So what state has the most expensive nonresident license?
Not sure how many big game hunters we have here. But Utah just doubled their non resident big game license. $3700 for a elk tag, 2,700 for a mule deer tag.
Their turkey tag is $250 now. Plus license fees put you over $500.
Arkansas non residents turkey hunters pay over $500 as well.
Who has the most expenses state to turkey hunt in, just based on license fees?
I bet this also starts to become the norm for ooser's, $500+ license/tag fees to hunt turkey.
Absolutely it will. Mostly driven by residents.
Yes it will. The higher the fees the more entitled some will feel that they are now owed a bird. Bad shots and any shortcuts to a kill will be the norm. A slippery slope for sure. This constant resident whining will bite us all in the butt.
This is how hunter recruitment pays off.
Arkansas is $325.
Draws and pricing people out is not the answer for turkey hunters.
Idk about most expensive but North Carolina charges us South Carolina residents $310 on top of the hunting lisence now bc they sell you deer tags, bear tags and all that B.S together instead of separate as part of your big game permit.
Iowa was pricey when I drew a few years ago, around $400 if I remember correctly.
They will price the average guy out of everything eventually!
Imagine trying to buy a first house these days?
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I don't know about the most expensive, but my home state lifetime senior citizen license is the cheapest I have ever bought 2 years ago.... LOL
Regardless if you want to hunt you will pay the price ... Just think, it's over 400 dollars to say one night at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville TN.... LOL
IMO ... The Spring Season is just about here ....
It can get to be a careful what ya wish type thing, folks complaining about the pressure in many cases rightfully so, price increase may reduce some pressure and keep the game and fish funded just as well or better!
Kind of like back in the day everyone talked about the "pro's" on TV couldn't get it done on public, oops!
Mississippi is about to get more expensive for non residents. They have a bill on the dockett right now for a turkey stamp. For residents it'll be 10 bucks I believe, amd for non residents it'll be 100 bucks on top of your 7 day liscense, turkey permit, and wma permit. Put you right around 350 I believe for non res.
Not sure where that bill is in the house or senate but it's likely to get passed from what I've heard.
Quote from: 2flyfish4 on March 20, 2025, 11:53:37 PMSo what state has the most expensive nonresident license?
Not sure how many big game hunters we have here. But Utah just doubled their non resident big game license. $3700 for a elk tag, 2,700 for a mule deer tag.
Their turkey tag is $250 now. Plus license fees put you over $500.
Arkansas non residents turkey hunters pay over $500 as well.
Who has the most expenses state to turkey hunt in, just based on license fees?
I bet this also starts to become the norm for ooser's, $500+ license/tag fees to hunt turkey.
Usually if it's under $275 I don't give it a second thought to buying it. Anything much over that, I have to think about it. Over $300, I won't travel to that state. This budget my have to move up just like it does with other items I have to buy like eggs and my bourbon and so forth.
One of my favorite states is around the $275 for one bird. But it's a favorite destination of mine and well worth every penny. One bird is just fine with me.
I've bought so many from so many states now I can't recall who's is the highest. I know of some good deals, but I'm surely not going to advertise that lol
Quote from: Zach.Hannigan on March 21, 2025, 10:14:38 AMMississippi is about to get more expensive for non residents. They have a bill on the dockett right now for a turkey stamp. For residents it'll be 10 bucks I believe, amd for non residents it'll be 100 bucks on top of your 7 day liscense, turkey permit, and wma permit. Put you right around 350 I believe for non res.
The Turkey Stamp is now official. For non residents, it will replace the existing Turkey Permit ($50) so effectively raising the cost to hunt by $50 over what it currently is.
So $400 for annual big game + turkey stamp. Or $250 for a 7 day + turkey stamp. Transaction fee of another $7 on top of that.
Add another $30 for WMA User Permit.
My Alabama license cost me like ~$410 this year for annual big game and WMA.
Illinois has a pretty big racket going. It's $125 plus a $70ish license and your tags good for 5 days. So you pick the wrong 5 days of weather and you're SOL. At least other states you pay that much and can hunt a lot more or deer tags are included. That said I do appreciate the way they distribute pressure across a season.
Quote from: 2flyfish4 on March 20, 2025, 11:53:37 PMSo what state has the most expensive nonresident license?
Not sure how many big game hunters we have here. But Utah just doubled their non resident big game license. $3700 for a elk tag, 2,700 for a mule deer tag.
Their turkey tag is $250 now. Plus license fees put you over $500.
Arkansas non residents turkey hunters pay over $500 as well.
Who has the most expenses state to turkey hunt in, just based on license fees?
I bet this also starts to become the norm for ooser's, $500+ license/tag fees to hunt turkey.
Utah did not double their license cost. In fact, they haven't changed anything at all (yet). They simply passed legislation allowing the game commission to increase the prices up to those amounts.
In regards to Arkansas... NR cost is not over $500. The NR Annual Turkey License costs $325.
Most responses here involve states with prices nowhere near the most expensive. So back to the original question... Which state is the most expensive to turkey hunt?
Quote from: deerhunt1988 on March 21, 2025, 03:19:24 PMQuote from: Zach.Hannigan on March 21, 2025, 10:14:38 AMMississippi is about to get more expensive for non residents. They have a bill on the dockett right now for a turkey stamp. For residents it'll be 10 bucks I believe, amd for non residents it'll be 100 bucks on top of your 7 day liscense, turkey permit, and wma permit. Put you right around 350 I believe for non res.
The Turkey Stamp is now official. For non residents, it will replace the existing Turkey Permit ($50) so effectively raising the cost to hunt by $50 over what it currently is.
So $400 for annual big game + turkey stamp. Or $250 for a 7 day + turkey stamp. Transaction fee of another $7 on top of that.
Add another $30 for WMA User Permit.
My Alabama license cost me like ~$410 this year for annual big game and WMA.
I'm in mississippi at a trailhead as I type. Getting my season kicked off tomorrow. I didn't know that they were doing away with the turkey permit for non residents. That 100 buck turkey stamp is high but an extra 50 bucks isn't the worst thing. That's manageable for alot of people. Now if they decide to do away with the 7 day liscense like florida did then that'll hurt for people that come here every year to hunt.
That's the non resident peice you paid for bama? If thats a residents pricing that's outrageous.
Quote from: Zach.Hannigan on March 22, 2025, 05:25:41 PMQuote from: deerhunt1988 on March 21, 2025, 03:19:24 PMQuote from: Zach.Hannigan on March 21, 2025, 10:14:38 AMMississippi is about to get more expensive for non residents. They have a bill on the dockett right now for a turkey stamp. For residents it'll be 10 bucks I believe, amd for non residents it'll be 100 bucks on top of your 7 day liscense, turkey permit, and wma permit. Put you right around 350 I believe for non res.
The Turkey Stamp is now official. For non residents, it will replace the existing Turkey Permit ($50) so effectively raising the cost to hunt by $50 over what it currently is.
So $400 for annual big game + turkey stamp. Or $250 for a 7 day + turkey stamp. Transaction fee of another $7 on top of that.
Add another $30 for WMA User Permit.
My Alabama license cost me like ~$410 this year for annual big game and WMA.
I'm in mississippi at a trailhead as I type. Getting my season kicked off tomorrow. I didn't know that they were doing away with the turkey permit for non residents. That 100 buck turkey stamp is high but an extra 50 bucks isn't the worst thing. That's manageable for alot of people. Now if they decide to do away with the 7 day liscense like florida did then that'll hurt for people that come here every year to hunt.
That's the non resident peice you paid for bama? If thats a residents pricing that's outrageous.
Yes, non resident Bama price. It's slowly went up about $100 over the past 7 years. I think it's tied to inflation or something?
Slow increases over seven years to amount to 100$.
It's testing the waters to see how much people will pay.
Nobody that really enjoys hunting is being priced out.
The average cry baby over a hunting license throws money away like it's water on things that do nothing but harm their health. Cigarettes, dip, booze, weed, you name it.
Then the whole new vehicle every 3 years people are the other half.
The people that will actually be priced out are BY FAR the minority. We as a society just like to cry.
MS, turkey season for at least a month to 6 weeks, for $500? I'll take it for what I love.
That's 100 a week essentially. There's outfitters booked up solid for 8-1200 for one bird. Give me a break
Seems we'd rather be pushed out through lack of game and or land to hunt. THEN WHAT?
Huntable habitat is not growing? Only shrinking while the people trying to hunt the resource is increasing. Once things don't have value, they disappear even faster. Think lions in Africa. They'd likely about be extinct if not for the value they hold. Otherwise they'd be just a nuisance and exterminated
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Not to be a jerk but permit costs pale in comparison to other vacation expenses. I've never been but a buddies wife is addicted to Disney World vacations and the money they shell out for the two trips they take a year is staggering.
Last year I got strong armed in to going to an all inclusive resort in Mexico and the others in the group thought the $2,000.00+ for the week was a deal.
I have three out of state hunts planned this year and tags will cost right around $600.00. To me that's a bargain for three weeks hunting.
I don't like it but I pay and move forward. Some times even an expensive tag/license is not the most expensive part of the trip. Logistics, lodging, meals, and gas even when done cheap all add up.
People today would likely better adjust to double the current prices as long as it was an affordable monthly subscription model
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20+ years ago when I started traveling I scraped together every penny to hit the road. Sleeping in tarps and cheap tents and eating bologna sandwiches. Times have changed and now I'm in a different place. But I still remember what it was like being young and broke.
Isn't this one of the reasons we left England?
I don't do a whole
Lot of traveling so I don't know what the answer to the original question is but with all these pricing continuing to rise, it would be nice to see more land being bought for public access or at least being conserved. I don't mind paying more if it means more places I could potentially hunt, but all we get around here are apartments, megasites, and everything else imaginable to permanently destroy habitat