No wonder Non Residents aren't Deer Hunting

[jmorris]

So instead of giving them phones at the border, we just need to charge them $200?

Sounds too easy.

 

[earlthegoat2]

In Kentucky, even resident fees have gone up. I buy a sportsman's license every year; this year it was $95, and I've bagged one deer, nothing else all year. For many years I bought one, and ended up with no place to fish or hunt. Next year (although not early enough in the year to be practical), I'll be eligible for a senior license, and I plan to take advantage of that....$12. We also have a resident senior lifetime sportsman's license, which is $180; I doubt I'd live long enough, or be spry enough for all those years, to make that one worthwhile.

If you want an example of non-resident fees that are truly worth complaining about, look at the Canadian provinces. Most of them gouge American hunters outrageously with their fees.

As for hunter numbers dropping, I believe that in my state, at least, there is no shortage of hunters, or potential hunters, even though license sales are indeed down. Desire to hunt among the populace is as great as I've ever seen it. The problem is a dire shortage of hunting opportunities near the population centers, especially near Lexington. A lot of potential hunters get discouraged, and just don't keep buying licenses.

The property I currently hunt is very small, but because of its habitat mix, it's very attractive to deer. The landowner is constantly pestered by people asking permission to hunt, some of whom offer him crazy lease fees, and by people wanting to buy his land for hunting purposes, even though it's only 18 acres!! One of the neighboring landowners is wealthy, and has repeatedly offered him twice what he paid for the property only 4 years ago, just to add it to his land so he could use it for 2 weeks out of the year. That same scenario is played out regularly all over this part of the state, and I don't see that trend slowing down in my lifetime.

Edited to add: I think that nonresident hunters are actually increasing in our state; Kentucky is now the trendy spot to pursue a B&C buck. What happened to Kansas a few years back is what's happening here now.

KY is talked about like it is some kind of Mecca to folks here in GA.

I lived and hunted in KY for several years (2008-2010) so I sort of understand it. It might be just me but I have no desire to travel a long ways just to shoot an animal if the same species as I hunt in my home state. Granted I do travel to MI for that purpose but it is not to shoot trophy type animals. I hunt with my dad and help him process the does and small bucks we normally shoot.

Trophy hunters are an interesting lot.

 

[Hugger-4641]

In Kentucky, even resident fees have gone up. I buy a sportsman's license every year; this year it was $95, and I've bagged one deer, nothing else all year. For many years I bought one, and ended up with no place to fish or hunt. Next year (although not early enough in the year to be practical), I'll be eligible for a senior license, and I plan to take advantage of that....$12. We also have a resident senior lifetime sportsman's license, which is $180; I doubt I'd live long enough, or be spry enough for all those years, to make that one worthwhile.

If you want an example of non-resident fees that are truly worth complaining about, look at the Canadian provinces. Most of them gouge American hunters outrageously with their fees.

As for hunter numbers dropping, I believe that in my state, at least, there is no shortage of hunters, or potential hunters, even though license sales are indeed down. Desire to hunt among the populace is as great as I've ever seen it. The problem is a dire shortage of hunting opportunities near the population centers, especially near Lexington. A lot of potential hunters get discouraged, and just don't keep buying licenses.

The property I currently hunt is very small, but because of its habitat mix, it's very attractive to deer. The landowner is constantly pestered by people asking permission to hunt, some of whom offer him crazy lease fees, and by people wanting to buy his land for hunting purposes, even though it's only 18 acres!! One of the neighboring landowners is wealthy, and has repeatedly offered him twice what he paid for the property only 4 years ago, just to add it to his land so he could use it for 2 weeks out of the year. That same scenario is played out regularly all over this part of the state, and I don't see that trend slowing down in my lifetime.

Edited to add: I think that nonresident hunters are actually increasing in our state; Kentucky is now the trendy spot to pursue a B&C buck. What happened to Kansas a few years back is what's happening here now.

I am hunting in KY for the first time this year. I have relatives that own 450 acres that border the Mississippi River. Rifle season just ended. $150 for non resident license, $ 185 for deer permit. Only allowed one buck, and biggest thing I saw so far was a decent 8pt, but I ain't taking any culls until the end of Dec muzzle loader season.

 

[Savage30L]

I am hunting in KY for the first time this year. I have relatives that own 450 acres that border the Mississippi River. Rifle season just ended. $150 for non resident license, $ 185 for deer permit. Only allowed one buck, and biggest thing I saw so far was a decent 8pt, but I ain't taking any culls until the end of Dec muzzle loader season.

I was just looking at the list of KY B&C bucks by county. Most of them came from counties with moderate-to-low deer numbers (and not counties that out-of-state trophy hunters would generally think to hunt); none from that part of the state.

 

[dobedo]

I pay 5 bucks for a hunting license in MD cause I am an old fart once you reach 65, they drop from 24 bucks. I live in the southern zone we can shoot 1 buck or 2 if you buy a bonus stamp, also we are allowed 10 does during the hunting season.

 

[Patocazador]

Florida is not known for great hunting (for good reasons) and they nickel and dime sportsmen to death with a license for lots of different species both aquatic and land-based. Freshwater fishing license, saltwater fishing, state duck stamp (and you don't even get a stamp), lobster permit, tarpon permit, archery license, muzzleload license, and it goes on and on .......

I looked forward to turning 65 because GA and FL had a reciprocal agreement that allowed free hunting and fishing to senior citizens in both states. Guess what? Yeah, you already know the punch line. The year I turned 65, the agreement was cancelled and I wound up in intensive care for pancreatitis. However, I survived and have had 15 years of free hunting and fishing in FL. It could have been better but it could have been worse too.

 

[.308 Norma]

A nonresident Idaho hunting license is $185.00, and a nonresident Idaho deer tag is $351.75 (elk is $651.75). There's also a limit on how many nonresident Idaho deer tags will be sold. I don't know what that limit is, but I know that last year the Idaho Department of Fish and Game quit selling nonresident deer tags long before deer season - I think they quit selling them in July sometime.

 

[entropy]

I live in WI, just a few miles from MN, and there are many people in both states that hunt both. Particularly all the Minnesnowtans that have cabins (.....always 'up by Hayward') in WI.

 

[Speedo66]

As I recall, KY also has an elk hunting season, by lottery. Out of state bull permit, if drawn, is $550 in addition to other out of state licensing fees.

The state touts it by saying it’s the biggest elk herd east of the Rockies.

 

[Savage30L]

As I recall, KY also has an elk hunting season, by lottery. Out of state bull permit, if drawn, is $550 in addition to other out of state licensing fees.

The state touts it by saying it’s the biggest elk herd east of the Rockies.

Yes, and "lottery" is the right word. A very difficult draw.

 

[tactikel]

Wisconsin lost the money we spend on: gas, food (restaurant and grocery), bar tab, alcohol, lodging, deer processing.
Those who rail against non resident hunters overlook how much money they pump into the local economy.

 

[tdbmd]

I never really thought about it. I buy my Resident Sportsman's License every year for Fishing, Small Game, and Gun Deer. $60.00, hardly painful. I was talking to a Game Warden and I remarked I hadn't encountered many out of state Hunter's in the last couple of years. He told me your basic Non-Resident Buck only license was a cool $200.00 and processing a Deer if you don't do it yourself could add another $300.00 to that plus lodgings, food, and travel expenses. He said the non-resident license sales had dropped by almost half what they were 10 years ago. It just costs too much. I hunt on my own land so I don't encounter other Hunter's much, but I used to see a lot of out of state cars at Grocery stores and Bar/Restaurants. Not any more.

In spite of owning farmland there, we are non-residents for Iowa and the tag for deer hunting is almost $600

 

[Highland Lofts]

I live forty miles north of fecal hole seattle and hunt New York and some years I'll hunt Pennsylvania as well.
I take a month off of work to go deer hunting.
For a non-resident New York small game/big game license it is $100, you get a buck tag and bear tag. They are open at the same time.
DMAP (doe tags) are $10 and you can get two tags.
They go on sale August 1st, on November 1st you can get two more doe tags for free.
Then you can get a muzzle loader tag and an archery tag as well and they are either sex.

Plus an added bonus the DMAP ( tags are transferable.

I have a friend from Anacortes Washington that can out to New York state with me for a week and a half last year. He harvested a nice eight point and a doe.
He came back with me this year for a week and a half and harvested two big does.

Our air line tickets generally run $325 to $350.
We leave all of our hunting clothes and all of our hunting gear in New York.
We each take back two ice chest with fifty pounds of processed deer in each ice chest.
One hundred pounds each.
I stay at my brother's place for the month.
When my friend comes back I stay a a motel with my friend, the cost is $300 for a week so we split the cost, $150 a piece.
We process all of the deer we harvest.
Last year we harvested ten deer, so far this year we are up to five. We should harvest more deer this week.

A non-resident Pennsylvania small game/big game hunting license is $102, you get a buck tag and a bear tag is an add on.
Doe tags are $26 a piece and You can get up to six of them.

The average deer kill in Washington state is 26,000 deer a year.
New York the average deer kill is 220,000 deer a year.
Pennsylvania the average deer kill is 330,000 deer a year.
Michigan the average deer kill is 350,000 deer a year.