pa hunting license increasing and keep going up

I work with a volunteer game warden and I had asked him about the hike in prices. He told me if was because of the lack I sales and called it a dying sport, which it is in all reality. I feel that the increase in prices will thin the idiots out of the woods. He also told me the sunday hunting issue will change as well. The farmers breau is what the hold up was. They felt it would disturb the animals on sunday. The increase in prices won't change my views on Pa and its hunting regs. We get to start later than a lot of states and we cut out in the middle of the rut just because wardens want a break before bear and deer season. I think they are gonna lose a lot of people if that doesn't change. I buy my Ohio license every year for duck and goose hunting so I think I'll start buying a deer tag with them.

 

Did he say when this change was going to take affect?

 

you my friend are so true. archery season need to be like Ohio start middle or late sept and run the whole way to jan!

butta boom!

 

There are a lot of people within the government that don't really care about the cost. They know some of us will pay because they know we want to hunt. For most of us that work during the week it really limits your stand time. Sometimes I work on Saturday so that's even have less time. Slow turning into a rich mans sport. Less time more money . Very frustrating!

 

Don't "most of us" get vacation time? I don't, but I take time off (whatever I need/want) without pay to hunt. Again, it all boils down to how important hunting is to you.

 

I think they should be pushing for non hunters that access the game lands to have to buy a permit. us hunters are funding the land that they are nature walking on. time for them to pitch in and help out with the cost. I know it has been talked about before but never gets anywhere like sunday hunting. I also think they should hike non res tags a bit more to offset the cost. but the dummies in Harrisburg just make laws to fit their best interest. I always wanted to know what big wig in the GC couldn't wait for their kid to turn 12 so he invented this crazy mentor program. that same guy most likely had no luck with a vertical bow so he also passed a crossbow law. another thing that could be done is add a pheasant stamp to help fund the pheasant stocking program. it is a non reproducing species that we all have to pay for even if we don't hunt them. heck fishing we have to buy a trout stamp. the whole way the GC is run is frustrating.

 

Not a lot of glass half full guys on here......look at what opportunities you have....not what you want, and your whole day will go better

 

He did not give me an exact time frame, but he said they understand that the majority of hunters want the ban on sunday hunting to change so I would give it a year or 2.

 

Its funny, a lot of good points that I forgot about are being raised and when I think of my friends who live and hunt in other states, it really starts coming full picture.

Here is what I believe is going on in PA.

1. They will not raise non-resident license to the extent that you see in other states. Why? Because hunting in PA, for the most part, is not worthy of the big money other states draw. If PA raised their NR fees to $250 plus, the NR numbers would plummet. Bad for GC bottom line.

2. Raising resident fees is easy. They know full well the die hards and those who seriously hunt (which is quite a few of us) will pay it regardless. I am one of those and honestly see no issue in a bit of a bump in fees.

3. The state really does need to evaluate whether to charge a fee to access state parks, hikers fees, etc. I know of a few states that have some type of fee, either a daily or annual fee. Hunter dollars fund 99% of these places in the state, especially game lands (which low and behold also tie into state parks in many places).

4. Sunday hunting, i'm still somewhat on the fence. I know it would be nice to hunt all weekend during archery season. I also know the wife wouldn't be all that thrilled, lol. But I do worry about the impact of the gun seasons. Again, PA has a TON of hunters, even though the number is dwindling. The vast majority of them take vacation days, etc for the gun season only to go to camps, etc. Lots of these folks never set foot into the woods before this (city yuppies). I'm all for opportunities for all, but geezus, sometimes I wonder what two extra days in the gun season where things are already chaos would do. I'd like to see them allow sundays for everything but the high powered rifle seasons (bear and deer). But I know that would cause a huge issue with the gun only folks.

5. Bottom line, in my opinion. The PGC is grabbing at everything they can to increase hunter numbers again. Crossbows, Sunday hunting, more opportunities to use a rifle (for those that don't know, there is only 2 weeks at the beginning of the archery season that bowhunters don't have to contend with gun hunters hunting something (small game, turkeys, early muzzleloader and early youth rifle season). Hunting is in some ways a dying sport. Not nearly as many families grow up hunting, or get introduced. Not many folks have the time, money, or means to get themselves or their kids involved. To further that, with deer numbers at all time lows in some areas, kids just aren't interested in sitting in the woods watching squirrels.

But the PGC has a money problem. I believe they spend (blow) money on crap that just isn't necessary. They have all these studies on bats, quail, and other rodents, etc that is costing them millions a year. It might be important, I don't know. It just seems to me that these things can be put on the back burner to ensure proper operating funds are there first. They're even having issues with employing enough game wardens. I know in my region there is a single CO that is in charge of a very, very large area. I've spoke with him and he says he hardly tries anymore, its pointless to try covering it all. He basically is resorting to responding to complaints when someone calls.

Again, I have no issue with a license increase. But the writing should be on the wall for the PGC. They can't continue to fund what they are doing and wasting money on fruitless things when they can be putting that money into keeping the lights on.

 

Great read but did he say farmers are concerned how the animals will react to hunting on sundays? Come someone let me in on why a animal would react different if it was lets say a Wednesday? Great read though a lot interesting views..

 

I think the Sunday hunting issue will have to change if they want to get away with the increase. A lot of PA hunters were unhappy before the license increase, so I'm curious to see how this all plays out.

I'm all for an increase if it's used in the right way. Hopefully it's used for more enforcement of the game laws. My area has a ton of poaching and you have to pull teeth to get something done about it.

 

because deer have calendars?....lol

 

I like the idea that a few mentioned by charging a fee to the non hunters that take advantage of what us hunters do by way of conservation. The only draw back I see is those people would want more say because they had to pay and want more say than the share they would cover.

 

FL does this on an honor system. If you're a hunter you buy your stamp that allows you on state game lands. If you're just sight seeing you can leave the fee in an envelope in the box and keep a corresponding tag in your vehicle. If the warden comes through and you've shorted your fee or don't have a permit, as KGtech says "butta boom". I think it works well, it helps with the board walks and such that, as a hunter, I don't use, but would have to pay for with my permit and licenses.

 

so you guys are saying...

Need to make campers, hikers, and horse riders buy a license or premit. This way they wont have to increase hunting license prices. If you want to use the property, you have to pay to play. ( just like us hunter do)

This lets everyone help with the conservation of natural resources.

 

yes!!!!!

 

I still think a pheasant stamp would help offset millions invested in raising pheasants. at least grouse reproduce and don't cost $10 a bird

 

100% agree. I've always wondered why they didn't do this.

 

The estimate I saw was $42 per harvested bird.....limit of 2 per day....one limit and you paid for your license

 

When they proposed the increases last year my husband and I debated if we'd hunt the state or not. We live 15 minutes from Ohio and have some opportunities to hunt there. What Pennsylvania has to offer in my corner is not impressive. We have way too many poachers and gun hunters - IMO.

However, I thought I read somewhere where they are going to offer a "ultimate sportsmen" combo where it'd be every tag (exception of doe) and it was cheaper than buying the individuals.

We still have a few months to decide. We have been looking at leases - so we will see.