Is it time for a walk in program in Minnesota?

onpoint

onpoint

Active member
A couple of months old but I thought it was a good subject to chat about

http://www.startribune.com/sports/o...yaiUgOahccyiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUs

Is it time for "walk-in'' hunting program?
State Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley, says he will introduce legislation this session creating a program where landowners would be paid to allow hunters access to their lands.

By DOUG SMITH, Star Tribune


A "walk-in'' hunting program in Minnesota — where landowners would be paid to allow hunters access to their lands - has been debated for years. But for several reasons, including cost, the idea has never come to fruition.

But state Sen. Satveer Chaudhary, DFL-Fridley, says the time is ripe for such a plan. He said he will introduce legislation this session creating one.

The DNR issued a report in 2008 about a potential walk-in program, saying it would help address a main complaint for hunters to quit hunting: A lack of a place to hunt. Some say a program would encourage landowners to charge hunters for access, and that it could raise the cost of leasing land for hunting.

But Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson told attendees at last week's Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Alliance banquet in St. Paul that Minnesota should take advantage of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Open Fields'' program, which helps states pay the costs of walk-in hunting programs.

"Minnesota is currently leaving millions of federal matching dollars off the table by not having this hunting opportunity,'' Chaudhary said. He is holding a planning meeting, open to the public, from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday in Room 125 of the State Capitol.
 
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There are a few places in MI that are private land opened up through a program like this for public access. When it's 2-3 parcels per county though, I don't see how it's much better than state land due to the pressure they must experience. I also have to admit though that I haven't tried one - I'd have to drive past a number of state land parcels since there are none of these public access private spots in my county.
 
I sure hope you get a WIHA program up there. Every decent upland state should have one. A matter of money?? Surely they'll be able to generate revenue with this added incentive to attracts out of state hunters. I'd say it has generated a great deal of revenue for the state of KS. There were a LOT of pheasant hunters visiting KS last season and I'm sure the trend will continue. If it successfull enough, maybe they'll be able to lease even more acres. I'm very interested in hearing about this as it develops or if it fails, why it failed.

Thanks for bringing this up.
 
I think it would be great fro hunters but I don't see it happening and here are the reasons:

- when you go east from the Dakota's and plains states you get into a different class of farming (high rents, high production, and farming fence to fence)
- Many MN farms and land are already posted
- Many MN landowners are avid hunters themselves
- Compared to rents and crop production it would take a lot of money for a walk-in program to get interest from landowners. May not be a good value for the taxpayer
- I'd question what the quality of the land would be allowed into the program. Not a lot of no-till in MN. Most crops are plowed under in fall.
- Does the DNR have enough resources to take on the administration of this program?
 
I don't know that Minnesota could do as well, but SD collects about $10 million in license fees from out-of-staters. That money could pay walk-in fees on lots of acres. IIRC SD pays $5/acre for walk-in privileges. So $10 million could pay for 2 million acres. That's a lot.

Of course once politicians get the money they can spend it ninety different ways.
 
I recommend that Minnesota adopt South Dakota's road hunting laws and regulations. If they would do that there would be plenty of hunting all over Minnesota for everyone. It's a simple fix and would not cost the state anything.
 
I'm with UGUIDE on this one. The economics of a walk-in program for Minnesota are not great.

States with succesfull walk-in access programs are typically states that have relatively low populations are land rich and fertility poor.

Big Block CRP rental rates in these states (KS, SD, ND, MT) are attractive to many landowners so the supply of huntable land is high and because of the low population demand is relatively low. The current going rate for "walk-in rental" of $3-$5 per acre for access is attractive to enough non-hunting landowners to make the system work.

In states like MN and Iowa you have relatively high populations, high fertility and high rental rates. Also an environment where participation in CRP is switching more towards continuous programs (CREP, SAFE etc.) that target smaller more sensative parcels of land. The only areas of MN where the numbers may work out is east-central Minnesota and Northwest Minnesota. Both of these areas are at the very fringe of the pheasant range.

I believe a rental rate north of $20.00 per acre would be needed to acheive adequate landowner participation in south-central & southwestern MN. To get even 250,000 acres (1/4 of states like KS or SD) in the program you are talking $5,000,000 in funds.

That kind of money is not going to get appropriated from the legislature. The federal open fields dollars available are somewhat limited and doled out as a cost share subsidy not as a lump sum grant to go rent acres. Ultimately to improve access hunters will need to step up and accept a big part of the financial burden.

At roughly 100,000 licensed pheasant hunters in the state of MN we are talking a $20 plus dollar increase in the pheasant stamp ($2,000,000.00) with maybe some other dollars coming from deer and turkey hunters. I'd pay that in a heartbeat if I knew it would open up a 1/4 million acres in new hunting access. Problem is I don't think many others would. In fact I believe if a $25 increase in the pheasant stamp were proposed most of our bretheren would immediately scream like a stuck hog. Right after they go out and spend $200 on a new GPS or $500 on a new astro etc etc.
 
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