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Show Hunting license increase explained by Division As most people know by now, the Division of Wildlife Resources is asking for a general license increase, but there is quite a bit of confusion clouding the issue. One rumor going around is that if you buy your license right away, you can avoid paying the higher fee, but if and when an increase does come about, it will not be effective until 1981. Many people are questioning why the division is asking for such a "healthy" increase; the combination license would go from $18 to $31, and the answer is basically a political one. The legislature has to approve any license increase, and of course any time they raise fees they also raise the hackles of their constituency. Legislators are not agreeable to raising the fees a little at a time every year or two. They would rather "get it over with" so to speak. Nobody likes to increase fees on anything, and legislators catch "heck" every time they raise any fees. Actually, combination license fees have increased only four times in the last 43 years, but unfortunately two of these raises came in the last twelve years. The reason behind license increases in-creases is easy to understand, but hard to swallow inilation. concrete, vehicles, fish feed, gas, and personal services, all of which are necessary to manage the resources, have increased 30 to 80 percent since that last increase in 1976. The division has cut many of our programs drastically in an effort to stay within our income. Hatchery production pro-duction has been cut 15 percent, however, we are adding new reservoirs each year that require stocking. Red Fleet Reservoir, in our area, is a prime example. Field officers have been cut 15 percent as far as vehicle mileage is concerned. No funds at all are budgeted for habitat acquisition and habitat enhancement programs have been cut 50 percent. The legislature, a couple of years ago, approved our publishing of a magazine, but after several issues, the division had to discontinue it because of a lack of funds. The division currently has ten positions that will not be filled for the same reason. "Many people hit us with the fact that we already charge more for licenses than other states, and in some instances we are above the average, but actually we are lower," said division personnel. Of the eleven western states, Utah ranks ninth in combination license fees, eleventh in deer license, fifth in elk, fifth in small game and seventh in fishing. In some instances the difference dif-ference may be only a dollar or two. Hunting and fishing are not inexpensive inexpen-sive recreation activities. Too many people say it is no longer possible to make the sport pay for itself through edible game meat in the freezer, but that is not the point and never has been. Even in the days when gas was 30 cents a gallon and a new shotgun cost $100, it was not possible for the average sportsman sport-sman to offset his costs with a harvest of game meat. More and more people have to realize that just the experience of being in the field is the main justification of hunting and fishing, not filling the freezer. "The smallest expense of a hunting or fishing trip is the money spent on your license and most likely the best spent," division personnel said. |
