JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
If Iowa is "so unfair to the NR and NRLO", why is a group in another state trying to change their regs to more closely mimic Iowa's? 
Institute a series of new regulations pertaining to non-resident hunting deer in Illinois:
1) The maximum number of non-resident deer permits available for sale would be set annually at 10% of the previous season’s total harvest. These permits would be divided tow-thirds archery hunter and one-third firearms hunters, which is in line with the current permit allocation. At no time would the total non-resident der permits sold exceed 10% of the previous year’s harvest.
2) Non-resident would no longer be allowed to purchase an “antlerless only” permit before first buying a combo permit (one (1) “either sex” and one (1) “antlerless only”).
3) The cost of non-resident firearms and muzzleloader permits, including non-resident landowner “property only hunting” (POH) permits, would increase to the same cost as non-resident archery permits sold in the lottery, $410.
4) Non-residents purchasing property after regulation revisions would not be guaranteed permits; they would have to apply in the regular non-resident drawing. Current non-resident landowners would be grandfathered and could still receive guaranteed permits at the standard non-resident fee of $410 instead of a reduced fee.
5) Proceeds from non-resident permit purchases would be allocated specifically to a fund for purchase of recreation hunting lands in Illinois.
6) We propose that all resident deer hunting permits be increased by ten dollars ($10) to offset lost revenue from decreased non-resident permit sales.
Reason: Under today’s law non-resident deer hunters are guaranteed, by statute, a specified number of permits. If a cataclysmic herd situation occurred, the IDNR presently has nothing in place to reduce non-resident permits. This current system is unfair to the resident hunters and could be deleterious to our deer herd. Additionally, the current, essentially unlimited, allocation of non-resident deer permits has led to rampant leasing and land purchases by non-residents, both displacing resident hunters and creating deer sanctuaries that cannot be effectively managed. With our proposal, non-resident hunting pressure will rise and fall with the health and quality of the Illinois deer herd. As we strive to improve the Illinois deer herd, appropriate regulations need to be in place to ensure that an influx of non-resident deer hunters does not hinder or reverse progress or well-being of our deer herd or resident hunters.
