NR license fees may not NEED to be raised

[Yoder409]

The turkey hunting road trip my brother and I took in 2018 that cost just exactly $500 in gas money..............would cost me $1050 if I took it today. 

I believe the next few years, NR license sales are going to drop substantially just because of fuel costs ..........including airfares.

[nativeks]

Meanwhile all over the place is seeing record numbers of people apply for tags etc. We topped last year's record number of applicants for deer tags.

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[2flyfish4]

Yep, gas and the cost of living is going to take its toll on many.

I would like to add this. Maybe for the first turkey tag keep it reasonable and or at current rates. For the second or 3rd tag though, maybe thats where the state substationally increases the cost. Like make it $400+.

This way there is no discrimination against youth, seniors, or other low/fixed income individuals and everyone can participate. Then the state can capitalize on someone who has to shoot more than 1 bird and that extra revenue can be used for studies, habitat, and projects.

Ultimately, I think we have to put our egos aside and put the bird first. It would be different if populations were at all time highs, but in alot of areas there not. 1 bird is plenty, and for the ones that it's not, put up the money.

Which brings me to another question, what is a mature tom worth to you?

[2flyfish4]

Meanwhile all over the place is seeing record numbers of people apply for tags etc. We topped last year's record number of applicants for deer tags.

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I think alot of that is just the dream aspect. I put in for bighorn sheep and some of the top muledeer units. I dont even really like deer hunting, and as cool as a bighorn is, not sure id actually shoot one if I drew a tag. The odds a super steep so I'm not to worried about it. With that said I continue to put in for them every year. But in the back of my mind, I really hope I never draw. But it is fun to kinda day dream about it. Kinda like playing the lotto, you know you'll never win, but you do it anyway and dream about how you would spend the money.

[Tail Feathers]

With many states lowering the bird limits, it wouldn't be a good time for most states to raise license fees.  Add in the doubling of gas prices and I think some states will see lower OOS hunters next spring. 

[Yoder409]

Which brings me to another question, what is a mature tom worth to you?

Lots of variables here................

In my own state ??   I think I pay around $25 for a second bird.  This year ??  I'd have paid $500 for a 3rd tag and would have bought a 4th at the same price if I could.  But, I get the fever BAAAAAD sometimes.   

But OOS.............still depends.   I don't think $300 would be out of line for the licensing to take a bird.  I've spent that much on dumber things.  Some of the sub-species I'd pay even more for.   I did a pair of Gould's birds 15 years ago for the same $$$ as a western elk hunt.  Crazy ??   Not if you'd rather hunt turkeys than elk ANY day.   And just sent in my deposit for an Ocellated hunt.   We won't go there..................     

[joey46]

Way too many variables.  It seems to me that many states are setting their nonresident fees, not on budget considerations or turkey populations, but on how much whining their residents do about "all these guys coming here and shooting our birds".  Most all game commissions are political appointees and obviously respond to this.  There will always be the groups of non-res that load up the truck, throw in the tent and split the cost of out of state trips to the big national forest type areas in other states.  Maybe there will actually be more, not less, of this with record gas prices and inflation. 
By late April all the Florida seasons have closed and I'm looking for an out of state trip.  Probably be east of the Mississippi this year but I've written several places off already so all that resident whining worked.  The cost of non-res tags in some places with marginal populations is truly a head shaker that really doesn't help a state's coffers at all.  Sell one guy a $500.00 tag or ten guys a $50.00 tag and it seems to break even except for the money the missing nine guys would have spent while in that state on their hunt.  Sure keeps the resident whiners happy though since they don't have to fool with nine additional guys parking behind them at a gate or running around on E bikes.

[GobbleNut]

Which brings me to another question, what is a mature tom worth to you?

For me personally, I'm not sure I have been priced out of the market yet in terms of what nonresident licenses cost in any state. Just to throw out a number, I am willing to spend upwards of $300 for an opportunity to kill a single gobbler.  However, spring gobbler hunting is where I want to spend my discretionary income.  In addition, turkey hunting is not about multiple bag limits for me.  I always look at it as an opportunity to hunt somewhere different, perhaps, and also challenge myself in a place I am not familiar with.

Having said that, I, like many others here I suspect, am not your average turkey hunter in terms of what I am willing to spend on it.  For every one of us that's willing to spend that kind of money, there are dozens that don't want to,...and their voice in terms of setting license fees is going to drown out ours,...and rightfully so. 

Like all things, there is a balance to be had.  Finding that balance that makes everybody happy is often the tricky part.   

[St. Augustine Strutter]

With many states lowering the bird limits, it wouldn't be a good time for most states to raise license fees.  Add in the doubling of gas prices and I think some states will see lower OOS hunters next spring.

Fewer OOS hunters is exactly what I want to see, in my home state and elsewhere.  I would gladly pay more money to reduce crowding and increase the quality of hunts. 

[Paulmyr]

With many states lowering the bird limits, it wouldn't be a good time for most states to raise license fees.  Add in the doubling of gas prices and I think some states will see lower OOS hunters next spring.

Fewer OOS hunters is exactly what I want to see, in my home state and elsewhere.  I would gladly pay more money to reduce crowding and increase the quality of hunts.

Not saying I'm for or against limits  or higher fees on non res hunters but I bet the guy that owns a motel or restaurant or gas station/sporting goods/ grocery store in turkey country might have something to say about it. As a resident of the state, them turkeys belong to him as well as Joe Turkey Hunter. I think most hunters seem to forget that fact. Every non res hunters that gets chased away because of lowered limits/ higher fees is possible money out of his pocket. Sucks that natural resources get monetized but it's nothing new and many rural service industry businesses stake their livelyhoods on it.

[joey46]

The money spent by the OOS hunter is often not taken into account in these discussions so excellent point.  The residents usually don't care.  Down here in FL  many visiting hunters will bring the family and dump them at the beach or Disney while they chase the wiley Osceola.  These $$$ are noted by the politicians. One of many reasons a FL non-res license is such a bargain.  Very few states allow a short term 10 day license to be used to qualify for a turkey tag that allows two birds in the spring.  Non-res money talks down here and the resident's opinions count for little. 

Add - I say "tag" but Florida doesn't really have turkey tags.  Unless you are hunting a check station manned WMA you will be on the honor system.  If Florida needs anything quickly it is a tag and report system for turkeys.  Entering the 21st Century on game management would be a thought for FWC.  Next winter when NWTF post their list of each state's 2022 turkey harvest remember the Florida figure will be a wild guess.  Almost funny.  Almost.

[joey46]

Inexcusable especially on public land IMO.  Btw - FL adds a twist to this since any resident over 65 hunts and fishes free with zero accountability.  Not even required to obtain a free license so as to be counted for matching federal money.  My hunting buddy has taken an Osceola or two every year since he turned 65 as have I (he's 70 I'm 75).  All of his have been on private property.  FWC has no clue and I'm betting they didn't make the NWTF count.  Treating the big birds like doves will come back to bite them.

[Turkeybutt]

I would say that in most states the harvest number each year (whether it is turkey's, deer etc.) is a "Guesstimate" at best. This is because you are on an honor system and a lot of people fail to fill out their "Report Cards" if the state even has those.

[ddturkeyhunter]

Well if your all looking for a place to hunt it might be MN in a few years. Just reading in my paper this morning they are thinking of a two bird limit for MN. It's talk on there part. And it's all about the money to generate more interest means more money. Might be only a seven day hunt for gun hunters, but anyone a little good might get his two birds for a few years. But they will for sure hunt out areas. I don't mind the nonresident hunter hunting my state, I hunt others also. I just wish there was a match on license sale cost.  MN cheep and next to nothing for youth starting out.  But it is still a turkey shot and gone for the next person.  Just wish we match what ever the state you live in charges.


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[joey46]

Reciprocal fees sound good but usually turn into a circus.  I remember years ago two southern states (maybe LA and MS) had the fees for each others non-res up to about a million dollars (slight exaggeration).  Think that was dropped.  I like to eat in LA and gamble in MS but don't intend to hunt either state so I didn't follow it that closely