License increase
- Thread starter cspot
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Sure seems to me that a turkey permit is getting mighty expensive. I wonder if that will end up backfiring and keeping some guys from buying?
BlueSpruceOutfitters
Junior Member
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Ah yes. The old trick the hunters into decimating the deer population knowing people will quit hunting and less tags will be filled, then make up the money we lost on the back of the hunters themselves. Wonder why they're not reaching out to Nationwide, State Farm and Farm Union for the needed funds, after all that's who saved hundreds of millions of profits on the ODNRs reduce the herd initiative.
They have been increasing the NR licenses. From a news report on it.
"Spelled out in the just-approved budget is that a non-resident hunter will pay $124 this year for the basic general hunting license, $140.50 in 2018, $157 in 2019, and $174 beginning in 2020. All of these figures do not include the requisite issuing fee.
For a single deer tag a non-resident will pay $24 this year and rising to $74 by 2020.
In order to hunt wild turkeys a non-resident now pays $23 for either a spring or a fall permit. Beginning in 2018 that charge will rise to $29. Again, minus the obligatory issuing fees that are tacked on to each issued permit."
I've had discussions with my buddies... We try to come up with a number of how high license and permit fees would have to go to make us give it up. To this day I don't know what that number would be. I'd pay an awful lot of money to keep hunting. Even that turkey permit... Yea, it's $30. But that $30 is good for 35 days of hunting if you don't kill a bird, or kill one on the last day. Add in the annual hunting license fee and you're still hunting for less than $2 per day. I'm not saying it's right or it's wrong. I just know that I've spent a lot more money on less valuable things over the years. It'd take one heck of an increase to keep me out of the woods.
I would spend a good bit too. I am a NR in Ohio so you can see what I am paying. The issue isn't for the diehard hunters. It is more of an issue for a guy that maybe goes out a day or 2. When it gets to a point then he may decide to no longer purchase it. Not sure where that point is, but at some point a tag/license increase may not result in more money as the # of tags/licenses purchased will drop.
That's a good point because those are exactly the type of folks we desperately need to recruit into the sport of hunting. If the increases push those people off the wrong side of the fence then we're shooting ourselves in the foot.
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We could do it like Arizona and go to a draw system. Only 10% of the tag quota can go to nonresidents, have to buy a $175 non-resident license or $30 resident license to apply for a tag, $15 dollar application fee per species applied for. Could you imagine that in Ohio? 
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Or New Mexico.... now only 6% of the tags allocated go to non resident DIY hunters. About 75 bucks to apply. Even in the worst units of the state, you are not likely to draw. Money up front for tags, permits etc. I think I’m in for about 850/per for Mason and myself. Did you know the vast majority of the land we hope to hunt is federally owned? Nearly impossible to draw under new rules but odds are much better if you pay the extortion fee to an outfitter. Ten percent of all tags allocated go to them. New Mexico is making a ton of money from people who will never step foot in the state.
I rarely get to turkey hunt. I'll be the guy who doesn't buy a permit OR is buying it at 4am because I found a day I could hunt.
Bigcountry40
Member
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Bigcountry40
Member
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I think they should cut that turkey permit cost in half in North West Ohio since there are like a total of 7 lol
Bigcountry40
Member
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This where I disagree and I know I basically stand alone with my thought and opinion, I would rather increase prices even more to drive out the non die hards, land is already scarce enough, I really don't see the need to recruit anymore more hunters since there is a blind in every single brush line in my part of Ohio and can't do a decent rabbit hunt until February. IMO the non die hard hunters truly don't care about the conversation or tradition of the sport like we do, they just like trying to get a deer. where as its an actual lifestyle for us.
The turkey permit is stupid anyway. It's not a big game animal. We don't buy a permit to hunt pheasants, or grouse. If anything, it makes MORE sense to buy a special permit for our pen-raised pheasants.
Bigcountry40
Member
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Why doesnt the state release hens, they only release cocks right? The state should create a pheasant stamp for like additional $5 for reintroduction other than the 500 pen chickens they release.
I compare it to saugeye stocking. It's all put and take. In the off chance a Hen survives all the damn redtail hawks and ditch tigers, they probably want her to reproduce
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Here is a good article on the why. Increase fish stocking, rennovate cabins and campgrounds, and hire wildlife officers to make sure there's one per county. Nothing mentioned about anything for hunters. My question is what happened to the budget for wildlife officer salary where one per county was not a problem a couple years ago under the current fee structure.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cl...e-gov-mike-dewines-budget.html?outputType=amp
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cl...e-gov-mike-dewines-budget.html?outputType=amp
Bigcountry40
Member
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I'm really getting off subject now but fugg it, another thing I wish the state would change is walkers/hikers access during hunting season on public hunting ground. I wish the state would outlaw all non hunting/fishing activity during hunting season on wildlife area land (excluding national and state park land). If my license $$$ is going to the preservation of the wildlife area, non hunters and non fisherman should have to stay off during hunting season. I don't know how many times I had been hunting resthaven and had a lady with her dog walk right underneath me and she acts disgusted. Go find a metro park, my license pays for my right to be here, walkers/hikers are not contributing anything.
Sgt Fury
Sgt. Spellchecker
Lol...had the same experiences on state ground. A woman walking a dog and another two going for a jog, all looking at me like I was the one who wasn’t supposed to be there. I don’t believe any of them purchased a license.