luck.

These are programs that are put in place by the state to increase the odds of applications who have not previously drawn. The two main types of preference programs are preference points and bonus point programs.

A preference point is given to an applicant each time he applies and is not drawn. The tags are given to the applicants who have the most points. Colorado uses preference points with every species, except moose, but only allows three points for sheep and goat, before an open draw. Wyoming uses preference points for moose and sheep only.

A bonus point is give to an applicant each time he applies and is not drawn. Then for each bonus point an applicant has, he receives an additional application. In other words, if an applicant has 2 bonus points, he would receive 3 chances of drawing the tag he applies for. Some states (Arizona, Nevada) require an applicant to buy a general hunting license for a fee in order to get the bonus point. Utah does not charge for them. The big advantage of a bonus point system is that you can draw without bonus points, but if you have them, they help.

This is the biggest mistake most applicants make--failure to submit enough applications to really have a decent chance of drawing one tag. Don't think that you should apply for elk, draw it and be successful, then move on to mule deer, then sheep, etc. Apply for as many as you can now so that your odds of drawing one tag are the best they can be. For example, if you only apply to Arizona Rifle Elk at a draw odd of 1 in 8, your statistical chance of drawing is 1 times in 8 years of drawing. Now, if you also apply to New Mexico Rifle Elk with a draw odd of 1 in 8, your odds change to 1 chance n 4 or drawing a tag. Add a Utah Mule Deer application at 1 in 8, and your odds change to 1 chance in 2.7. Now the question you can't wait to ask is, "What about drawing more than one tag in the same year?" The answer is "not likely." Your chance of applying and drawing two of the above applications in the same year would be 1 chance in 64. As long as you submit multiple quality area applications, you can only draw quality tags. This is the basis for our Professional Licensing Service.

If you hunt with different weapons, consider applying with your most primitive choice. Draw rates and success rates are usually tied to weapon choices. Rifle tags are the hardest to draw, muzzleloader next, then archery is usually the easiest to draw. Rifle hunts have the highest success rates with archery the lowest success. Muzzleloaders, especially with the new in-line muzzleloaders and use of scopes by most states, has a success rate that equals rifles on most hunts today. Professional Licensing Service will help you with the applications by weapon choice, to insure you get the best odds.

Please submit our Licensing Application to get started on your way to the exciting world of trophy hunting.

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## Matt Jones (Mar 6, 2002)

USO make me want to...uke:


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## bretts (Feb 24, 2004)

Im confused, is USO trying to make it easier for nonresidents to hunt other states, and allowing nonresidents a cheaper price for tags? Fill me in, little confused?


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

bretts

USO is trying to make more money for USO any way they can. They view any state or federal restriction on Non-Residents, Trophy Hunting and Outfitting as a barrier to their possible profit potential. They view Wildlife Natural resources as property to be bought and sold. Any law that is in place for the benefit of conservation of said resource is against their platform, as it cuts into their potential profits. To put this in the most basic terms They are an orginization that caters to the wealth of the hunting world to provide B&C or P&Y trophies and only B&C or P&Y trophies to those that can affort to pay the price.

Bob


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Seems that G/O are where the battle ground ion our fight should be. They are certainly not unwilling to take the fight to us!


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