Seen the fee proposals for 2006?

[bullwidgeon]

Take up guiding hog, quail and sandhill hunters or get a real job!!

 

Bret M.

[coueshunter]

Brett, I wont argue with you but the plain and simple fact of the lottery for my family the last two years has been 1 cow tag this year, nada for last year, and I do not put my wife or sons in for premium hunts. I put myself in for the october and november whitetail hunts as second through 5 and we have not drawn. Maybe bad luck, but it has happened two years in a row and its hard to explain to the kids........AT.........

[DesertBull]

Well, I don't see how raising the prices of tags and licenses is going to give us all more opportunity to hunt.

[Rembrant]

The difference now is that we will have to plan and budget for our tags. If I start budgeting now, I may not be able to afford all the apps I want to put in for this fall.

In the past, I still had to put together a plan, but could somehow get 'er done in a matter of a few months.

If some of you guys weren't so darn defensive, you'd understand what a non-serious hunter is. A non-serious hunter is a follower who decides to hunt, not because he really wants to, but because someone else is going. Or, a beer party where one guy is putting in on line and everyone else decides to do the same thing because its fun and too easy to get a liscense on line and there's no money up front - just an app fee. Or, a bleeding heart that can't stand the thought of a deer being killed, so it's worth the $23.50 to save a deer's life and they apply. There are lots of hunters that don't even go, because of the company Christmas party or an important football game on TV, or the porch really does need painting.

I would venture to say that everyone on this site is a SERIOUS hunter!

I didn't get a single tag this year, yet I know from experience that there are lots of tag holders that couldn't care any less if they go or not. Then there will be a lot more that are too lazy to get out of their truck or off their quad and make any effort to get a deer.

My point is that if these non-serious and lazy hunters put the same effort into budgeting for their tags as they do on their hunts, then IF I CAN BUDGET SOME MONEY THIS YEAR - I might get drawn next year!!

There is hope in this.

I agree that it really sucks that the poorest of us hunters will get hurt.

Another thing that really bothers me about my coueswhitetail.com brothers is the blatent mistrust for our Game Dept. The Az. Game and Fish is a state agency, not a political entity. Other people take things to the state legislature like "Ranching for Wildlife" and the non-resident cap and lobby for the law makers to dictate to the Dept what to do. The Dept. does not have a political stance.

I am thankful that the Dept biologists determine the amount of tags and not some of the people on this forum. Why are there so few tags? Where have you been? You haven't noticed the drought?!! If the Dept was all about money, don't you think they would simply increase the tags? The decrease in tags is responsible wildlife management and has hurt the Dept's income. It ain't helping me financially to have to pay more money. I don't really like it either. Haven't we been gettin a smokin deal to be able to hunt deer for the last three decades for $23.50 and less?

And Yeah, we gotta take care of the non-game too. I say we 'cause we're payin for it. If we don't do it, who will? You really want to take any kind of management away from the Game Dept and give it to the Sierra Club or the Feds?

We love our Game Dept. It's just that some of us don't see enough of the big picture to realize it yet.

Gotta go save some money!

Mike

[DesertBull]

Next year you will see the tag numbers go up. I GUARENTEE IT!

[Diamondbackaz]

Well said Rembrant

[azhuntnut]

I think Rembrant has hit it right on the mark. I know personally of a person that drew an oct. whitetail tag for whitetail and didn't show up for the hunt because he had felt ill on the Monday before his hunt started. He didn't want to take a chance of getting sick, even though he wasn't sick at all. He just wasn't a serious hunter and that tag got wasted in my opinion. I archery hunted pig ten years ago with a torn ACL and a knee brace, because I didn't want to waste a tag. The new fees are gonna cost alot of familys big money in the coming years, but think how much it costs to go to a baseball game and you don't even get to mount anything up on the wall. David

[az4life]

Rembrandt has some good points as usual.

 

Clearing some air, I for one do not harbor ill will toward any of the AGFD officers or working employees. These folks do great work and have a passion for what they do. I think being passionate about your work is a pre-requisite for the department. Political appointees... well the case is not so easy to make for them.

 

I pray we in the sportsmen community have enough of a voice to be heard, and make a difference.

[DCMHunter]

There have been lots of good discussion on this topic. I agree with some and disagree with some. After reviewing the perposed rates all I can say is that I will not be able to afford to put in for all the hunts that my family has in the past. The rate increase runs from about 20% to over 450% of the current cost. Deer would be increased about 75% for the class B tag and over 370% for the class A tag. With this amount of increase I can not in the forseeable future see my self applying for any of the Kiabab or "prime Whitetail" hunts. My 13 bonus points for elk will have to be used for a general hunt, unless I elect not to but my kids in for any hunts. These increases are about to make it where I will be better off hunting out of the state. I love hunting and am a serious hunter. I too have been out hunting while injured and/or sick but can not afford the increases that are being perposed.

 

As you can see I am against the class A tag. I am against the outragiuos increases that are perposed. The Game and Fish are saying that the cap has not been raised since 1998, but when was the last time the tag fees where raise to meet the old cap? I agree that the Game and Fish need to keep up with inflasion. I receive a 3% cost of living raise a year. If the Game and Fish have not raised the cost since 1998 then let them have a 21% increase that most others are getting. this would bring them up for the 7 years that they have not raised their fees. 75% is too much!

 

I have a 4 person house hold and am beeing priced out.

 

I will be at the meeting in Pinetop and Springerville and will voice my issues. I hope everyone on this site attends at least one meeting.

 

DCM

[Redman]

I think the rate increases are fair.

 

I put in this year for deer, elk, antelope and javellina. Next year it's going to cost me roughly $85.00 more than it did this year. That's $7.00 a month or $2.00 a week. $2.00 A WEEK. All I have to do is use 1 less gallon of gas a week to pay for for the tag increases to support the Game and Fish and not make some oil executive filthy rich or pay for a king's golden toilet seat.

 

Say I get drawn for all 4 species, that will be over 50 days of hunting. I know I am only going to get drawn for two species (deer and javellina) so its going to cost me $25.00 more to hunt next year (50 cents a week).

 

I will have to budget sooner to put my son and I in for next year. Or I think I will not buy him on stupid video game.

 

Redman

[DCMHunter]

Last year it cost me $570.00 to put myself, wife, son and daughter in for deer, elk and javelina, and myself and son in for antelope. To do the same with the perposed increases it will cost me $940.00! Plus $200.00 if we wished to put in for one of the class A deer hunts and $400.00 to put in for the Class A elk hunts.

 

That is a $370.00 to $970.00 increase for me. That is over $1.00 a day in my book.

 

I do like the class K license (which is not included in the above costs).

 

For a family who hunts together this really hurts. And I am getting bitten hard for my 13 bonus points for elk.

 

I have not even started on the NR costs which puts my brother-in-law out (who is a native Arizonan and use to injoy coming home to hunt and visit family)

 

I am not a rich &@%#%&$&@ and these increases will hurt me and my family in doing something we love to do.

 

As I said earlier I do beleave that an increase is needed but this steep of an increase realy hurts

 

DCM

[Redman]

Last year it cost me $570.00 to put myself, wife, son and daughter in for deer, elk and javelina, and myself and son in for antelope.  To do the same with the perposed increases it will cost me $940.00!  Plus $200.00 if we wished to put in for one of the class A deer hunts  and $400.00 to put in for the Class A elk hunts.

 

That is a $370.00 to $970.00 increase for me.  That is over $1.00 a day in my book. 

 

I do like the class K license (which is not included in the above costs). 

 

For a family who hunts together this really hurts.  And I am getting bitten hard for my 13 bonus points for elk.

 

I have not even started on the NR costs which puts my brother-in-law out (who is a native Arizonan and use to enjoy coming home to hunt and visit family)

 

I am not a rich &@%#%&$&@ and these increases will hurt me and my family in doing something we love to do.

 

As I said earlier I do beleave that an increase is needed but this steep of an increase realy hurts

 

DCM

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That is right on track on what it would of cost me to put in four people as well.

 

Hopefully this year applications will be able to be submitted on the Internet, then you can wait until the last day (since it will screen for errors) and they will hold your money for approximately 4-5 weeks.

 

We could get a credit card just for this reason. Interest should cost no more than $15.00 for one month. Now if all four get drawn for everything, that is where it will hit ya, but think of it as a family vacation for something you all must really love.

 

Redman

[Diamondbackaz]

Last year it cost me $570.00 to put myself, wife, son and daughter in for deer, elk and javelina, and myself and son in for antelope.? To do the same with the perposed increases it will cost me $940.00!?  Plus $200.00 if we wished to put in for one of the class A deer hunts? and $400.00 to put in for the Class A elk hunts.

 

That is a $370.00 to $970.00 increase for me.? That is over $1.00 a day in my book.?

 

I do like the class K license (which is not included in the above costs).?

 

For a family who hunts together this really hurts.? And I am getting bitten hard for my 13 bonus points for elk.

 

I have not even started on the NR costs which puts my brother-in-law out (who is a native Arizonan and use to injoy coming home to hunt and visit family)

 

I am not a rich &@%#%&$&@ and these increases will hurt me and my family in doing something we love to do.

 

As I said earlier I do beleave that an increase is needed but this steep of an increase realy hurts

 

DCM

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

DCM, you are not spending much on hunting now since most of your money is being sent back to you since you are not getting drawn for those early bull and Kaibab hunts. Some of the early bull elk hunts and Kaibab hunts are considered by many to be once in a life time hunt. Hunting only comes once a year for a few weeks. I consider the value of a deer tag has gone up significantly sine you have a lot more people putting in for less tags.

[fatfootdoc]

So being a horrible non resident, here is what I think; Tag increases ok as long as they stay in reasonable limits, make dec WT a quality hunt - nuts to you, bar all non residents no, but do what some of the mid west states do and only allow non resident hunters from states allowing residents of their state to put in there FOR ANY AND ALL GAME, AZGFD needs to get more money from the general budget as well, if they have to continue relying on the dwindling pool of hunters the tag fees will go up and up.

For those of you who are advocating raising the tag prices be careful because you just might get what you pay for, at some point in time, the only time you may spend hunting will be being a pack dog for the ones who can afford to put in!

The non resident fees should they continue to increase will do exactly what everyone on this forum complained about last year at this time and allow the outfitters to get their rich non resident hunters in here..

Also another general reminder when the tag increase proposals first came out last year I dont remember hearing alot of grumbling from the resident hunters, I do remember many of you(not all) supporting the large non resident increase, well now that the shoe is on the other foot you should have done something about it last year. There are still some meetings of the fee proposals aren't there? How many of you have attended one of those to voice your displeasure? Oh and I am not trying to ruffle any feathers, just using a non res point of view. AG

[DesertBull]

I got an email from G&F yesterday asking if I would support a sales tax increase to help support them. Right now, they are not receiveing any money from the general fund or any state tax money, as far as I know. They are totally self supporting. Now, if they take this tax money, they are letting the wolves in the front door.

 

In their survey they sent me, I told them I would not support any tax increase and in their comment section I told them their fee proposal was way out of line.