Has anyone else notice the tag price increase?

[WildlifeBranch]

Fair enough Speck - You all think about where DFG could improve wild pig or turkey habitat or hunting opportunity that would be accessible to the average hunter and let us know. Maybe only on our own wildlife areas, but even on those it is unlikely because of the trade-offs. Spenceville is managed to try and provide turkey hunting opportunity for example.

Best bet would be the new SHARE program legislation to have landowner incentives for public access. That program is just now getting started, but has not been funded by the Legislature.

As stated before- DFG doesn't control the fee changes

I don't mind the bashing, helps me/us understand better where we need to try and adapt to fix it. DFG is used to it from hunters/fishers as well as non-hunters/fishers.

 

[Speckmisser]

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Best bet would be the new SHARE program legislation to have landowner incentives for public access. That program is just now getting started, but has not been funded by the Legislature.[/b]

I think that's an excellent program. It seems to be working great in Montana and the Dakotas. Seems to me like that would be an excellent and productive use of the extra tag income. In fact, if I saw my tag money going to fund increased public access to private land, I'd be pretty well satisfied that it is being used for my best interest. With those fees in the coffers, why can't the legislature agree to use that for funding?

PLM wouldn't work for pig hunting, because there's no season or draw-only tags, hence no additional benefit to the private land-owner... unless there was some sort of trade of PLM deer tags in exchange for allowing public hog hunts on the property (not a bad idea, but complicated). The fact that private landowners can make plenty of money off of selling access for hog hunting will make any such program tricky to implement... what incentive is there that would budge them? I think there are answers, but I don't know enough about the farmers' situation to know what they are.

Of course, there's a different tack. Take a page from states that are just now starting to get impacted by the spread of wild hogs, like Colorado and Kansas. There, they have made it illegal to make money off of feral hog hunts. So if you have pigs on your place, you can kill them yourself or let hunters come onto the property to help with it. But you can't charge tresspass fees, guide fees, or any other financial compensation. That's pretty hard-core, especially given what an industry hog hunting is becoming in this state, but it is an option.

Just to be clear, by the way, I am not asking for habitat improvement specifically for hogs. I understand that anything that increases the population is the wrong direction. It's kind of a drag, because they are my favorite animal to hunt (besides elk...but I have to go out of state for that)... but I know that the best thing that could happen would be total eradication of the wild hogs. I also know that's highly unlikely.

I also know that there's a big difference between the Fish and Game Commission and the DFG, and that you guys in DFG interact more with the public, which means you usually get the beating for things that are outside your control. It's a tough gig, and I'm glad there are folks like you who are willing to do it.

 

[Orygun]

There is a version of SHARE up here. Bit more limited, but it has opened up quite a bit of property. They passed legislation here specifically designating feral pigs as pests. ODFW flat out said they weren't getting into the pig hunting business knowing the problems they cause in the rest of the country. Hopefully CA can get that designation.

I worked at the county ag commission in Monterey for a couple of years. Got to talk to the veggie growers quite a bit. Th epigs were just starting to get into the letteuce fields back then. One foreman saw a sow and a few piglets one spring. He let them go and they went ionto the fields. Those 4 or 5 pigs turned into 40 after the piglets got old enough to breed. tore up 10 acres of head lettuce in one night. At the time it was a rare occurrence. Looks like thing s are getting worse.

You all are welcome to try for our hogs. Some in the SW corner of the state on publis and private land. Right in with all the pot growers.

 

[Live2hunt]

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You all think about where DFG could improve wild pig or turkey habitat or hunting opportunity that would be accessible to the average hunter and let us know.[/b]

The tag fees could go towards expenses to hire professional trappers to trap hogs from private lands where the landowner hates hogs. The trapped hogs then be release to national forests or BLM lands accessible for hunters....Just my 2 cents.





L2H

 

[baboltin]

dont be sprised next year when they go up again, just like everything else.

 

[myfriendis410]

Hey guys; everything is going up! A bag of shot is $50 now! Blame China for that. I pay $35 for a box of bullets to load my rifle now. Say what? $3 per shot at ducks/geese with non toxic stuff and when the lead ban hits, look out! You want a cheaper pig tag per hog? Shoot a bigger hog! How many twenty pound hogs got tagged last year? Come on.......I am happy to pay to play all year at such a fun animal to hunt. What other big game animal can you walk within feet of? Usually not deer!

The DFG is underpaid, understaffed, underappreciated and the butt of all angry hunters. Responsibility should be laid squarely at the door of our state legislature for all fee increases. Not our Fish and Game guys/gals.

There's lots to be pissed off about the California hunting situation, but railing against fee increased does no good at all. Just my opinion.

 

[WildlifeBranch]

my wife says the price of milk has gone up a lot. I hadn't noticed. I have noticed gas is no longer under a dollar.

 

[hatchet1]

turkey tags!!!

 

[Shot]

Its a given that almost everything will get more expensive, its called inflation. What ticks me off is the use of tag revenue for other purposes not related to hunting. I wouldn't mind at all paying $25 dollars for one pig tag if DFG (or whoever) increased my hunting area/opportunities.

I hunt in other states too, like Colorado and Arizona. And when I compare the DFG/legislation to ours, well ours looks like a profiting business while theirs seems like they give a sh!t (look at Colorado's policy on hogs and game management).