Hunters, anglers get Michigan licenses cheap

[News]

It seems that everything costs more today than it did 16 years ago -- unless you hunt or fish in Michigan. The price of hunting and fishing licenses hasn't increased since then.

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[ekbelt]

Long over due... Really hope this passes. The license is the cheapest part of the deal when it comes to hunting and fishing.

[luremaker]

Erik

I have mixed feelings on this,I agree the price should go up, But i can see one of to things happen, one I can see that the cost being so high is going to hurt the low income that enjoy hunting and fishing and just say I can't afford it and stop ,where there is a decline in both hunting and fishing now. Or they are just going to go without and take a chance. Or and this is the big one, I can see the our great government say hay we are a little short and the DNR has extra we can just borrow there moneys to fund something stupid and pay it back later. But later never comes... I point to the social security if people in office would have left there hands out of that cookie jar our kids would be able to retire, but now I am just hoping there is money left for me even if I have to work longer in life to get it. This is my thought.

[ekbelt]

Alot of "what if's...." but if you look at the facts, Michigan is 48th rank out of 50 states when it comes to hunting and fishing licenses. 1 being most expensive, 50 being cheapest.

Fishing-- they're getting rid of the all species/general license and replacing it with a $25 fishing license. Thats a price drop for us big lake guys.

Hunting-- biggest effect will be deer hunting. Currently a single tag costs $15 bucks, if this passes it will be $30 bucks.

Over all its not that bad... an extra $15 bucks? People will surely complain, but thats only like 3 gallons of gas!

My hope is the extra money will go to biologists who will take better care of our natural resources! The glass is half full!

[highpointdf]

For it to work you have to have faith in the DNR and their management abilities. I have my concerns that the extra Money will get to where it is supposed to, or will be used effectively and efficiently. But hey, they would save me $3!!

[luremaker]

I agree there are a lot of what if's. But we will see how it all pan's out

[SeaCatMich]

If you check the MiDNR budget figures, ALL license fees have gone directly to support either the fishing or hunting in the state and not other programs in the DNR. I see no reason that this will change.

Another way that anglers in the state can help with funding the state DNR is to get youth licenses for those under 16. The license is only $2 currently but the real benefit is that the state gets ~$9 returned in Federal Pittman-Robertson Act funding for each license... just like a full adult license. The federal funding is through an excise tax on all fishing tackle sales. We might as well do what we can to get some of those $$$ back to help with funding the DNR fisheries.

[fishy1]

The cost of licenses is still a bargain at the purposed rates,I hear people object all the time for many reasons but still manage to buy booze ,cigs. lottery. The cost to take your family to many activities has increased dramaticly over the last 16 years yet we all have managed to find a way to do the things we truly enjoy. The cost of these licenses should be considered a bargain for the amount of enjoyment you get for a full season of the outdoors. Just my opinion.

[Line Dancin]

i also have mixed feelings on this. I do think the dnr neeeds more revenue but some of the stuff the dnr is doing with license money is not in the better interest of people that hunt and fish..

First is the horse clubs around the state. They pay NOTHING to use the state land. But in the fights in lansing the outdoors groups lost to the equine groups. The state now has to provide groomed trails for the horse clubs at the lands of their choosing. They groom these trails monthly. There is NO revenue coming in from these groups to the state that our money is required to pay for creating and maintaining these trails. When these groups go to an area to do their rides it is CLOSED to the public. How is that fair when my hunting and fishing license money go to maintaining these lands for me to use. There excuse is the guns scare the horses. One of these trails was in a dog park that the state has for field training in the highland area. My Dad and i were asked to leave with his dog before they called the COs on us.

Second Bike groups. See above exact same thing. The new fight in lansing for the state land that has bike trails near the pontiac and st clair shores are is that they want hunting CLOSED on the lands that have these bike trails. Wait a second they paid NOTHING for these trails.

Third we were at Holland state park and counting the people walking in that didn't have the tag on their license plate with Dave Agema. We counted 348 people walk in in less thean an hour. If we followed other states and charged for walk ins for these parks that is revenue. Most states charge a walk in fee of 2 - 5 dollars. The problem is this is in the state constitution and needs an amendment to the constitution which has to have enough signature on a petition to get it on the ballot.

Forth the giving of state land to of all groups the Metro Parks. Over a hundred acres was handed over to metro parks because pontiac state park didn't have the revenue to maintain these lands. it was forest land for hunting. Their was no maintenance done at these areas It is now closed off to hunting and turned into a golf course.

Fifth the trade of state land (hunting area) for other lands. There was 300 acres that were traded off to an airport so they could expand which never happened. the trade land is in the inner city areas guess what no hunting.

Before i agree to pay more for license fees there needs to be some serious changes.

[ekbelt]

One thing to note on the hunters paying and other interest groups not... If we are the ones paying, our voice is heard much louder than theirs.

Think of this scenario... we make the bird watchers, bikers, hikers pay a fee to use the state land. Then they all start using it and they get weirded out that there are hunters with guns on this property too. They raise a stink and all of a sudden we can't even hunt there anymore!

[Line Dancin]

Its not quite happening that way though and that whats going on already. the bikers have more power than the hunters and it has been a nasty fight on the issue of closing off hunting on the bike trails. And the problem is when the equine groups are out there that whole area is closed off. So if your theory were true i should be able to small game hunt or bow hunt in those woods while the Equine groups are there. Which i cant the dnr comes in and padlocks the gates to the parking areas when they are there.

[Line Dancin]

And is my license money going to groom and make new trails for horse and bikes.

[ekbelt]

ya, I have a problem with that.... I hear you Aaron.

[Line Dancin]

Theres other little issues but those are the biggies right now. In the agreement with pontiac state the airport was supposed to replace the lands that they claimed in their expansion, with lands that offered the same usability. what they got were multiple areas of 10 to 15 acres that you cant hunt on. they have still after ten years have not replaced the whole 300 acres.

[luremaker]

Arron

I agree with what you are saying about the bike paths. I have a friend that has land that once backed up to 40 acres of of prime hunting property, the biggest bucks I have ever seen walk in it daily. The state came in cut a path in it and told him no more hunting. What a bite in the butt. The thing that got me they paid $480,000 for this 40 acres.Now if you want to tinkle away that kind of money what are you going to do for me,the guy that likes to hunt and fish????

[Line Dancin]

Arron

I agree with what you are saying about the bike paths. I have a friend that has land that once backed up to 40 acres of of prime hunting property, the biggest bucks I have ever seen walk in it daily. The state came in cut a path in it and told him no more hunting. What a bite in the butt. The thing that got me they paid $480,000 for this 40 acres.Now if you want to tinkle away that kind of money what are you going to do for me,the guy that likes to hunt and fish????

And i'll bet that if you researh the purchase the money came from the parks land aquisition fund which includes a percentage of license money. How much did the bikers pay? probably nothing unless it is one of the parks deemed that you need a park tag to enter. But most of the areas that these groups are getting the trails made you dont need to pay the extra ten bucks for the parks usage to use those area. I really think that to make it fair if you want to use any state land you have to pay. Horse ten bucks, bike ten bucks just like a vehicle but again this has to be changed in the state constitution.

[luremaker]

Aaron

I know they don't pay at all the parking is free. But from what I have seen it was a big waste of money and land.

[Paulywood]

I would gladly pay double for a fishing license over what I do now. I don't have any major issues with the DNR to be honest with you. I have bought a buck license every year since I was 14 and have bought the combo license every year since it came out. I have shot 2 bucks in my life. I also buy a doe tag every year. I have shot 5 doe in my life. The years I shot one I bought a 2nd doe tag. I consider it a donation since I more than get my money's worth on my fishing license. I also pay for the state park sticker on both vehicles and would gladly pay it for anyone else who wants it. A couple of hundred dollars a year for all the money they spend on fishing for me is chump change.

[ekbelt]

I feel like I get way more bang for my buck on my fishing license than my hunting licenses. Either way both are super cheap at the moment. Sheesh... I think I get my money's worth on the fishing license after 1 big lake trip now that I think about it.

[Priority1]

The proposal provides a break for seniors on the deer license but no breaks on the fishing license. A lot of senior breaks have disappeared as the boomers come into that picture. I'm a little too old to be considered a boomer but the boomer generation paid for a lot of senior breaks for a past generation. It seems like on all fronts the perks start disappearing as this large group enters their senior years. Living on a fixed income is tough and getting tougher. Too bad boomers you get no respect and the way it was doesn't apply to you, or a generation that will follow.