lifetime hunting license, what happend?

[killer4]

I was told , it was because the money was being used for the wrong reasons.

 

[6birds]

Statement, or question?

 

[grimor]

well mr red rep... I have no idea what you are talking about. I will assume you mean the normal "lifetime LTCH are going away rumors" no, no it's not true at all, at least not any time soon.

 

[6birds]

Title says "Hunting license", so no, that's not it.

 

[mertbl]

I believe the issue was that they realized they were loosing their proverbial ass in the deal and stopped it. Anybody really could have seen it coming. I spend about $100 a year on tags and licenses. I'm only 26 and been at it for 4 years. That's $400, about the cost of the lifetime, i think. If I can do it until i'm 72 that's $50000. If I had gotten the lifetime, that's a loss of $46,000. And that's only if they don't increase the fees. Now granted that's a lifetime but you do that a few hundred thousand times each year, and that loss will hurt.

Don't get me wrong, if they offer it again, I'll be first in line with my big wad of cash for my own lifetime license.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I believe the issue was that they realized they were loosing their proverbial ass in the deal and stopped it. Anybody really could have seen it coming. I spend about $100 a year on tags and licenses. I'm only 26 and been at it for 4 years. That's $400, about the cost of the lifetime, i think. If I can do it until i'm 72 that's $50000. If I had gotten the lifetime, that's a loss of $46,000. And that's only if they don't increase the fees. Now granted that's a lifetime but you do that a few hundred thousand times each year, and that loss will hurt.

Don't get me wrong, if they offer it again, I'll be first in line with my big wad of cash for my own lifetime license.

Not quite, your math is is a little off. $100 X 46 years is $4600. So over your lifetime they lose $4200. However, one thing we should consider is compounding. The annual fees compounded for 46 years would be about $36k (using the numbers I used) The lifetime license fee compounded over 46 years would be about $10k. So they're losing about $26k in compounded money. You throw in other variable that I discuss below and it changes a lot.

However, I think the lifetime hunting license increased a lot in it's later years so the loss would be even less. At $1200 for the license the compounded value for the lifetime fee comes out to about $30k, very similar to that of the annual fees you pay.

Then you have to consider all the people that otherwise wouldn't buy a license/tag.

It's easy to look at the numbers that say "this guy bought x, y, z tags and licenses which would have totaled $400 this year". When, in fact, if that person didn't have a lifetime license they wouldn't have bought so many tags/licenses.

That is my case. Most years I don't buy a deer license or tag, I either hunt on my own land or I don't hunt.

But if DNR offered a lifetime license you can bet that I would buy one.

So if you look at my case, at most I spend about $40/ year on licenses. I'm the same age as you, so over a lifetime that would be only compound to $15k. If I instead bought the lifetime license at say $1200 or whatever it is, that money would compound to $30k. Sure, I would hunt more, and use more tags/licenses, but the state isn't losing money on me because those are tags/licenses I wouldn't have bought if I didn't have the lifetime license. It's a win-win for both of us, if I use more tags/licenses than I normally would otherwise I will save money, at the same time, if I buy a lifetime license, the state will get more money as well.

 

[M4Madness]

I paid $525 for my lifetime hunting license in 1999. I've taken a lot of deer in my time, but figure somewhere around 40 since '99. Add in quite a few turkeys, piles of coyotes, squirrels, rabbits, foxes, etc., and it is easy to see that the state lost a lot of money on me. For example, I took 7 deer this past season alone. Each price increase for hunting licenses equates to an even bigger loss for the state. The good news is that I'm hunting for free each year now, and the Lord willing, I'll be in the woods at least another 30-40 years.

 

[shibumiseeker]

What is this hunting license of which you speak?

(resident landowner hunting my own land)

 

[CountryBoy19]

I paid $525 for my lifetime hunting license in 1999. I've taken a lot of deer in my time, but figure somewhere around 40 since '99. Add in quite a few turkeys, piles of coyotes, squirrels, rabbits, foxes, etc., and it is easy to see that the state lost a lot of money on me. For example, I took 7 deer this past season alone. Each price increase for hunting licenses equates to an even bigger loss for the state. The good news is that I'm hunting for free each year now, and the Lord willing, I'll be in the woods at least another 30-40 years.

Would you have harvested that many animals if you didn't have the lifetime? That is the real comparison. You can't compare the amount of money they lost on license fees with the lifetime license, it's the money they lost on license fees that a person would be spending if they didn't have the lifetime.

There is a big difference there. Every single person I talk to with a lifetime say they would be hunting less and buying a lot less licenses/tags if they didn't have the lifetime license. I think that is the major thing that the state didn't consider when they saw the "lost money".

 

[M4Madness]

Would you have harvested that many animals if you didn't have the lifetime? That is the real comparison. You can't compare the amount of money they lost on license fees with the lifetime license, it's the money they lost on license fees that a person would be spending if they didn't have the lifetime.

There is a big difference there. Every single person I talk to with a lifetime say they would be hunting less and buying a lot less licenses/tags if they didn't have the lifetime license. I think that is the major thing that the state didn't consider when they saw the "lost money".

Honestly, as much as I love to hunt, yes, I more than likely would have bought the tags regardless. Back during the days when we had to stand in line at Spring Mill State Park for doe tags, I'm pretty sure there were times that I bought 8 or 10 deer tags in a single season without a lifetime license.

 

[builder_one]

I would also have to imagine they were discontinued due to sheer loss of revenue. I bought my lifetime hunting/fishing license back in early '02 for $700 I believe. I just totaled up what my license fees for this year alone between fishing & hunting (includes 2 bonus tags), and it would have amounted to $182 or so. I've easily paid off the original cost and will hopefully have many more seasons left to hunt. I would have bought all of these licenses regardless, so the state is definitely losing money on me now.

 

[mertbl]

Thank you for your correction country boy, must have forgot to carry the 1 or something. LOL.

But anyways OP, I think we all agree it was loss of revenue, not misuse of revenue that got it removed.

 

[Cavman]

I think game laws are important and that fees do help. But i think ya should only pay if ya kill an animal. That way people arnt waisting money if they pay over 40 bucks for tags and end up with nothing then they havent wasted money. My idea would be when ya check your deer in then ya can pay the fee. it would save people alot of money. state may not make as much but theyll get their money out of us some how.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Honestly, as much as I love to hunt, yes, I more than likely would have bought the tags regardless. Back during the days when we had to stand in line at Spring Mill State Park for doe tags, I'm pretty sure there were times that I bought 8 or 10 deer tags in a single season without a lifetime license.

You're the first person I've heard say that. I don't mean that in any sort of bad way. I've just never come across a lifetime license holder before that has said they would honestly buy/use the same number of licenses/tags if they didn't have the lifetime license. I think you're in the minority on that.

 

[IndianaSlim]

Honestly I would buy more tags than I needed if I didn't have a lifetime license. Just to make sure that I always had a tag in my pocket and was legal. I killed 8 deer this year (2 out of state those don't count). As well as a turkey tag I would have ate and the costs of the fen hunting and small game licenses. I'm 27 right now and was given my lifetime by my grandfather for my 16 th birthday. By far the best birthday gift ever! I figure it's paid for itself two to three times already and I've got A LOT of deer left to kill in my lifetime.

 

[Compatriot G]

I was going through some papers of my grandfather's after he passed away. I found that he had a lifetime hunting and fishing permit issued around 1946 or 1947. Apparently, it was because he was a WWII veteran. At the bottom of the permit, it had something about being a veteran of the war in Cuba, the Philippine Insurrection, WWI and WWII. It was signed by the clerk of our county(Henry).

 

[DarkRose]

My dad purchased his Lifetime Hunting & Fishing back in the mid 80's, I forget the price, but I know it made me ill... lol.

He had heard it was basically because without it, there was a more constant stream of revenue coming in every year, AND not losing the money from the "discount" the lifetime gave the purchaser.

Then there were rumors that the state would stop honoring the Lifetimes after a set time period (10 years is what I heard), and then heard that after threats of numerous class action lawsuits, they quickly dropped that idea and will grandfather and honor all existing lifetime liscences...

Just what I've heard, nothing confirmed or denied.

 

[beclende]

I purchased my lifetime hunting license when I was fifteen.....wish I would have just went ahead and got the fishing as well....

 

[ws6guy]

Purchased hunting and fishing back in 2001 and that be the best money ever spent! I think it was around $600

 

[rookie0014]

i got the lifetime hunting and fishing comp lic when it was 708.00. best money spent but that being said what i pay for the tags every year was always nothing compared to everything else i buy every year for hunting season and to fish.