$20 to Hike in State Gamelands?

“read this in the harrisburg patriot news today. skip to the last paragraph if ya don't feel like reading the whole thing. sounds kinda bogus to me!
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Plans to increase hunting license fees to help fund the financially strapped state Game Commission are drawing fire from some hunters.

State Rep. Bruce Smith, R-Dillsburg, introduced two bills yesterday that would raise the price of a basic adult hunting license from $19 to either $29 or $34. The amount hinges on which bill he brings up for a vote in the House Game and Fisheries Committee, which he chairs.

"The $34 is in case it takes a long time for this to occur and the financial condition of the Pennsylvania Game Commission deteriorates even further," said Smith, one of two House members sponsoring the legislation. The last license fee increase granted to the Game Commission came in 1999 after four years of debate. Smith's proposed increase would take effect July 1, 2007.

Smith conceded that the prospect for either bill's passage is uncertain in an election year. He is retiring from the Legislature at the end of this session.

Rep. Edward G. Staback, the ranking Democrat on Smith's committee, said he would have a hard time supporting a license increase, given that hunters in his district frequently complain that the commission's deer-management policy has excessively thinned the herd.

"How am I going to vote for a hunting license increase and try to justify it? It isn't going to work. You've got to start paying some attention to what the hunting public [is] trying to tell you," said Staback, D-Lackawanna County.

Randy Koppenhaver, a deer hunter from Camp Hill, agreed: "No way, not until the Game Commission does something to bring back the deer. When you hunt all day and don't see even one deer, we're already paying too much."

The 2005-06 season brought the lowest harvest of antlered deer and the fourth-lowest harvest of all deer since 1986-87, according to the Game Commission. The agency acknowledged lower deer densities than in the past, but it also blamed the weather, fewer hunters in the woods and fewer doe licenses allocated by the commission.

Smith's bills also include a $10 stamp for pheasant hunters and a $5 stamp for turkey hunters.

Dennis Hoover of Lykens said he isn't happy about an overall fee increase and particularly dislikes the idea of having to buy stamps to hunt pheasant and turkey.
"I think when you buy a hunting license, you should be able to hunt all small game without paying for additional stamps," he said.
Three sportmen's organizations joined Smith in support of the bills yesterday.

Ted Onufrak, president of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Club, said the fee increase is needed to allow the Game Commission "to remain fiscally sound and independent." He said he was disappointed that more legislators who hunt are not supporting Smith.

Other organizations joining Smith were United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Brian Magee of Shuman's Gun Shop in Newville, Cumberland County, said: "I don't really have a problem with it. If you think about it, if you're just a whitetail hunter, $30 is not unreasonable for in-state."

The Game Commission is trying to cope with a tightening budget by reducing the number of pheasants raised for stocking from 200,000 to 100,000 annually, cutting employee overtime and discontinuing toll-free phone numbers at its regional offices. In addition, the commission has not filled 66 of its 732 salaried positions, including 15 wildlife conservation officers.

The state sold more than 1 million licenses during the 2004-05 fiscal year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. MARCUS SCHNECK: (610) 562-1884 or mschneck@comcast.net

ALL USERS PAY?
Along with his proposals to increase hunting license fees, state Rep. Bruce Smith yesterday introduced legislation that would require people who use state gamelands to purchase a $20 conservation stamp. The stamp would apply to hunters and non-hunters, such as hikers and bird-watchers.”

“If they decide to make people purchase a stamp, I think it would be kind of hard to enforce keeping people off the gamelands that don't have one. Right now they can't even keep ATV's out and they've been been tearing up the gamelands for years.

Down the road money will have to come from somewhere since hunting is a dying sport in PA. Only 64 hunters replace every 100 hunters that quit the sport and with an increase in fees that's likely to get worse.”

“Why is this fuego?


It would be a huge pain in the butt if nothing else. If I decide to take my kids for a dayhike in PA, I'd have to get stamps on a Saturday morning somehow? If next time they bring a friend? Party of 8 = $160 stroll? Say goodbye to out-of-state tourism if this passes.”

“There is no need to attempt to collect fees from occasional hikers on state game lands.

Fees for hunting and fishing should be high but the lifetime license is the best way to go.”

“Fees for hunting and fishing should be high but the lifetime license is the best way to go.”
lonesurveyor
6:36:53 AM
3/29/06
ignore this user

Can you elaborate as to why hunting and fishing fees should be high?”

“There is already a tax on fishing and hunting equipment and I wonder where that money goes. Like Violin said tourism would take hit if fees are expected for hiking state gamelands. I still think for the most part it would be a tough law to enforce in most places. There just isn't enough officers to cover all the gamelands, but they would probably go to the most popular that they know are heavily used now. It would take away from the other duties they have. The fine for riding an ATV on gamelands is a ridiculous $25. They look at it as a users fee even if they do get caught. Why not make it hundreds or even $1000 or take machines away and pay to get them back. Raise money that way and keep the bums out that litter and tear up the property in the process.
last edited: 3/29/06 6:58:53 AM”

“The fine is only $25. The ATVer's probably spend more on gas on any given day.”

“I wonder what they would make the fine for hiking without a stamp? It's well known that illegal ATV use is tearing up the gamelands along with illegal fires and the trash they leave behind. Every trail they cut with these machines by running over brush, through wetlands and bowling over seedling trees is littered with beer cans, bottles and other trash. It's sad more isn't being done to stop it.”

“Pennsylvania State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Anybody seen Bobo...................lately?”

“Licenses for hunting and fishing should be high in order to cover the cost of hunting and fishing regulation enforcement.

But we do not need to pay large staffs of rangers to check hikers for their licenses, imo.”

“I can only partially agree with that. I think heavy fines should also be a large part of the equation. Why should I have to pay more for my hunting and fishing license to cover the cost of slob hunters and fishermen?”

“I don't know what it's like in Pennsylvania, but I know that Michigan's state game areas are specifically managed to produce game. So, the state will farm certain areas and plant certain types of vegetation that produce game species.

They also create infrastructure specific to hunters and fishermen. There will be a thousand small parking lots with a thousand little trails that don't really connect. And hikers are banned from some areas during hunting seasons.

So, I'm of two minds on this kind of fee. First, it could be positive if it gives hikers a legitimate say in how these lands are used. But if the needs of hikers are not taken into consideration, then I think this fee is wrong.

Finally, I think this might be an impractical fee in terms of Pittman Robertson funding. I thought that federal fish and game money needed to be spent on land that was primarily used for hunting and fishing. If they are now charging half the users to hike it, then I wonder if this federal source of funding could eventually be placed in jeopardy.”

““I don't know what it's like in Pennsylvania, but I know that Michigan's state game areas are specifically managed to produce game. So, the state will farm certain areas and plant certain types of vegetation that produce game species.

That's interesting. To the best of my knowledge areas like that don't exist here in New York State. Most state lands are shared by these activities.”

“They do similar things on some PA. gamelands, cut browse for deer, plant food plots, parking lots and access roads for hunters. A few areas that are heavily used by non hunters, especially mountain bikes are only open to hunting during the hunting season.”