Counts Down But Harvest Remains the Same??

[UGUIDE]

I spend about $460/annually on nonresident SD licenses...not to mention the $50 I spend on my boys' licenses...does any of my $500 go towards the procurement or enhancement of public land? I do know that GFP bought a 2000 acre piece from DU about 10 years ago that is kind of near me...I hunt it often, and enjoy it immensely, and have to believe it was partially funded with $ from hunting licenses. I think close to 90,000 non-residents hunt SD annually...I assume I am not the only one that buys more than one license...but if all non-ressies only bought one, that still comes to over $10,000,000 dollars...and that is just small game licenses...add in deer, turkey, waterfowl, etc. and you have some additional dollars. I personally do not expect the high-rollers to pony up extra $ just because they choose to do the pay to hunt thing...as soon as SD does that, they go to ND or somewhere else. I am not a golfer, but someone who joins a private club has no responsibility to subsidize the public course down the road above and beyond what is already taken from him through real estate taxes, sales taxes, etc.

The fact that there are guys willing to fork over large coin to do the pay to hunt thing still benefits the locals...it does create habitat and birds...some of which leave the compound and reproduce elsewhere, go feed elsewhere, go roost elsewhere, or just find themselves on the road or in the ditch. The state needs to build it into license fees, which I am sure they do already, and keep adding to the walk-in lands, and/or WMA's, WPA's, etc. When I open the SD public land atlas, I am stunned by how much public land there is already...granted, I only hunt public land about 15% of the time, but I really enjoy it, and find birds consistently...maybe not as many this year!

UGUIDE is responsible for $20,000 in SD Sales tax and $80,000 in non-resident license fees and not 1 of our 12 camp landowners is eligible for dollar #1 of any assistance from Game, Fish and Parks. Is there a problem here?

 

[benelli-banger]

Yes, that is a shame, Chris. I did some checking, and 37% of GFP's revenue is derived from non-ressie license fees...21% is from ressies...$18,000,000 to $10,000,000. I am sure many ressie's spend money on motels, hotels, diners, bars, etc, but I would be pretty confident that a higher % of non-ressies support these type of businesses, not to mention the pay to play outfits being discussed. Don't soak the "rich non-ressies" who come to SD to hunt...some are, some aren't...some of us do very little else year round other than wait for the fall...I save my time/money for the fall...I do very little else recreationally anymore...mainly because nothing compares, at least to me. Uncle Buck, you've been hunting in SD for 4+ decades, maybe 5? I know there were some awfully tough years in the mid to late 70's...we're back to those levels, basically...still better than walking with no gun, which I do for a few hours each day to try and stay healthy. Also, I don't blame any farmer for making choices that are detrimental to wildlife in favor of helping his bottom line...I hate to see it, but I understand it...health insurance needs to get paid, retirement and college funds need to be put aside, equipment costs are rising, as are seed, fertilizer, cash rents, etc...there needs to be a mechanism that is funded fairly and equitably by all users to acquire or lease more land that is destined for quality habitat...CRP isn't permanent enough, which we are learning the hard way.

 

[carptom1]

uguide i CAPITALIZE pay to play all the time in posts because if you dont people mite think your talking about PUBLIC LANDS & there is a major difference in hunting PUBLIC LANDS & PAY TO PLAY lands in most every state wear wild pheasants are hunted... mainly the number of hunters that have pressured the pheasants on the lands... also when i head to SD i plan to camp out not pay for a hotel... i plan to have a core area of public land picked out to hunt prior to me leaving i will hunt a area with many public lands close by to save gas $$$ & i cant avoid the gas coast but i dont feel im PAYING TO PLAY i mean i have to put gas in the vehicle to go to the grocery store im not PAYING TO PLAY...

danlecl u lost me have you did the PAY TO PLAY route the last 57 years??? i hunt with family yearly in MN & we have a blast & harvest birds & never pay a thing to trespass all public lands...

canthitathing im pretty sure u were talking about me when u said that the rates posted were not nearly as high as stated correct??? when i was commenting to haymaker??? any way if not being a fan of paying 500$-1000$ to hunt 3 days plus lodging or its either PAY TO PLAY or not worth heading out to SD mentality is being pesimistic about most things guilty as charged... i could not imagine having to pay the amounts or ever paying the amounts above just to have a good time out hunting with my family & friends its just never been that way here in MN...

the PAY TO PLAY hunting is not & will never be for each & every single hunter that wants to hit the fields & hunt each fall thats why they have public lands... i only wish some of the $$$ guys pay to play with each season would go towards helping inhance or buy more public lands for the average joe to hunt on... not that the guides do not have great habitat on there lands i just wish guys would take that hunk of $$$ & there hunting partys $$$ & put it to public lands instead of downing the public lands as a waste of time or not worth hunting at all... its a bummer if its either PAY TO PLAY or stay home...

You write PAY TO PLAY so many times on here that i would swear you are spamming some website on here. You know with out PAY TO PLAY, there would be no hunting in SD this year. Guy's like Chris, Haymaker, The guy where i hunt and other guy's are donating to the SD wildlife buy providing habitat and birds to all the surrounding areas, including public. So before you write about PAY TO PLAY negatively on hear all the time, maybe you ought to think about the benefits it provides to all public hunters.

Benelli,

I am with you. After three trips, gas, motel, food, and licenses for me and my two sons, I feel like I am doing my fair share. I am by no means a rich guy. I plan for my trips yearly, paying for lodging, trespass fees, and licenses, months before they are needed. When hunting season comes, I basically need gas and food money and I am good. I do this for my enjoyment, but mostly it is to show my boy's some good hunting until I can no longer afford or enjoy it. It would take more than this to keep me away.

 

[small munsterlander owner]

uguide asked a question & i gave him my answer i say PAY TO PLAY because PUBLIC LAND hunting is not the same as PAY TO PLAY lands that simple not that uguide is a bad guy or haymaker ETC. i also posted a response to ur PAY TO PLAY makes PUBLIC LANDs better post on uguides PAY TO PLAY thread...

with about the same number of non res & res hunters in SD 90,000 hunters well more non residents hunted SD then residents last yr id say on average non residents spend a lot more in SD during pheasant season then a resident does im sure there is some soaking of non resident hunters & residents alike with the jump in hotel fees come pheasant season in SD