VA DGIF is planning to raise license fees this coming year. If interested, you can comment at: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/regulations/comment-funding/expand.asp?VAC=020-065 Proposed Regulation Amendment 4VAC15-20-65. Definitions and Miscellaneous: In General. Hunting, trapping, and fishing license and permit fees. Summary The proposal is to increase the fees for hunting, trapping, and fishing licenses and certain permits by the following amounts: (i) Virginia resident annual and lifetime licenses, licenses for additional privileges, and certain permits, by $5 each; (ii) Virginia resident "sportsman's" licenses by $30 each; (iii) non-resident annual and lifetime licenses, licenses for additional privileges, by $50 each; (iv) the nonresident license to freshwater and sal****er fish, by $63; and (v) the nonresident license to freshwater and sal****er fish for five consecutive days, by $55. ______________________________________________
There is nothing significant going on here in VA in terms of hunting. We are the worst state in the union in acquiring and maintaing public lands. So why on earth would the VDGIF need to up our license fees? I bet the VDGIF took a hit due to the economy and employs less people, so they need less money to run their department. Again, why up our license fees when you have less employees to pay, and do not do anything with our money anyways?
I think it's a small price to pay for the many hours of enjoyment one can derive from these activities. JMHO
With the "hidden" inflation going on...cost of feed etc is going up. Might be tied to that. $30 for the sportsmans is a huge increase however...that will be $120 I think. Steep for the tag soup I have been eating.
Just under 8M in LEAVE... They have too many senior folks, with too big of retirement entitlements. http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/about/PlannedManagementStrategicDocumentFY2011.pdf 52M total budget...that's sick.
Brett, the dept has purchased quite a few large parcels in the past few years and there is a new group of wardens out in the woods also. Remember too that the game dept gets no revenue from taxes. It all comes from the sale of licenses and items listed under the Pittman/Robinson Act.
I donated to the Commonwealth in the amount of $183.00, this year. I left VA both times (2 trips there to hunt, this year) with opportunities I passed on.....and great memories. If it costs me $30+ more dollars to do the same thing next year, though......I'll have to think about it.
While I don't love paying more money I will say that VA has an immense amount of public hunting land. Every season I pick one or two new ones to try out and make notes on the type of woods, agriculture, pressure, etc. I have found more free "honey holes" than I have time to hunt. I do agree that some of the money should go to improving the public lands (mainly with food plots or agriculture). But from everything I have read they attempt to do that with a limited workforce. I'm not sure if anyone has ever dealt with their customer service but it is good. Prior to going to these public lands I call the main office who then puts me in contact with the conservation officer who specifically handles the piece I'm asking about. I have had 20-30 minute conversations with these guys about areas I should look into, least pressured areas, food sources, etc. License fees are expensive BG(18), SG(18), Archery(18), Blackpowder(18), Crossbow(18), VA State Forest(16), Nat. Forest (2) That puts 2010-11 at $108 I'll be looking at around $140 next year if some of these go up $5 a pop. My NC license was $140, I think it's $240 if you add the bear tag. Bottom line is you gotta pay to play. A couple less trips to Subway this year should cover it.
Rob, I understand these things. I have been purchasing VA hunting licenses for coming on 20 years now. The VDGIF really didn't purchase those lands, WE purchased those lands with our tax dollars. $5 here and there is not going to make or break me. I read the VDGIF's "rationale" on the license fee increase and there was not really any explanation. Also... A "Special Funded" Agency Since its establishment in 1916, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has been classified as a "special funded" agency. The expenditures of the agency are paid by cash in funds specifically established for the operations of the agency. The cash in these funds is generated in part by the sale of items specifically for the support of fish, game and boating programs or from cash generated from economic activities directly tied to these programs.
Here is the main reason for the proposed increase....just found this: 200,000 less overall hunting/fishing licenses sold in 2010 than in 2006. That is MAJOR.
Yes, it is. We have been losing hunters by the 1000's each year, yet, whenever there is talk about, oh, say, allowing crossbows during the full bow season, some people cry like babies. The reason for the DNR (MD anyway) to keep expanding opportunities for hunters is because we keep losing them and there are not enough left to perform the same level of game management as in the past. Pathetic the way hunters try to limit opportunities for other hunters.
Bruce, I find the same thing happening here in VA in regards to hunters not helping out other hunters. HELL, I help people I have never met in person by sending them detailed maps with the exact coordinates of hunting spots on the public land I hunt. There is a ton of private land here in Northern Virginia that noone hunts because noone will offer up those opportunities to the people they perceive as being "blue collared rednecks". We are losing hunters every year. The place I hunt has seen a major reduction in hunter numbers. Not only can we blame other hunters for not helping those folks out, but we can also blame society for creating a weakened/soft groups of kids over the past 20+ years.
Brett has been a big help...but I think he uses me as a down wind diverter to push the deer to him. Every time I go out with him, he sees deer and I don't see ****. (Just kidding)
Hahaha! Sean, it looks like I will get my first hunt in three weeks, tomorrow. I am kind of pumped and kind of sad being that the season is so close to being done. I am invading a late season buck bed I found last winter about this time. I am hoping someone is present and willing to play bow and arrow tomorrow afternoon in that bed.
