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Senate advances wildlife fee changes: resident license cut, new tag fees proposed
Summary
Senate Bill 117 reworks hunting-license pricing and fund allocation for the Division of Wildlife Resources, lowering the resident combination license while adding a tag fee and imposing steep nonresident tag costs; the bill moved to third reading after sponsor explanation and unanimous second-reading support.
Senate Bill 117, presented by Senator Chuck Peterson, reorganizes how hunting licenses and tags are structured and clarifies how revenue stays with the wildlife fund.
Peterson said the bill keeps interest and dividend revenue in the wildlife account, authorizes rental revenue to be credited to that fund, and restructures the deer-hunting fee schedule: it reduces the resident combination license from $35 to $25 but creates a $14 tag fee per hunt so resident hunters will pay an effective $4 increase for deer hunting when license plus tag are combined. For nonresidents, Peterson said the bill would change the license charge to $5 but add a $195 tag for a total of $200 for a deer-hunt tag purchase.
Supporters said the changes reflect Board of Big Game decisions to regulate hunt types and to better control herd management and hunter numbers. The Senate recorded a second-reading tally of 26 ayes, no nays and 3 absences and placed SB117 on the third-reading calendar.
Quote: "We reduce the cost of the resident combination license by $10, from $35 to $25, and the reason it reduces them is that it adds $14...so actually deer hunters will be paying $4 more," Senator Chuck Peterson said.
What happens next: SB117 goes to third reading for final consideration. If enacted, the Division of Wildlife Resources will implement tag issuance and account allocations and adjust license forms and fee collection procedures to reflect the new structure.
