HorizontalHunter
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Talk about a flat out money grab from nonresidents. How much is too much? Where do you draw the line?
Special to the Columbus Dispatch
Money makes the world go ‘round, the song wryly assures a "Cabaret" audience.
The people who decide how much green is needed to keep the Ohio Division of Wildlife going ‘round figure $92.4 million won't be enough this year. The figure, which represents the division's 2024 budget, is probably insufficient in a future promising tariffs, supply-chain issues and inflation.
Expenses totaled $92.2 million in 2024, which in terms of a balance sheet, is cutting things pretty close. These days it's about the cost of a couple of store-bought eggs.
Pennies must be watched. Spending on personnel and projects, law enforcement and administration, education and land acquisition adds up, especially for a government agency that depends mostly on user fees to generate revenue and that can’t print money it doesn’t have to cover shortfalls.
To head off potential service shrinkages, the division has offered a plan to increase revenues by hiking the “price of most of our non-resident license fees,” wrote Kendra Wecker, the wildlife division chief, in a recent communication.
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And here’s a section of the statement that should perk up the ears of Ohio residents who purchase hunting and fishing licenses:
“These increases are projected to add between $4 million and $6 million of revenue annually to the wildlife fund, so we will not need to seek a resident fee increase for several years.”
Check out a rundown of what the division has in mind for non-residents:
• $74 for an annual fishing license, an increase from $49.
• $50 for a three-day license, more than double the current cost of $24.
• A doubling of the cost of a single-day fishing license, to $26 from the current $13.
• An almost tripling of the cost of an either-sex deer permit, to $210 from $74. A sizable increase in the cost of a hunting license and either-sex deer permit, to $399.36 from the current $257.92
The numbers, Wecker wrote, are in line with those collected in other Midwestern states.
Lake Erie, primarily because of its superior walleye fishing, has long been a destination for out-of-state anglers. Deer in Ohio are recognized as numerous and large, worth a trip from elsewhere, particularly nearby states.
During the recent deer season, hunters from Pennsylvania scooped up almost 8,000 non-resident licenses, while Michiganders bought about 5,200, West Virginians 3,625, North Carolinians nearly 3,300 and New Yorkers more than 3,000.
The proposed increases won’t become law until approved by the Ohio General Assembly as part of the biennial budget bill that typically doesn’t get firmed up until the deadline for passage arrives in late June.
The price changes won’t become effective until 90 days after the governor signs the budget, which means late September, Wecker wrote.
The wildlife division also proposed dates for the youth deer gun hunt (Nov. 22-23), deer gun season (Dec. 1-7 and Dec. 20-21), and muzzleloader season (Jan. 3 through Jan. 6, 2026).
Dave GolowenskiSpecial to the Columbus Dispatch
Money makes the world go ‘round, the song wryly assures a "Cabaret" audience.
The people who decide how much green is needed to keep the Ohio Division of Wildlife going ‘round figure $92.4 million won't be enough this year. The figure, which represents the division's 2024 budget, is probably insufficient in a future promising tariffs, supply-chain issues and inflation.
Expenses totaled $92.2 million in 2024, which in terms of a balance sheet, is cutting things pretty close. These days it's about the cost of a couple of store-bought eggs.
Pennies must be watched. Spending on personnel and projects, law enforcement and administration, education and land acquisition adds up, especially for a government agency that depends mostly on user fees to generate revenue and that can’t print money it doesn’t have to cover shortfalls.
To head off potential service shrinkages, the division has offered a plan to increase revenues by hiking the “price of most of our non-resident license fees,” wrote Kendra Wecker, the wildlife division chief, in a recent communication.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
And here’s a section of the statement that should perk up the ears of Ohio residents who purchase hunting and fishing licenses:
“These increases are projected to add between $4 million and $6 million of revenue annually to the wildlife fund, so we will not need to seek a resident fee increase for several years.”
Check out a rundown of what the division has in mind for non-residents:
• $74 for an annual fishing license, an increase from $49.
• $50 for a three-day license, more than double the current cost of $24.
• A doubling of the cost of a single-day fishing license, to $26 from the current $13.
• An almost tripling of the cost of an either-sex deer permit, to $210 from $74. A sizable increase in the cost of a hunting license and either-sex deer permit, to $399.36 from the current $257.92
The numbers, Wecker wrote, are in line with those collected in other Midwestern states.
Lake Erie, primarily because of its superior walleye fishing, has long been a destination for out-of-state anglers. Deer in Ohio are recognized as numerous and large, worth a trip from elsewhere, particularly nearby states.
During the recent deer season, hunters from Pennsylvania scooped up almost 8,000 non-resident licenses, while Michiganders bought about 5,200, West Virginians 3,625, North Carolinians nearly 3,300 and New Yorkers more than 3,000.
The proposed increases won’t become law until approved by the Ohio General Assembly as part of the biennial budget bill that typically doesn’t get firmed up until the deadline for passage arrives in late June.
The price changes won’t become effective until 90 days after the governor signs the budget, which means late September, Wecker wrote.
Hunting dates
Pending likely approval by the eight-member Ohio Wildlife Council, the upcoming deer archery season will begin Sept. 27 and run through Feb. 1, 2026.The wildlife division also proposed dates for the youth deer gun hunt (Nov. 22-23), deer gun season (Dec. 1-7 and Dec. 20-21), and muzzleloader season (Jan. 3 through Jan. 6, 2026).
Ohio Division of Wildlife looks to increase out-of-staters' hunting, fishing license fees
The Ohio Division of Wildlife has a proposal for how to raise more funds in 2025. What does that mean for you?
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