Deer License Prices

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  • dak109

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Jun 26, 2009
    1,184
    83
    Brown County
    This answers most of your questions on P-R.

    Most of which I know. I was hoping for specifics. I imagine the public range updates a few years ago were paid from it.
    It just seems most of the justification for license increase would be paid from P-R, aside from pay raises.
     

    greg

    Master
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    6   0   0
    Jan 17, 2009
    1,613
    113
    Plainfied,In
    Who has the lowdown on the Pittman Robertson Act? Firearms and ammunition tax paid by the manufacturer that gets passed to the consumer unnoticed.
    I would like to know what Indiana’s share is and what it goes for.
    Learn more about how DFW is funded:

     

    nascarfantoo

    Master
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    9   0   0
    Oct 29, 2012
    3,168
    48
    Western IN
    I may be in the minority, but I am okay with the increase. I personally think good management of our wildlife resources is very important and if it takes a few more dollars every year from me, then I am okay.

    But I am getting to that age where I would rather pay a little more in fees and enjoy time in the woods versus spending it on a couple 12 packs of beer for the weekend.
     

    ghuns

    Grandmaster
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    2   0   0
    Nov 22, 2011
    9,308
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    It`s far from a bad thing that the non-resident prices are going up bigly...
    Especially when the #2 typical buck of all time was killed here.

    It's not like out of state hunters didn't already know Indiana had some big bucks, but now they'll be coming in droves.
     

    gregr

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 1, 2016
    4,300
    113
    West-Central
    I may be in the minority, but I am okay with the increase. I personally think good management of our wildlife resources is very important and if it takes a few more dollars every year from me, then I am okay.

    But I am getting to that age where I would rather pay a little more in fees and enjoy time in the woods versus spending it on a couple 12 packs of beer for the weekend.
    Your perspective is refreshing. It really is, or ought to be about the resource. We`re blessed to have game to hunt, and truth is, we`ve become extremely spoiled with both the quantity as well as the quality of deer hunting in the United States, and Indiana in particular.
     

    phatgemi

    Expert
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    16   0   0
    Oct 1, 2008
    1,217
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    Metamora, IN
    Especially when the #2 typical buck of all time was killed here.

    It's not like out of state hunters didn't already know Indiana had some big bucks, but now they'll be coming in droves.
    Then maybe they should have two non resident licenses. One for big bucks for guys hunting big bucks and a less expensive one for a relative just wanting a doe for some meat.
     

    swampdonkey

    Sharpshooter
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    8   0   0
    Dec 21, 2012
    418
    79
    Bloomington
    I have some old military friends that come to visit for Christmas or thanksgiving. They may only be in town for a week but love to hunt my property. By the time it is all said and done catching up, eating too much food and a few more beers then we prolly should have they only hunt a couple days. I hate to say it but they prolly just won’t bring their bows any more to spend so much for a couple days on the woods.

    I totally get the rate hikes and like how Indiana has managed its herd overall. the 1 buck rule has really paid off in my opinion. If the extra funds will allow DNR to go after more poachers and trespassers I will gladly pay it. I have strong suspicions there is a poacher in my area and prolly most areas in southern Indiana
     

    bwframe

    Loneranger
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    93   0   0
    Feb 11, 2008
    38,170
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    Btown Rural
    The DNR is like other gov't agencies. They like your money. We should be skeptical and hold them accountable.

    Remember when the DNR used to be customer oriented and were the first to tell us that they worked for us?

    Remember back when we could buy a lifetime license for our kids and grandkids, so they wouldn't be glued to a couch for life?
     

    gregr

    Master
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    0   0   0
    Jan 1, 2016
    4,300
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    West-Central
    The DNR is like other gov't agencies. They like your money. We should be skeptical and hold them accountable.

    Remember when the DNR used to be customer oriented and were the first to tell us that they worked for us?

    Remember back when we could buy a lifetime license for our kids and grandkids, so they wouldn't be glued to a couch for life?
    You buy annual hunting licenses for your kids and grandkids, so I`m not seeing the point here...the DNR isn`t obligated to sell you lifetime licenses, nor are they obligated to set their wildlife management goals to satisfy only you. They`re obligated to set wildlife biology goals for the benefit of the hunter, the habitat, and the resource, along with farmers and insurance companies. I have no idea what your gripe is. Everything costs more, why would you expect running and funding the DNR to be different?
     

    bwframe

    Loneranger
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    93   0   0
    Feb 11, 2008
    38,170
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    Btown Rural
    You buy annual hunting licenses for your kids and grandkids, so I`m not seeing the point here...the DNR isn`t obligated to sell you lifetime licenses, nor are they obligated to set their wildlife management goals to satisfy only you. They`re obligated to set wildlife biology goals for the benefit of the hunter, the habitat, and the resource, along with farmers and insurance companies. I have no idea what your gripe is. Everything costs more, why would you expect running and funding the DNR to be different?

    I don't have to participate, if the cost to hunt is a poor value. A lot of today's youth will take screen time over getting outdoors to hunt, when the costs outrun the benefits. The next generation of hunters may not be of the practical mindset?

    I was told years ago, when I bought my lifetime license, that I lot of us will be priced out of hunting down the road. Even then, annual licensing combined with equipment, gear, ammunition's, etc. was beyond the price of putting good grocery meat in your fridge.

    I guess it depends on how you look at hunting? Should it be a wealthy man's sport or a healthy man's sport?

    How much does it cost to take the king's deer? Or should it be a reasonable fee to take the deer that we as a state already own?
     
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    Bugzilla

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    0   0   0
    Apr 14, 2021
    3,568
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    DeMotte
    The items I mentioned are all things that I have seen happen in our area that have increased taxes. The new ditch tax initially added $10 per acre to everyone's taxes that were in the designated area for the first year. My uncle with 300 acres was not at all happy with his tax bill that year. It added $900 to our taxes that year along with $1 per acre every year after that. We don't have any ditches near our property and live on sandy soil that is like beach sand. We would love to have a ditch to provide water to our property. Instead, we get to pay for maintaining ditches that are miles away because we are in the "watershed area" designated on some map.
    Sounds like Jasper County
     

    gregr

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    0   0   0
    Jan 1, 2016
    4,300
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    West-Central
    I don't have to participate, if the cost to hunt is a poor value. A lot of today's youth will take screen time over getting outdoors to hunt, when the costs outrun the benefits. The next generation of hunters may not be of the practical mindset?

    I was told years ago, when I bought my lifetime license, that I lot of us will be priced out of hunting down the road. Even then, annual licensing combined with equipment, gear, ammunition's, etc. was beyond the price of putting good grocery meat in your fridge.

    I guess it depends on how you look at hunting? Should it be a wealthy man's sport or a healthy man's sport?

    How much does it cost to take the king's deer? Or should it be a reasonable fee to take the deer that we as a state already own?
    I know an awful lot of guys who hunt, who do not have a lot of financial resources. The cost to hunt is far lower than the cost of a great many other recreational pastimes. You can spend as much as you want on gear and accessories, or as little as you want.

    Whether kids prefer screen time over time out hunting has nothing to do with the cost of a license.

    Everyone`s perspective on hunting can be different. If your must-have from hunting is that you can put meat in the freezer more plentifully and cheaper than the grocery store, then hunting may not be for you. But once you`ve already bought all your hunting gear, the cost of the hunting licenses shouldn`t be prohibitive.

    We all decide what`s important to us and spend our monies appropriately. It costs the state money to provide wildlife biologists and Conservation Officers. Game populations have to be kept to a size that the habitat can provide for. The DNR has a difficult job, trying to keep hunters happy, while balancing the interests of farmers and insurance companies. It`s not an enviable position.

    I think it would be a shame if you dropped out of hunting, but it sounds as though you`re very disgruntled and fed up with what actually is a pretty good system. The deer belong to the state, but we are co-managers with the DNR. Pittman-Robertson fees, along with hunting license fees fund the work that has to be done to keep the herds healthy and huntable, in spite of EHD, and anything else that may impact deer herd numbers.
     
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