DNR survey

[JimH]

I got mine in 1987, 360.00 $. Back then we had way more deer than we do now. People stop seeing deer when they are hunting and they will stop hunting and buying licenses. Let thr IDNR,aka the Incompetents Doing Nothing Right get their $$$ from the special interest groups they cater to.

 

[bwframe]

But who has the time/freezer space to harvest a half dozen deer a year?

Compared with trips to and the prices at the grocery? I do...

...I have an All American canner and a lot of jars also...

 

[JTKelly]

Got my survey for this past deer season. They had a portion for lifetime license and if they bring it back. They even had a price. Over 3k! Who can drop that kinda money at this time? Leave it to the state to make things unaffordable again.

Same thing everyone said last time.

 

[Mgderf]

I routinely regret not purchasing the lifetime hunting license while it was available.
I just could not justify the funds at the time.

Now I'm 64 and there's not a snowballs chance I'll pay 3k for one now.
I do wish the state would at least consider a senior life license, or a veterans life license.
I would qualify for either.

 

[singlestacksig]

they also are asking about messing with deer firearms season again...

 

[42769vette]

they also are asking about messing with deer firearms season again...

I sure hope they change it. It needs to start a couple weeks later like most other states

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

I did appeal to the idea of the second Saturday regardless. I can't really say nay to either side of the argument.

I wonder if we'll ever see the days of applying for doe tags again. Used to see herds by the hundred in those times. Many moons it were.

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

I sure hope they change it. It needs to start a couple weeks later like most other states

Combined rifle/muzzleloader season to round out the end of season? Dec 1 - 31. Overlapped w/ late archery as per usual.

 

[42769vette]

Combined rifle/muzzleloader season to round out the end of season? Dec 1 - 31. Overlapped w/ late archery as per usual.

My vote would be rifle/ML season starts the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, runs 9 days, ends Sunday at sun down.

ML runs from the next day (monday) through the following Sunday at sundown.

Archery starts Oct 1st-dec 29th.

I just don't like rifle season so close to the Rut. Young rutting bucks are to easy.

 

[42769vette]

I wonder if we'll ever see the days of applying for doe tags again. Used to see herds by the hundred in those times. Many moons it were.

I think we should move that way for a few years. Where I am, EHD killed everything 3 and older. I didn't hunt this year due to no age structure. It will be a few years before I deer hunt again.

The problem becomes, what's right for my area (far east side) and what's right for Bloomington is completely different. Out west they partially fixed this problem by going to units, but even then the outdoorsman/women has to be the ultimate advocate for stewardship of the land. For instance, my county has been 3 (I think) antlerless deer for years. I haven't killed over 1 because that's what the population on my farm can handle. I'd love to fill the freezer with 4 deer a year (3 doe, 1 buck), but the population on my farm has not been where it could handle that.

 

[Limpy88]

Small game, waterfowl, turkey, furbearer's are all included in the lifetime.

3 deer bundle=91
2x turkey seasons=64
Waterfowl=22
Trapping=20
Small game=32.

For me that's 229 per year in licenses. I guess the license paid for itself faster than I thought. The great thing about my lifetime is, I had no clue what tags cost, I didnt have to look.

the sportsman bundle was little over 8k
hunt/fish yeary combo is 32
and trout/salmon stamp 11


thats $272 a year for everything

just shy of 30 years to break even.
but fees will increase

 

[42769vette]

the sportsman bundle was little over 8k
hunt/fish yeary combo is 32
and trout/salmon stamp 11


thats $272 a year for everything

just shy of 30 years to break even.
but fees will increase

I was only doing hunting. I didn't even look at fishing stuff as I don't fish.

The hunting license was 3kish.

 

[Limpy88]

I was only doing hunting. I didn't even look at fishing stuff as I don't fish.

The hunting license was 3kish.

Just building up another point from your post. Not taking away from it.

 

[Limpy88]

View attachment 252409

You price is different. Mine was $8047.??

My wife said her fishing lifetime license was $1300 while mine was only $937

That is interesting they are putting different amounts. Wonder what makes it change?

 

[SheepDog4Life]

Same thing everyone said last time.

This...

I remember thinking 25+ years ago that it would take something like 25 years for my lifetime hunting license to "pay" for itself with the licenses I bought every year, small game, deer firearm, archery, muzzleloader and a bonus tag. Some years I'd get other tags, but these were/are every year. (I wish I could find the fees from the mid-late 90's to check my recollection, lol!)

And it's more than paid for itself far sooner than that because of inflation on the tag prices, which will continue. Not to mention the convenience... both in purchasing tags and possessing them in the field.

When I look at this now, 4 deer tags (firearm, m/l, archery, one anterless), plus small game, plus spring turkey (which didn't exist then) would be $208 per year. Times 25 would be over $5k. Ouch! At the mentioned $3k, payback would be 14-15 years.

And, I think guys (and gals is lurking) are overlooking how much of an ABSOLUTE BARGAIN the deer bundle is... which didn't exist back then... If you hunt all three seasons (or think you might) and take 3 deer, or want to be able to do so, then it's $195 value for $91. I never take 3 deer, but want to cover all options and take 2 deer, so it's "worth" $156 to me, or would be, but still a bargain over the individual tags.

Even with the bundle, I'd be spending at least $143 a year on hunting licenses which translates to 21 years "payback" at the trial ballon of $3k. And, tags WILL GO UP in that period, so the payback will be sooner than that.

Anyhow, at least for me, at $3k the lifetime hunting would be about the same math as when I got mine... of course, early 30's then versus late 50's now, the "lifetime" part of that is different!

tl;dr: At $3k the lifetime hunting would be basically the same deal it was about 25 years ago. Same guys will get, same guys won't... and 20 years later will lament wish they did.

 

[42769vette]

Just building up another point from your post. Not taking away from it.

The interesting thing is, alone, hunting licenses are more than fishing as a whole.

3 k for a life time hunting, but you can add 5k to the bill, and get fishing to?

 

[42769vette]

I think a big advantage is not having to think about it. For instance, I don't always buy fall turkey, but I keep a turkey point on an arrow incase I decide to shoot a yote, etc.

A few years back, I didn't plan to turkey hunt fall. A nice tom walked in season was in, I had a license, so why not. (I missed anyways).

Also if you notice, at the beginning of this thread, I said my lifetime is close to paying for itself because I had done similar math as sheepdog. After looking into it through this thread, I'm shocked at when I am. My license is well beyond the bread even point.

Its like land, in 97 my father paid 2k per acre for our farm. Everyone thought he was crazy. Here we are 25 years later, its worth 10k, and he is a genius. Right now, folks are saying 3k is crazy. 25 years down the road, you will be a genius.

 

[Cavman]

A life time cost 360 bucks in 1987 correct? In today's dollars that would be 903 bucks. So 3k for a lifetime today seems still excessive. Our license are just insane in price in general.

 

[42769vette]

A life time cost 360 bucks in 1987 correct? In today's dollars that would be 903 bucks. So 3k for a lifetime today seems still excessive. Our license are just insane in price in general.

I cant answer that. I can tell you it cost 1100 in 97/98.

So its basically tripled in 25 years.

25 years ago, land was under 1/3rd what it is now.

Gas/Fuel was under 1/3rd what it is now.

A new car was under 1/3rd what it is now.

etc

 

[SheepDog4Life]

A life time cost 360 bucks in 1987 correct? In today's dollars that would be 903 bucks. So 3k for a lifetime today seems still excessive. Our license are just insane in price in general.

IIRC, they were $325 when first introduced and they sold way more than they thought they would.... Talk of "all" the ardent hunters buying them and no more tag receipts for decades and "way too cheap" for what ti was... and they promptly (maybe it was years, lol) doubled it to $650.

Dad bought his the INSTANT they were available saying that they would not last long at that price... I remember at the time he asked me if I wanted one, and I was in my "chasing girls" phase of high school and had a different kind of "hunting" on my mind. Lol!

I'm thinking it was $750 for the hunting part (I got fishing too for convenience) when I got mine in 97-98, but that recollection is just not that sharp anymore. I do remember it was 20-25 years payback at the then prices for the hunting parts I used. Wish I could find the 97-98 Hunting season fee schedule.