wow O&N, i think there is more going on here than a little jealousy as a NR.
personally i don't feel offended at all by the idea and i will tell you why. on most opening days in Kansas there are knuckleheads parked by every WIHA waiting to jump out of their cars before it is even daylight and platoon through the field.
as a resident, as i used to be at one time, i would not even bother going out for the opener, unless i had private ground lined up. i see nothing wrong with allowing residents and landowners who are residents the first chance at hunting a resource a lot of them support in many ways through the whole year.
everyone who buys a license, resident or NR ends up supporting the WIHA program. the NR gets a license good for the year, which is a helluva lot better deal than SD or ND gives you, which is 10 days or 14 days at $120 a pop or more. what difference should one week make to a NR?
i contend it would be a respectful allowance that could be made to the state's people.
the NR's can still show up and hunt private ground, just like SD or ND. and i hardly think the Dakotas are "welfare states".....those states have hard working, friendly, polite folks and they don't stand around with their hands out either!