Increased Hunting Fees Anyone? (how much, maintenance, tax)

[cebdark]

Time to pick everyone's brains again . It seems that sportsmen and women will be paying a higher fee for their chosen licenses. How do we feel about that little "revenue raiser?"

I can tell you, it's not receiving a rousing endorsement in our household.

[Cornerguy1]

Are revenues from hunting and fishing licences legislatively required to be put back into the budgets of Maine's wildlife departments or does the money just disappear into the State's general tax revenue fund?

[MidCoast Guru]

Not a hunter, how much is a license

[dmyankee]

CG...The fees are supposed to go into the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Dept. exclusively.

[cebdark]

dmyankee...they are supposed to go to IF & W, but is that set in stone?

I know that snowmobile clubs recently benefitted from an increase in registration fees to help offset the maintenance of trails. It seems that the fees went up before the clubs saw any of the money - but I could be wrong. I do remember there was quite a "hullabaloo" about the money being given to the clubs instead of providing funds for a breakfast program - even 'tho boosting the coffers of the snowmobile clubs to maintain trails was it's original intent.

[tcrackly]

Fees range from $7.00 resident Junior Hunting to $137.00 combination non-resident hunt/fish .

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife - ATF Permit

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by MidCoast Guru

Not a hunter, how much is a license

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife - Fishing Licenses

Keep in mind - these are the "basic" fees - associated tag costs are added on - for example, bear tags...

[cebdark]

If the funds actually go to back into IF & W, then we're okay with it. Loopholes that allow it to be shuffled off into the General Fund is what concerns us.

[MidCoast Guru]

Originally Posted by reloop

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife - Fishing Licenses

Keep in mind - these are the "basic" fees - associated tag costs are added on - for example, bear tags...

Maybe a small fee of 'per pound of catch is in order'?

That's how we pay in the stores

[elston]

We recently defeated the proposed tax on beverages...to fund health care for families....it figures the state will have to raise fees to cover expenses one way or another. Higher fees for special usage of public resources seems to be one of the ways....parks, highways, hunting and fishing etc.

Do hunters pay any per pound cost for any game they "harvest"? If the game is a public resource....it would be reasonable for the one who takes it to pay somethng for it.