Michigan hunting tag price going up! updated with contact info

[whitebuffalo]

Not sure how I feel about it yet. I know the inflation on alot of my normal objects in life have gone up in price namely Gasoline,milk,ect. I see their isues as well but I'm haveing a hard time parting with the cheeper tag prices of now. I also keep in mind what this could do for or state and our protection from anit's,loosing huntin ground ect. Theres more than just little old me in the big old picture of our resources in our great state. Anyway I emailed them cause I heard rumor and the nice lady down at the state office sent me this I thought I would share.Click on the link to see there proposal.


In January 2006, I appointed a Hunting and Fishing License Package
Development Work Group.  This work group was chaired by Natural Resources
Commissioner Frank Wheatlake, chairman of the Natural Resources
Commission (NRC) Policy Committee on Finance and Administration, and was
comprised of representatives from conservation groups throughout the state.  
The group was charged with developing revisions to the current hunting
and fishing license fee structure, which would address the projected
deficits in the Game and Fish Protection Fund and continue the state’s
work in conservation efforts.  The work group met ten times over the
course of the year and finalized its recommendations this fall.

The work group presented its recommendations to the NRC on November 9,
2006.  The NRC accepted and approved the report which can be accessed
at:    http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/final_report_177934_7.pdf     Some of the highlights of the report are:

*   The last hunting and fishing license fee package was approved in
1996.
*   If nothing changes, the Game and Fish Protection Fund will have a
projected deficit of $9 million to $11 million by Fiscal Year 2007-2008,
due to decreasing license sales and inflationary impacts.
*   Hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing contribute over $3 billion
annually to Michigan’s economy.
*   Cuts in conservation programs not only threaten our fish, wildlife
and public land resources, they also threaten Michigan’s economy.
*   Recommended fee increases will accommodate inflationary impacts and
make Michigan’s fees commensurate with surrounding states.
*   The Department of Natural Resources should seek legislative authority
to discount license fees.
*   Senior discounts would be decreased from 60 percent to 20 percent to
reflect the 2002 elimination of the General Fund subsidy and to be more
in line with senior discounts in the private sector.

The NRC and work group will be working diligently to garner support for
this license package as it progresses through the legislative process.  
Approval of the fee increase will begin to provide the financial
support needed to continue the conservation, protection, management, use, and
enjoyment of the state’s natural resources.  Please feel free to
contact Teresa Gloden, Assistant to the NRC, at 517-373-2352, if you have
any questions.

Thank you for your interest in Michigan’s natural resources.

Sincerely,


Keith J. Charters
Chair
Natural Resources Commission

[Dalebow]

Hey Id buy a tag if someone would invite me to hunt in MI:-)

[Arwin]

I think it is hard to justify raising the license fee. Hunting on mostly state land, I don't see the improvements in the habitat or deer quality to make me want to pay more.
 I'm by far not a trophy hunter, but it would be nice if our deer were managed so that an average hunter doesn't have to spend all season just to try and find a year and a half old buck. And that is what is mostly out in the area I hunt. You sure don't have to try hard if you want to kill a doe, theres thousands of them!
 The majority(15 or more,I forget) of the doe I have taken were between 3.5 to 5 years of age. The 4 bucks I have taken were all 1.5 in age (I try to hold out till the end). I have started passing up bucks this age this year to see what else is out there. I've only had an encounter with one buck that was over 2yrs. old. And trust me, I've put some hours in on stand and in a ton of different areas, doing all the things a carefull bowhunter should do! I know someone occasionally gets lucky and tags a good one, but I think our heard is too mismanaged to pay a big price for hunting scrub bucks and doe.
 I wonder what that is doing for our herd? A bunch of mature doe being bred by 1.5yr. old bucks. Hmmmmmm..........

[vermonster13]

You haven't had an increase in 10 years, hard to complain to loudly. A lot of states will be having increases in the next year or face running in the red which is not a good thing. If the departments can't be supported by license fees, what do you think will happen next?

[Bobby Urban]

as long as it continues to fund hunting and nothing else I don't mind.  As a resident in Michigan you can pretty much fish(all species) hunt all animals taking 3-5 deer and trap for under $150.00.  Hard to beat the price of entertainment around here.

[Jack Shanks]

I can't say that I was surprised when I first heard of the increase. Wasn't it just a couple of years ago that someone could buy a doe tag a day for $3.50. Now some areas of the state have very few deer remaining at all. It's just a simple case of supply and demand. The state has to charge more for the ones that are left.

[Pasty Face]

I am with Arwin, start raising prices and people start expecting more.

I dont have a problem paying to play, but way up north here I just dont see it. Alot of the money never crosses the bridge.  
 

I am also with Bobby, if it comes back to sportsmen it cant hurt??????????

[WESTBROOK]

If they can keep the money in the fish and wildlife dept and spend it wisely I can deal with that.

They'll never be able to manage the deer herd  till they know how many they got and how many are shot, and they dont know.

Eric

[John C Keith]

Like many I am hesitant to accept the need for such a dramatic increase.  

I am currently in the middle of performing some research into the cost to hunt across the country.  With work, family, school and hunting, it is slow progress.  But so far, looks like Michiganders have had it cheap for a while.  I will post back when I feel the work is done, just so everyone can decide for himself or herself.

My biggest concern, and one I am not sure how to address, is the lack of support from non-hunters/ fisherman.  The wildlife of the state belongs to the people, not just us.  

How, or even should, we get support from everyone else?  (FYI the report states the funding for the DNR in 1995-96 from the state’s general fund was 23% of the DNR’s operating budget, compared to less than 9% for 2006-07 budget year.)

If possible, I would like to hear any criticism or support for this proposal.  Anything you think would assist me in making my work as true and correct as possible.

I would like to hear from everyone, not just the Michigan folk.

I do not get to frequent here so if you could email me @ ke5etx @ gmail.com , I would be grateful.

John

[whitebuffalo]

Dale bow. Invite , if you want to come out to Michigan get ahold of me.

[whitebuffalo]

Jack, yeah remember couple years ago not ten they say they haven't raised prices since 1996 but thats proof they have cause now there 10 dollars,

[vermonster13]

Word of warning if you get everyone to finacially support F&G, you will open a whole can of worms that I would be willing to talk with anyone about offline, but not in a public forum.

[Bobby Urban]

I am with Vermonster - Lets continue to let the hunters police and pay there own way - We don't need outside funds and we don't want them.  Other input brings other agendas and we have enough trouble getting our agenda straight with only hunters?  If we need to raise the price of licenses to do this I am all for it.  

As far as the rest of the county I think you will discover it is an inexpensive ride here in Michigan, and has been for a long time.  

Bob Urban

By the way - I am not rich by any stretch - we pay out bills and sometimes have a little left over but not much.  I just am willing to cover my price of addmission to the best party I know.

[Arwin]

I wish they would bring back the lifetime hunting licenses. Buy one and be done! I belong to the Michigan United Deer Hunters. Membership is free and they are trying to make sure all of our voices are heard at NRC meetings and anything involving hunters and the DNR. I urge anyone from our state to join! Check out their web-site.

[Rooselk]

I don't live in Michigan but in my own state I've never had much complaint about increases in tag fees or licenses so long as those increases don't put it out of reach for the average hunter. However, I would like to see those funds go to the fish and game department rather than to the general fund.

[insttech1]

Umm...the document copied just doesn't make sense to me (the theory of raising the fees, yes...but the facts do not)

Example:  fees HAVE gone up quite a few times in the last 10 years, so where's this statement coming from??

Also, there are no direct quotes of new prices--i.e. the combo tag is going from $28/year to what???  Maybe $35 or so???

I need much more info before I chime in on this one!!

Marc

[whitebuffalo]

Marc click on the link I left and it'll take you to the 30 page proposal that they have drawn up. and their facts and there whys.

  http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/final_report_177934_7.pdf

[Arwin]

Holy moly! They propose to raise our combo tags from $30 to $75! It looks like hunting here may turn into a rich mans sport. I use hunting for a way to relax, but I also rely on it to fill the freezer. I guess it may help our deer herd in a way because most people won't be able to afford to harvest two bucks and they would probably hold out for a good one with prices like that. With what I will have to spend on licenses and all the other stuff(equiptment,gas,etc.), it would probably be the same amount or cheaper to go to a ranch. LOL!

[insttech1]

OK, I admittedly don't have the time to read every line item, but just by going thru about 60% of the text on each page, one thing REALLY scares me:

"Commit to work with other conservation
interests to craft a long-term, stable funding
approach for conservation in Michigan."

Which to ME means that someone is throwing a HUGE caveat into this entire document meaning that they are trying to actively seek and support funding from anti-hunting groups, or even groups that are based outside of Michigan.

The second item that really PEAVES ME OFF is the proposal to more than double the combo tag.  Now if the combo tag goes up for residents by 150% then why in the world does the non-resident tag only go up by 19%??????

I HOPE that these proposed numbers go in front of public forums before these changes are implemented!!

In essence it would be cheaper to buy two private land doe tags, under their "proposed" numbers for $60 than it would for me to buy me two-deer license for $75.  That just makes NO sense to me at all!

Just my input based on a very short review of the document...and thanks for the link!  guess I missed it the first time I saw the post...duh!!

Marc

[insttech1]

OH yeah...if you do the math, how much OVER budget would the new numbers come out to?  

We are not 50% under budget right now...I would imagine those numbers would come out to a 5% to 10% shortfall, so how can a 150% increase in general be justified to offset a 10% shortcoming????

Hopefully more info to come...
M