ODFW should not be raising license and tag fees

[SmawGunner]

This article says the ODFW wants to raise the license and tag fees because of a budget shortfall.
http://www.opb.org/news/article/odf-considers-fee-hikes-as-hunting-fishing-suffer-declines/

Article says that since the year 2000,
Oregons population increased 13%.
Hunting licenses decreased 15%
ODFW budget increased 66%.

Why is ODFW increasing their budget while the license demand is decreasing? The ODFW budget should only be increasing at the same pace as the license purchases. How come the government solution to every problem is to raise taxes? Where does this parasitic mentality come from? Disgusting.

ODFW is punishing the sportsmen while at the same time screwing up the hunting conditions and causing hunters to lose interest because they are failing to control the bear and cougar population. There is a population explosion of cougar and bear and they are taking a toll on the deer. We need to bring back the dogs and get cougar and bear under control again. Most people have no interest in hunting cougar or bear. We just want to hunt deer.

If you want to let them know how you feel then show up at their town hall on May 19th in Clackamas.
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/budget/process.asp

Read More

 

[ZigZagZeke]

How much are they paying Wildlife Services (USFWS) to exterminate cougar? Houndsmen would pay for licenses to do the job for free. It's time to stop game management via the ballot box. It doesn't work.

 

[redmud]

I had some cougar last summer it tasted good. It actually tasted like a cross between beef and pork.

 

[Dave Workman]

I had some cougar last summer it tasted good. It actually tasted like a cross between beef and pork.

you are what you eat.

I have it figured out. They charge more for licenses and tags because there are fewer hunters and the bios need a salary increase and more money to spend on wolf management and studies, studies, studies.

No fee hike without additional opportunity. Period. End of story. I've been fighting that issue for years up here in Washington.

 

[nextgenar]

This is typical goverment foolishness. Less people are huntimg because the license and tag fees are too high. So to combat the loss of revenue they RAISE the price, so less people will buy license and tags. And the reason for the 66% budget increase is directly due to the hiring of more people in the department. So now we have less hunting and fishing oppurtunities due to mismanagment of those resources and we have to hire more people to further mismanage those resources. You can tell these people have never had to work in the real world, can you imagine a buisness thats makes a product that doesn't sell as well as they thought it would, so they RAISE the price to try to sell more, and hire more employees to help drive up their overhead costs? They wouldn't stay in buisness very long. Thats the real world!

 

[redmud]

I went Springer fishing with a buddy of mine he had along one of his buddies from Ilwaco he owns and operates a guide service with two boats.
They shut down the Sturgeon fishing this year in Oregon and Washington or at least the retention of Sturgeon.

I am sure that decision took a huge chunk of revenue off their plates.

They cost him $70,000 this year. Imagine the impact on our economy hotels, food service, gas tackle.

We are going to be paying for this one for a while.

 

[Sstrand]

If you people think that ODFW is interested in sportsmen and managing the resource you have been out in the sun too long . . . Their one (only) interest is to perpetuate their bureaucracy . . .

Sheldon

 

[Martini_Up]

hunting license sales decreased %15 percent... sales, not cost.

This year I paid $165 for a sport pack which did not include the columbia river salmon rider as I opted out this year and will salmon fish on the coast - f them.

9 years ago the sport pack was $95. It's almost doubled in that time... not to mention that during that time they have now started including shell fish in the licensing whereas before they didn't - used to be you didn't need a license.

They will continue to make it complicated and costly to hunt to the point where nobody will do it anymore and will just go out of state...

write the ODFW and tell them what you think. it can't hurt, just don't get too pissed if they don't respond and don't get really pissed if they do, haha!

 

[ZigZagZeke]

you are what you eat.

Hmmmm, now there's an interesting visual.

 

[Provincial]

If you really want to give input on this, contact the Commission members directly. They are the ones who ultimately make the decisions, and don't have the direct conflict-of-interest that the bureaucrats do.

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/commission/members.asp

From the background information on the website, most of the Commission members should be reasonable people. However, being appointed by forty years of urban-centric governors makes them suspect.

 

[SturgeonSlayer]

you will see even less people hunting in the coming years now that the major land (timber) owners are charging people to hunt on there land ! More and more people are going out of state to hunt in the states who have a successful management plan, Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Utah so on and so forth. ODFW can go pound sand.... I encourage any and all to join groups like OHA and RMEF who fight the state on this kinda garbage.

 

[coyote223]

Exactly! With the timber companies wanting to start charging and limiting access also, there will even be less people hunting. Buying a side of beef will be a whole lot cheaper, and its guaranteed meat,,,

 

[RVTECH]

If you people think that ODFW is interested in sportsmen and managing the resource you have been out in the sun too long . . . Their one (only) interest is to perpetuate their bureaucracy . . .

Yep - fewer hunters means fewer animals and resources that need to be managed. The ODFW has been working to turn Oregon into a Euro-Style environment where only the wealthy 'elite' will have opportunities to hunt. The traditional blue collar/middle-class outdoorsmen who once made up the hunting majority are quickly becoming the minority and are being pushed out by higher fees and less opportunities. It all started with the lottery tag 'system'. That was the first phase of the whole diabolical plan.

 

[Sstrand]

Do you suppose that the end goal is to reduce the number of people wanting to preserve the 2nd amendment by reducing the number interested and willing to jump through the hoops to go hunting??? Hhhhhmmmmm.

Sheldon

 

[jluck]

I have some 400 plus dollars spent thus far on my family's tags, licensing, draw hunts etc.... That's before stepping out one day to hunt or travel or camp or....

Who's animals are these anyway? They "belong" to the government until one steps out on to the roadway and causes thousands of dollars in damages to your car.... huh... Odd.

I'm personally getting sick of hundreds after hundreds just for chances to hunt if they say so.

Is there no law for subsistence hunting In Oregon? One should have the RIGHT to provide food for self and family without being forced to trade paper for processed meat, no?

 

[RVTECH]

Do you suppose that the end goal....

Hmmmm - interesting hypothesis - it might not far of. Typically hunting and 2A issues have been connected - BUT there are 'hunters' out there who are less inclined. Watch some of the Outdoor oriented hunting & fishing shows and you'll see what I mean.

 

[RVTECH]

Is there no law for subsistence hunting In Oregon?

Yes - probably one AGAINST it. I highly doubt it though considering you need to have the appropriate tag to legally take a game animal.

One should have the RIGHT to provide food for self and family without being forced to trade paper for processed meat, no?

You do - grow it, corral it, raise it, feed it and finally harvest, pick and butcher it for the dinner table.

 

[jbett98]

And you wonder why poaching is on the rise.

 

[RVTECH]

And you wonder why poaching is on the rise.

Yep - Poaching has always been part of the equation and the last I heard ODFW says the poach 'take' is at least as much or more than legally tagged.

 

[RVTECH]

But what really burns my donkey is reading an article the other day in Northwest Sportsman magazine about a '46 year old CAMBODIAN refugee had sold something like 13 Elk to authorities in a sting operation and had many more in coolers, refers etc along with several deer. Also I believe it mentioned he also had 11 Sturgeon. AND he only got probation and some other minor hand slapping. If anyone has read this correct it for me as I am relying on memory. I was reading the magazine in the lunch room at work.