WDFW Proposed pricing for 2011

[bobcat]

For the deer-elk-bear-cougar combination license it's a $14.30 increase. I won't complain about that. Seems fair enough. The 2nd deer tag- I won't be paying $68 for that. I like that the non-resident special permit applications are increasing $50. The moose, sheep, and goat tags going from $122 to $332 I don't like, but also will not complain, as I can see odds of drawing increasing slightly, and I've always thought the price for those tags was on the low side anyway. The other license I always purchase is the small game, and I see it is going from $21.20 to $24.00. I can live with that as well.

After looking at the total costs though, I may consider cutting back on what licenses I buy and how much hunting I do in this state. The money I save I will put towards a trip to Montana. Just something I've been thinking about. It's sounding better all the time.

[CP]

The 2nd deer increase is ridicules. 

W. WA pheasant appears to be going down.  I don’t agree with that, it should go up if anything $90 is cheap for game farm pheasants.

What is :
'WESTERN WS. PHEASANT W/SMALL GAME 

[Curly]

I think I may drop out of the OIL permit applications.  Probably never draw anyway, but that huge jump in price is hard to swallow.  It would be hard to do the OIL permit justice anyway since my income has dropped so much due to this crap economy.  I've already pretty much cut out fishing, I may as well stop getting the small game license as well.  

I wish they would give away free cougar tags with the purchase of a deer or elk tag or at least drop the cougar tag price to around $2 and give non-residents the same price for cougar.

2nd deer tag prices are a joke.  That is crazy high IMHO.

The non-resident OIL tag prices I missed seeing, but hopefully they jacked them up to the moon.

[Skyvalhunter]

Yea guess they have to pay for that online vendor!!

[C-Money]

When you add all the increases up, it is a bit of $$. I am not in favor of these increases, it is hard enough to pay the prices now. I feel you will see an increase in poaching, as people just cant afford these prices! The States of Washington needs to spend money more wisely, and stop nickle and dimeing us to death. I would rather give my money to a state that has more big game. Even thoughit is really expensive, I will hunt elk in Oregon next year.

[Fl0und3rz]

i don't understand that move at all. i assume that clerically it will be cost beneficial as far as tracking, but if i don't elk hunt then why would i want to get an elk tag just to get the benefit of a bundled package? i could actually save $2.50 if i buy the deer, bear, and cougar individually if i didn't hunt elk.

Same reason you can't pay for just the military channel and versus from your cable company.  You have to get 200 other channels of crap and pre-paid programming with it and pay accordingly.

It is plainly about the money.

[CP]

Wouldn’t it nice to have a “hunting license” which entitled you hunt all game big & small.  Imagine, one piece of paper, one price.

How much would you pay for that?

[Curly]

I'd like to see WDFW cut their employee's salaries to help with the budget shortfall.  If WDFW was a private company they would be laying people off in order to make the budget work.  Take a look at some of their salaries


Phil Anderson for example..........$10,833 per month in 2009.

And check out the IT people's salaries.......$6,575/mo for a level 5 and $7,258/mo for a 6.

Hopefully WDFW is one of the agencies taking furlough days.

[Widgeondeke]

The biggest thing I see is that they don't charge enough to the Non-Residents.
I like Cp's question also. An all inclusive license at a small discount.
Funny thing I was just looking at a 2 day hunting license for waterfowl in California; $62 - it would be $75 in WA today and next year even more.  hmmmmm? maybe we don't have it so bad? 

[croix]

For the deer-elk-bear-cougar combination license it's a $14.30 increase. I won't complain about that. Seems fair enough.

I concur - but they are doing away with deer-bear-cougar and elk-bear-cougar and forcing people to buy deer and elk to get the combo price. That is a change from 57.20 for the current deer-bear-cougar combo to 95.50 for the whole enchilada. that's a little tougher to swallow. i guess i'm just confused as to why they couldn't keep the smaller combo packages with similar increase percentages.

[Special T]

After reading my first post i realize i was rambling.... Must be that damn Flue i have.... In one hand I'm OK with price increases... I don't expect a free ride, and i need to pay may way... On the other hand i know there is Hunting money being spent on non hunting related issues... We need a Lee Iacocca type figure for the WDFW.. Like many of you I love our sport and think we need to invest in it... I do not think that we are getting a good bang for the buck, which is why we all whine about price increases...

[Gobble Gobble]

Sucks to see an increase when money is tight as is. Makes me glad to be a disabled hunter for the reduced price and feel for those who have to spend a paycheck to get a license.

[Bob33]

Unfortunately this is a trend occurring in most of the Western states.  OR prices increased signficantly this year (about 100% for non res license.  MT just passed an initiative which will increase their combo licenses by close to 50%.  Idaho increased their prices.  It is sad to see, and becomes a vicious cycle: as prices increase, fewer hunt which means less revenue, which means price increases, which means fewer hunters....

[billythekidrock]

uote author=baldopepper link=topic=61812.msg767211#msg767211 date=1289928774]
Format is somewhat hard to interpet at first glance, but after figuring it out, I don't think the increases are insurmountable.  I could'nt see where youth fees are going up and I think this is important to  continue to encourage young hunters.  I think we all have to understand that if we are going to hold tax increases in check, user fees are going to have to go up and, in my opinon only, this is fair.  I only wish there was a way to pass some of the game managment cost along to non hunters and fishers, as they certainly are invlovled in management issues with no way to pass on user fees to them. 
[/quote]

While I agree that we need to encourage the youth, F&W needs to find a way to keep many of the older outdoorsmen involved.

With all the increases in taxes and living expenses and no cost of living increase I have to make difficult decisions on how and where to spend my money. Right now one of the casualties is fishing. In the past few years I always purchased my combo license, but I haven't fished in nearly 5 years unless you count a handful of times on a private lake (no license needed). By me not fishing, my family doesn't fish and F&W gets no money from us for this activity. This year I did not purchase my fishing combo and it is very likely that I will not in the next few years. Make the licenses cheaper, open more areas and make the regulations easier to follow and I may take it up in the future.

On to hunting. My oldest may continue to hunt if I do, but my youngest is not interested right now. My wife currently hunts and if she continues then it is likely that our youngest will grow into it. But if I quit hunting my wife will stop, our youngest will probably never start and our oldest may or may not continue.

My father can't get around as much as he used to and now everyone is locking up their land. Throw in the expense and the crappy new permit system and I see him quiting in the next couple years. No more money for F&W. The days of a couple old buddies cruising the logging roads "hunting" (purchasing licenses and spending time outdoors) are about over. If they have nowhere to go or can't afford it they will stay home.

So I hold the key to 3 current hunters and possibly 1 in the near future. If I stop, they stop. F&W needs to keep me hunting or they will lose revenue up to 4x. Cutting cougar seasons and adding hard to draw permits, a permit system that is now broken in the eyes of many, proposing to end or reduce night time predator hunting or proposing to cut 30 days out of bear season on public land,  and now raising prices. Why would I want to get my kid hooked on a passion of mine that may only create anger and frustration for him like it does for me?

Think about the last 20 years and what he had versus what we have now. What will the next 20 years bring? Less for more $.

[bigtex]

Hopefully WDFW is one of the agencies taking furlough days.

WDFW does participate in the furlough days. The only WDFW employees that are exempt from the furloughs are WDFW Officers and a couple fish counters which are required to work under a federal contract. WDFW hatchery workers stagger their furlough days since it could be very bad (mechanical or other issues at the facility) to have all of the employees at a hatchery not working for a day.