PROPOSED LICENSE FEE MEETINGS

[Diamondbackaz]

See: http://www.azgfd.com/artman/publish/article_209.shtml for sceduleof meetings and locations. See: http://www.azgfd.com/artman/uploads/fee_ce...__11-10-04_.pdf for fee schedule.

[recurveman]

There sure are some interesting changes there in the tag fee's. I'm just wondering if the early bull is just for rifle or is that archery too? I personally don't care but a jump to 350 is quite a bit for an archery tag.

 

I really hope that the game and fish figure out this whole USO thing.

 

Later,

 

recurveman

[.270]

i don't have a problem with jacking up the early bull hunt, even for residents. but the ceiling for cow and general bull hunts and pronghorn seems pretty high. it will price a lot of resident folks out of it. don't want to see that. the increased fees for nonresidents will have very little impact. they'll still apply. taulman probly loves it. the amount he gets from his "hunter pool" will increase dramatically. he'll have all kindsa money to play with. appears to me that the azgfd is using this as a sprinboard to really increase fees. but for everyone. i can see 10 to 15% for residents, and jack the heck outta nonresident fees. but some of these seem pretty high. i imagine what they're proposing is the most it can be and what it ends up will be something less, with the option to go up to the max at a later date. and, the nonresident fee is driven by what the resident fee is. oh well, we'll see. main thing is to beat uso. hope it works. Lark.

[bullwidgeon]

I would rather shoot a sheep than a beeffalo. So would a bunch of out of staters for that price. I hate to say it but sheep should be raised. I don't really mind the rest but I imagine if I put in for Kaibab tags I would be upset though. As long as December coues tags are still considered second rate then I am fine .

 

Bret M.

[fatfootdoc]

Unfortunately raising the game and fish tag fees is not going to affect USO that much. The hunters that use them are going to pay the fees and not really care to much. It is really going to affect the guy that really cares about what he is doing and maybe can barely afford to hunt out of state now. The people (for the most part) that this is going to price out are the ones who actually had nothing to do with USO, and that is someone like me who is a dreaded out of state hunter, but that does not use a guide. I paid 220 for my tags this year, with the new rates assuming they go to the max cap I would pay around 375, about an 80% increase. It seems like you guys are getting dinged as well, my question is WHY, what basis is there behind it. Seems to me like azgf is using this whole USO thing to really TAULMAN all of us without even giving us any KY. I know my opinion a s an out of stater is not as important to you all, but these tag increases are going to price out the average hunter that loves to hunt and do it alone, but will not affect USO at all. For what its worth, AG

[.270]

fatdoc, they're using it as an excuse to raise revenue. the azgfd ain't too good at managing a budget. never have been. they ain't too good at anything other than looking nice at meetings. they don't take the advice of those trained people that they've hired to give em advice. they don't listen to sound biology. scientifically collected data takes a back seat to politics. they're using this as a way to raise fees without the resident population attacking with torches and pitchforks. don't get me wrong either. i ain't got a problem one with nonresidents. i'm real happy new mex is so close so's i can hunt there when i take fancy too and i want all you boys that can, to hunt here in Az. what we don't want is nonresidents making our rules for us. but the big problem is that us residents don't get to make the rules either. the commission does. if you raise enough heck, like was done these past months over the uso issue, they will listen some and they may install some of what the public feels would help, but don't be fooled, they are gonna do what is best for shroufe and the commission. if what is best for them helps out the hunters, then that's ok. but if what's best for them screws the hunters, they're gonna do that everytime. shroufe came here from maine, it seems like. lotta difference between Az. and maine. and the azgfd has been in a slow nosedive ever since. until we can get rid of him and every one of the commissioners, we're screwed. and we have to replace them with a real game biologist who has some real management skill and some guys on the commission that have real outdoor concerns at heart. not their politcal ambitions. shroufe is just a pretty boy lifetime bureaucrat. he's about as connected to the land as gucci shoes. anyway, he's gotta go and so do his sucklings, like farrel (sp?). and to do that, we gotta get a new governor. that's why i keep saying that as a group, hunters, anglers........outdoor people if you will, can swing an election. we can get this hog we have now outta here if we're smart about it. i hope romley runs for governor. i'll support the heck outta him. JD may be another good candidate. someone that will repay us for voting for them. look what the NRA has done the past 2 elections. our votes count. i agree somewhat with raising the fees but it's gonna eliminate a lot of folks from applying and thus disenfranchise them from supporting the guys that can afford it. and other states are gonna do the same thing. it's gonna get real expensive for us Az. boys to hunt elsewhere, too. i still don't see taulman losing too much here. he's gonna get more money in his "hunter pool" because of the increased fees. his rich clients don't care how much it costs. man, i'm feelin' groin kicked again. but we gotta try something. looks like federal legislation is about the only thing that might stop this runaway train. Lark.

[the breeze]

for $3200 i think many nr hunters will look elsewhere for there tags.. if they put in with hef they will have a $3000 guide fee tacked on to the $3200. $6200 is a ton of dough for a elk hunt. espicially since $3200 is up front and held until after the draw. the antelope does seem high for res. but what the heck if you only draw the tag every 10 yrs or so. the $5.00 app thing and the 10% cap ruling hurt the res. this should staighten things out to some extent. i do agree that the res price for cow elk is too high. there might be some reason for this. i am not sure.

[MattMan]

As often as a person is likely to get drawn, the cost of a resident tag for just about any species listed is dwarfed by the cost of the rest of the hunt. If you can't afford the tag, you probably can't afford groceries or gas to go anyway. Just my opinion. I promise you I spent well in excess of $350 to harvest a bull on the early rifle hunt this year... and no not on a guide. A non-resident desert sheep tag should be 3-5k.

 

I'm kinda disturbed that they raised the resident fees instead of just the non-residents. But, someone who is a meat hunter for the family should easily afford another $25 for a cow elk tag. That's two extra dollars each month if you save all year for your tags. If you're trophy hunting, your hunt and mount will cost you way more than the resident tag anyway. The non-residents have been getting primo AZ tags for dirt cheap for way too long.

 

Taulman will have less competition for non-resident trophy bull tags if this goes through... but don't underestimate the number of people who would buy two trophy AZ bull tags at $3200 if they could.

[fatfootdoc]

Mattman,

Heck of an attitude, if you cant afford the tag you could not afford to spend the necessary money on the hunt anyway? They are raising the tag fees and this will cut into the money we have to spend on the hunt. There are people out there who are residents that this is going to be a hardship for. If I were you I would be concerned that this is going to be a trend with your current G and F commission. Might be singing a different tune when they realize how much they make with these increases and therefore continue to raise them just a LITTLE every year.

[MattMan]

Didn't figure my opinion would be popular... but I've never been accused of beating around the bush. Trust me, I know what a hardship it is to put in for some... when I was in engineering school at UofA full time and working full time, with a wife and son at home, $17.50 for a deer tag was a lot of coin, and the elk tag was even tougher. I set my priorities and found a way to come up with it. I put in for early bull all those years too, hoping to heck I DIDN'T get drawn. Why? Cause I knew I really couldn't afford the gas to go, and couldn't miss work and school anyway. Realistically they couldn't raise non-resident tags and leave the residents alone. Rember, part of the Taulman judgement was discrimination against non-residents.

[fatfootdoc]

I just hope this is not the start of a bad cycle for Arizona hunters,(non residents as well). ag

[coueshunter]

If everyone goes to the AZGFD website and sees the legislation being proposed by Reid of Nevada, you will be happy to see a method that can and will bring back states rights to govern their own wildlife. I think if this passes with the support of Kyle and McCain, AZ may be out of the USO problem. If you stay here and bitch and not look at the website and send your responses to our AZ guys, then you will be partly to blame. I am not casting stones, just letting you know that time is of the essesence here. You must contact Kyle and McCain before Nov. 16th and maybe the fee increase crap with AZGFD will be a mute point. Please take the time to see what I am talking about..........thanks........Allen Taylor........

[DesertBull]

Those are NOT the proposed fees. Those are the ceiling limits on fees. The MAXIMUM they could legally charge you for a tag.

 

All fee increases have to go through the legislature I believe.

[Couesi1]

Hey Coueshunter,

thanks for posting that information. You are correct. Complaining about the game department won't get anything done. That's the glass half empty approach and only breeds bitterness and discontent and is a waste of time. It took me only a couple of minutes to contact the senators through the link to ask them to support the bill. Don't know much about the political climate of the current senate or if the bill will even get to an actual vote.....but I can assure you that without aggressive constituent support of the bill by people who vote, it won't get too far. There are a lot of sportsmen out there who have a LOT of clout when they are galvanized. Let's get after it.

Couesi1

[triton]

Set me straight if my memory is already gone, but it has been awhile since G&F has raised permit tag fees. I agree that the regular deer tags (Most have been very poor success rates lately) took a jump; but to hunt elk anywhere else is $300- $400, antelope is $750 for a landowner tag(or more) in NM, and the quality hunt you get for N. of Colorado deer and Bull elk for that price is unbelievable. The reservations get $14000- $30000 for thier elk tags. Not that bad if it is going to better our chances at getting tags. I do feel bad about the non-residents that aren't related to USO. I had relatives from out of state that would hunt here. Just my opinion though???