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iowa DNR wants to raise hunting/fishing fees......

Lively debate everyone. Good to see people taking an interest in this. Hopefully everyone will take time to share your comments with the people that matter (no offense guys) but none of us vote on these matters and put this legislation in place. Personally I'd like to see the Sustainable Funding Legislation pass. Everyone contributes and every benefits.

Regarding licenses and fees for all the sports mentioned above. All that comes with a price to administer, record keep, police, etc. I'd much rather see 1/10th of cent of my sales tax (I think that's what Sustainable Funding was set at) going to fund all these.

I'm also not alone on this board being an active outdoorsman who hunts, fishes, camps, hikes, boats and yes, even rides RAGBRAI. I probably won't stop doing any of them if fees go up but again, letting everyone pitch in to fund the natural resources and roads used for everyone's benefits makes a lot of sense to me.

My only gripe on the cost of the licenses is keeping youth tags at adult prices or increasing them as well. If the DNR wants to see hunter numbers raise (or at best stay flat) they've got to make it economical and convenient to get kids in the field.

Off my soapbox now. Thanks for listening.
 
34% increase, are you kidding me?Every company are trimimming the fat, lets see where we can do it here. They have DNR shocking Big Creek for fish they have stocked, who cares, they are what they are, if there to small, what are you going to do, take them back?they will grow or they wont.put the guys doing the shocking behind a mower since you say you have no budget to pay for park care!that solves one of your proablems, if your getting paid why not maintain our parks instead of shocking fish? NO2, if i can drive a new vehical for ten plus yrs, why cant you? Cut the new Durrangos, and trucks every yr and maintain what you have, mmm, thats an idea, they do last more than one yr,NO3, HOW COME a snowmobile can ride a trail, but a ATV cant? these new sleds have steel tracks that tear up the ground more than a 4- wheeler, make them buy a special lic to ride the trails on OUR state park ground that all taxpayers are paying for, i cant ride mine , why should they??Im paying for a habitate fee, why can they enjoy it and not me?NO4, you jokers that say the licence fees are cheaper than going to the movies,your right, unless you have a family of 5, so quit going to the movies , and go hunting, if all of you movie goers would introduce your family to hunting OR fishing, you you would help lower the fees, so that limits you to , 2 movies a yr!and thats , skipping the popcorn.NO5, why do some counties have 2 DNR officers when you cant get 1 to return your call?we have major violations on film, they wont respond, so, cut one, that will generate a yrs wages times every county to go to fix the so called flood releif.(see previous post 48 hrs (ethics gun hunting)NO6, look at Missouri, and Ill lic fees, more hunting( rifel) 100 day seasons, less fees.NO7, every company are trimming payroll, i guess its time for the state of ia to do the same!we as middle class are getting pinched enough taxes, healthcare , retirment, college tuition ect, .If the DNR wants to do somthing, they can pay me, for THEIR DEER, THAT HIT MY TRUCK because if i would have shot it, that would have been poaching, so whats this, DEER ROAD RAGE? NO7, why am i paying the state to hunt in iowa, when i should be paying the land owner, which ( i always give them somthing for letting me hunt THRIR GROUND anyway). the DNR -STATE- owns only 7 percent or less of all the ground we hunt, mmm, and they cant maintain that 7 percent, ?, i have a proablem with that , as you fellow sportsman should also!!
 
They use the license fees for whatever they want by moving money from one fund to the next (where does the ATV registration money go ? They sure aren't giving us any places to ride unless you like to be stuck in a playground.....I mean ATV park), if they need money how about charging people to license their bike ? People that ride a bike on the highway and the bike trails in central Iowa should have to pay something. How about for everyone over 18 a sticker that cost $5 per year ? They should pay something for getting in the way of everyone else on the road.
 
Re: iowa DNR wants to raise hunting/fishing fees..

THA4 how about an annual state park user fee said:
It was done many years ago and never worked because people that DIDN'T hunt or fish would not pay to use their outdoor resources. I think park usage dropped about 50 percent that year. I refused to buy the park stamp since I was ALREADY buying hunting and fishing licenses, we hunters and fisherman were getting screwed.
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I wouldn't mind paying more for the any sex bow or shotgun tag. $27 bucks is pretty cheap for that. We in Iowa get to hunt the Whole month of October and November for bow season which is awesome compared to other states. But the doe tags shouldn't increase. I took 14 does in the City of Muscatine at 27 for the first one and 12 bucks for everyone after that to ensure my bonus buck tag for next year, I'm sure not going to pay more for antlerless tags.
 
With the new proposed price increases I have:

A bow worth 1 buck tag and 57 doe tags.

A muzzleloader worth 1 buck tag and 45 doe tags.

A LW and Sticks worth 2 buck tags and 12 doe tags.

Pair of Binos worth 2 buck tags and 27 doe tags.

Bibs and Coveralls worth 2 bucks and 19 doe tags.

Boots worth 1 buck tag and 14 doe tags.

Under armour worth 1 buck tag and 7 doe tags.

You guys get the idea, deer tags are cheap, and well worth it if they are going towards the right cause. With the economic challenges today, everyone is feeling it, including the DNR. We have a great state to deer hunt for a reason, and I will gladly continue to support it. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
/forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/sleep.gif Yea well you make more money than some of us do Micheal, some of us are cutting back on our hunting as it is. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/confused.gif Sooner or later you'll have to shoot a cheap Darton bow or something and hunt with a CVA muzzleloader. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif Hell I'd still do some of the other outdoor stuff I used to do if it weren't so expensive. As far as the doe tags go, jack em up as high as you want, maybe the population will go back up a little from the lows I'm hearing about this year. People aren't going to spend money on going doe hunting when they can't afford anything else..... I'm with the others, set up a toll booth for the bike riders next summer when the ride across Iowa. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
First off, thanks Willie for chiming in. Second, I'm confident the cost increase was necessary and I will happily foot the bill for now to keep the residents at the top of the chain. The real issue at hand is movement on the recommendations presented by the Sustainable Funding Advisory Committee. It's time that the legislature steps up to the plate and makes this happen. When you think about it, this should be nothing shy of a guarantee now that the tree hugging "go green" crowd is in power, outside of the rare chance that they aren't willing to practice what they preach to the rest of us. Surely that couldn't be the case. You now hold the key to the preservation and improvement of Iowa's habitat, fish and game, and resources. The time has come to put up or shut up statehouse Democrats.
 
Just a couple quick thoughts from someone on the outside looking in. Michigan increased their license fees a few years back. The reaction from our hunters was pretty much on par with what I'm seeing here.

My thoughts have always been and still are: I eat/breathe/sleep deer and deer hunting 365 days a year. Not one day goes by that deer don't cross my mind. Whether it be scheming how I'll set my next stand, planting food plots, shooting bows etc.... I would gladly pay extra for the opportunity to hunt. And I live in a state that doesn't put into practice solid whitetail management like Iowa does!! Everyone is strapped right now, but take a second to think about the things you spend money on. I'll bet you could do without a lot of things in order to do something you really love- hunt.

As for the comments about why don't bikers and hikers have to pay to play?? I agree, but I look at it this way: when the anti's cry every year about us hunting wildlife, the fact that hunters are solely responsible for acquiring public land, maintaining that land and protecting wildlife makes for a pretty solid argument for our pastime. Noone cares more for wildlife than a hunter and our dollars put a big puncuation mark at the end. Even diehard conservationists who don't hunt can't question our motives because the end result is an environment where species and land are protected. Pay the extra $ and know that you are the only one who loves the outdoors enough to do so. I know I will.

-BC
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BUCKCRACK</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Just a couple quick thoughts from someone on the outside looking in. Michigan increased their license fees a few years back. The reaction from our hunters was pretty much on par with what I'm seeing here.

My thoughts have always been and still are: I eat/breathe/sleep deer and deer hunting 365 days a year. Not one day goes by that deer don't cross my mind. Whether it be scheming how I'll set my next stand, planting food plots, shooting bows etc.... I would gladly pay extra for the opportunity to hunt. And I live in a state that doesn't put into practice solid whitetail management like Iowa does!! Everyone is strapped right now, but take a second to think about the things you spend money on. I'll bet you could do without a lot of things in order to do something you really love- hunt.

As for the comments about why don't bikers and hikers have to pay to play?? I agree, but I look at it this way: when the anti's cry every year about us hunting wildlife, the fact that hunters are solely responsible for acquiring public land, maintaining that land and protecting wildlife makes for a pretty solid argument for our pastime. Noone cares more for wildlife than a hunter and our dollars put a big puncuation mark at the end. Even diehard conservationists who don't hunt can't question our motives because the end result is an environment where species and land are protected. Pay the extra $ and know that you are the only one who loves the outdoors enough to do so. I know I will.

-BC</div></div>

Wow, very well said. Definitely puts everything into perspective. Great post! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ibowbigbucks</div><div class="ubbcode-body">34% increase, are you kidding me?Every company are trimimming the fat, lets see where we can do it here. They have DNR shocking Big Creek for fish they have stocked, who cares, they are what they are, if there to small, what are you going to do, take them back?they will grow or they wont.put the guys doing the shocking behind a mower since you say you have no budget to pay for park care!that solves one of your proablems, if your getting paid why not maintain our parks instead of shocking fish? NO2, if i can drive a new vehical for ten plus yrs, why cant you? Cut the new Durrangos, and trucks every yr and maintain what you have, mmm, thats an idea, they do last more than one yr,NO3, HOW COME a snowmobile can ride a trail, but a ATV cant? these new sleds have steel tracks that tear up the ground more than a 4- wheeler, make them buy a special lic to ride the trails on OUR state park ground that all taxpayers are paying for, i cant ride mine , why should they??Im paying for a habitate fee, why can they enjoy it and not me?NO4, you jokers that say the licence fees are cheaper than going to the movies,your right, unless you have a family of 5, so quit going to the movies , and go hunting, if all of you movie goers would introduce your family to hunting OR fishing, you you would help lower the fees, so that limits you to , 2 movies a yr!and thats , skipping the popcorn.NO5, why do some counties have 2 DNR officers when you cant get 1 to return your call?we have major violations on film, they wont respond, so, cut one, that will generate a yrs wages times every county to go to fix the so called flood releif.(see previous post 48 hrs (ethics gun hunting)NO6, look at Missouri, and Ill lic fees, more hunting( rifel) 100 day seasons, less fees.NO7, every company are trimming payroll, i guess its time for the state of ia to do the same!we as middle class are getting pinched enough taxes, healthcare , retirment, college tuition ect, .If the DNR wants to do somthing, they can pay me, for THEIR DEER, THAT HIT MY TRUCK because if i would have shot it, that would have been poaching, so whats this, DEER ROAD RAGE? NO7, why am i paying the state to hunt in iowa, when i should be paying the land owner, which ( i always give them somthing for letting me hunt THRIR GROUND anyway). the DNR -STATE- owns only 7 percent or less of all the ground we hunt, mmm, and they cant maintain that 7 percent, ?, i have a proablem with that , as you fellow sportsman should also!! </div></div>





ibowbigbucks I AGREE 100%!!!!! Wish my wage would go up 37%. This is crazy and alot of people on here are nieve to think they can give more and its a good thing. WHY?? Do you think it will help anything? Heck no!!! IDNR is going to do what they want to regardless what you or i have to say about it. What i wish is every resident in our wonderful state skip hunting for one year, then watch them. They would all know what struggling is for once. Gouging at its best.
 
Willy and Blind Sow I am always grateful for your input from the DNR view point and for putting yourselves out there for a potential bombardment. I agree that some kind of license fee increase is over due and will pay it to enjoy what I have for the last 50 or so years, and since I am pretty lazy I just copied a post from another board. I know that there are many of the same members on both, but I think these things need to be said. For you guys who are so critical of the DNR buying new vehicles and all the other stuff maybe you should get the whole picture before you start belittling these guys who are trying to do a job that is usually thankless. Some of this post is critical because I can't agree with every thing that the IDNR does, but I am glad that they do what they do so that I can do what I do.


I have just read every post on this thread, and I am like a lot of people, I will pay the increases but I am not sure that I really support them. I really don't mind paying for my hunting and fishing activities, but I do support the sustainable funding program. I know that Missouri has a 1/8 percent tax that goes to their DNR and the parks and facilities that they have there are far better than most that we have. One thing that we all need to understand is that the funds from these proposed increases will not do anything to increase public ground or hunting access or fishing opportunities in Iowa. They will go to just maintaining the status-quo. This money will just partly make up for the short fall and won't hire any additional personnel or purchase any additional ground.

I don't see the correlation with the stated reasons for the increases, mainly that the floods kept people from buying fishing licenses or kept enough people from camping to make a real impact. I am not saying that people didn't camp or buy fishing licenses as much, just that it was not caused by the flooding. How many State Park campgrounds were closed and for how long? I think that $4.00 dollar gas all summer long kept more people from pulling their campers, at 6 or 8 MPG, to the campgrounds. I think the same thing effected the casual fisherman, he just couldn't spend the money for gas and a license for a couple of times. I think that these increases will generally have the same downward effect, even though the gas prices have gone way down. I also don't see what damage to State Parks have to do with hunting licenses increases. Those funds are, by law, supposed to be completely separate. The State Parks are woefully under funded, I know, but that should have nothing to do with license fees. I also understand some of the reasons for them, but some of the State regulations governing volunteer labor and donated funds are far to restrictive. Several years ago a handful of people tried to start and sustain a group called Friends of Lake Wapello. We tried to run fund raising events and repair and work projects to help the Park. The State required that the group maintain our own insurance policy, which cost us nearly $1000.00 per year, even though every person who came to our events could use any of the park facilities when ever they wanted for no fee except for camping. No repair project could be done with out an ok from a State engineer and then any restoration had to be done exactly as the original was. The entrance to the Park has two stone columns flanking the road that were built in the 30's by the CCC, that are falling apart and we wanted to repair them. The regs said that they needed inspected and then the same kind of sandstone blocks with the same kind of mortar had to be used and then the State would have to hire a contractor to do the work. The only thing we could do was pay for every thing, so what could have done for a couple of hundred dollars and our own labor ended up with an estimate of over $5000.00. Needless to say those columns are in worse repair today because there wasn't an extra $5000.00 in the DNR budget.

As long as I am ranting about some of this I am against the MANDATORY "contribution to HUSH on each of our deer licenses, even the landowners. In 2007 there were 389,163 licensed issued in Iowa, so at $1.00 that amounts to nearly $400,000.00 for the hush program. Even with the fee of, I think, of $70.00 that would cover almost 6000 donated deer. With the harvest rate down to less than 40 percent I question just how many deer are being donated and how many of the extra deer are just given to family and friends. It has been a while since I have read anything about grumblings about the lack of HUSH lockers. Don't get me wrong, I think it is a good and worth while program but 2 things bother me about it. #1 The fact that I don't have a choice in the matter and the price of the processing. I can tell you that just working in my garage I can skin a nearly frozen deer and bone it and cut, grind some for burger, wrap, and freeze it in about 2 hours and that is being with out much equipment and skill. I would think that a good locker could do the job in less than half that time, especially since virtually all the donated meat is in the form of ground meat. All they need to do is cut off big pieces and throw it in a commercial size grinder and then wrap it.

Wow! I really got started ranting again didn't I? Bottom line is I will pay the price increase, but we really need to get that sales tax sustained funding measure passed so that every one at least pays a share, even if it isn't an equal share, of the cost of maintaining our outdoors experiences.
 
IBOWBIGBUCKS- You can't ride atv's in the ditch? I don't know if it's a county thing but we can ride as long as there is 1/10th of an inch of snow. Would be nice to ride in the spring and summer though.
 
since our HUSH "donations" are a manditory thing, i would like to see farm bureau match every penny "donated" but hunters
 
I don't care if there's a foot of snow, if the DNR or any cop catches someone riding an ATV ( with the exception of plowing snow ) on any street or on public ground you better get out your check book. The 1/10th of an inch of snow is for snowmobiles. And don't get me started on sleds, i'm about ready to buy one because they can ride anywhere and nobody gives them a hard time.
 
We ride ours all over in the winter in the ditches. I drove it to town last year cause I couldn't get the truck out. Stopped at the convineint store to get a soda and said hi to the police officer on the way in. Atv's can ride in the ditches as long as you got the snow. Maybe it's a county or city thing.
 
Im no math wizzard, but i can buy alot of beef for what your talking!Drive into your beloved BIGCREEK ST PARK( NORTH END) east of Hopkins grove church, and tell me why, they have cut down every bit of cover,timber, switch grass, and have them tell me theres no habitat for the pheasnts, why, --because thet keep cutting all the fencerows and everything else they need to survive!why am i paying near $150.00 to buy two turkey tags, two deer tags , pluse my original lic fee and habitat, when all the game i hunt, are on private owned land? i pay the land owner to hunt, why am i paying the state? its not their deer when it crosses your path and slams into your vehical.the insurance companies are also disputing it,so why are we paying for DEER collisions, if the DNR wants to fine someone for shooting one , then they should pay for their Deer hitting my truck, but oh no, lets jack our premiums up and our licence fees.they are telling us that they have no money to cover state disasters, floods ect, what state program have you ever known, that never had a backup fund? its called flood releif!I WOULD WAGER, THAT IN IA,75% OF YOU HUNTERS ,HUNT ON A FAMILY FARM, PRIVATE GROUNDS . ECT , why would you pay fees to hunt on only 7 percent of the gound the state owns , when you can hunt on private?If they are asking for a 34 % increase on the little bit(7%) of land they are managing, and they cant manage that, theres proablem.If they want 34 %, they can cut over head like every other company has to now in this recession!
 
bowstring,
we cant ride ours anywhere. a city thing, we cant even ride along the river, only place-- some park up by webstercity just for atvs,i dont get it, i pay taxes fot my state park(BIBCREEK)and pay a habitate fee, yet SNOWMOBILES can ride their sleds with steel tracks on a trail , but thats not going to tear the trail up more than my rubber tires?i have licenened my atv, with my yellow 09 STICKER, TO ABSOLUTLY RIDE - - NOWHERE-I WILLNOT DO IT NEXT YR, NO MORE FREE MONEY FOR THEM!so if you see me buzzing by your tree stand in a atv, think nothing of it,just making up my 34%/!
 
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