# License fees on the way up



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

License fees on the way up, and for good reason

Department of Natural Resources director Becky Humphries has announced her intention to add $1 to the basic license fee, making it $15 for a small game/deer/basic fishing license. This is Humphries' first opportunity to raise the cost of licenses since she took over the helm in June and she wasted no time. 
She's to be commended. The state's Game and Fish Protection Fund is headed for trouble and the $1 license boost will buy one more year before we have to face the music.

http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/statewide/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/110548680439710.xml


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

HR,
Thanks again for posting so much good info.
I hope that some sportsmen who keep suggesting new programs for the DNR to try, will realize that the money just isn't there. One proposed progam comes to mind......mandatory deer checks. How many hundreds of thousands of dollars would this cost ? I know, it doesn't matter. Some hunters have such a fascination for counting dead deer that it would be ok with them to reduce our current staff of COs or field biologist to balance the books. 
Or how about eliminating the Combo(2 bucks) license. There goes about 5 million of revenue. Oh well, who cares about a balanced budget ? All of the whinners & moaners out there need to tell us how they are going to pay for their pet projects. 

L & O


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

Pay for them with higher license fees! Which would be fine by me!! And add a Habitat Stamp that anyone buying any type of hunting/fishing license must first purchase! I say give them the money to do the work necessary...(and I'm not trained to know everything necessary, I'll leave it up to them!)


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## Randy Kidd (Apr 21, 2001)

A "Habitat Stamp" is a decent idea. Say five bucks a year for anyone buying a hunting or fishing license. Heck I would not mind paying 10 bucks a year for one...And here it comes...wait for it...It would have to be used exclusivley by the DNR, and not find it's way into that black hole called "the general fund".


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## Adam Waszak (Apr 12, 2004)

OK where the hell does all of our money go anyways????? This is nuts, the money we spend on lic is supposed to go toward the management of the wildlife correct? Or am I incorrect? I am tired of this everytime we turn around and there is not enough when we don't have deer check ins etc. I buy waterfowl stamps, small game, combo tag, all species fishing, turkey both seasons, bear application every year. That means I spend over 100.00 a year on regular licenses and tags before any antlerless doe tags go on sale and I bet a lot of you do the exact same thing. That is a ton of money coming in to them and they never have enough or we never know where the heck it is going. Just think, if 700,000 deer hunters go out on opening day and only buy one $14.00 tag, thats $9,800,000.00 just from gun deer hunting if they all buy a doe tag theres another $4,900,000.00 think about the fishermen and the and all of the other hunters and trappers etc. My question, where is it going??????

AW


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## aborgman (Sep 8, 2004)

Adam Waszak said:


> OK where the hell does all of our money go anyways????? This is nuts, the money we spend on lic is supposed to go toward the management of the wildlife correct? Or am I incorrect? I am tired of this everytime we turn around and there is not enough when we don't have deer check ins etc. I buy waterfowl stamps, small game, combo tag, all species fishing, turkey both seasons, bear application every year. That means I spend over 100.00 a year on regular licenses and tags before any antlerless doe tags go on sale and I bet a lot of you do the exact same thing. That is a ton of money coming in to them and they never have enough or we never know where the heck it is going. Just think, if 700,000 deer hunters go out on opening day and only buy one $14.00 tag, thats $9,800,000.00 just from gun deer hunting if they all buy a doe tag theres another $4,900,000.00 think about the fishermen and the and all of the other hunters and trappers etc. My question, where is it going??????
> 
> AW


 Well, the fiscal year 2005 proposed budget for the DNR is $253,900,000.

State Parks: $54,370,000
Forest, mineral and fire management: $40,042,000
Conservation Officers: $28,203,900
Wildlife management: $26,254,800
Fisheries Management: $25,873,600
Grants to local govt.: $24,015,800
Support Services: $19,973,400
Land and facilities management: $16,770,500
Payments in Lieu of Taxes: $9,763,200
Information Technology: $8,633,900

of the above only State Parks, Fisheries Management, and Grants to local govt. are not recieving any funds form the General fund.

All of the above information is easily accessible and available at:

http://www.michigan.gov/budget/

-- 
Aaron


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## Swamp Ghost (Feb 5, 2003)

$9 short in my opinion


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## johnhunter (Jun 17, 2000)

As long as its going to be increased, may as well get serious. License fees have lagged way behind general consumer inflation. I'd have bumped 'em from $14 to $25.


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## J - Rod (Oct 27, 2004)

Adam Waszak said:


> OK where the hell does all of our money go anyways????? This is nuts, the money we spend on lic is supposed to go toward the management of the wildlife correct? Or am I incorrect? I am tired of this everytime we turn around and there is not enough when we don't have deer check ins etc. I buy waterfowl stamps, small game, combo tag, all species fishing, turkey both seasons, bear application every year. That means I spend over 100.00 a year on regular licenses and tags before any antlerless doe tags go on sale and I bet a lot of you do the exact same thing. That is a ton of money coming in to them and they never have enough or we never know where the heck it is going. Just think, if 700,000 deer hunters go out on opening day and only buy one $14.00 tag, thats $9,800,000.00 just from gun deer hunting if they all buy a doe tag theres another $4,900,000.00 think about the fishermen and the and all of the other hunters and trappers etc. My question, where is it going??????
> 
> AW


$100 for all that!! What a deal!!! That is some extremely cheap entertainment....


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