Federal Duck Stamp Increase

[Scott M]

Just read last week about some huge proposed cuts to USFWS as part of the "Cut, Cap, Balance" solutions being proposed in Washington. What I read talked about a bunch of USFWS layoffs and closing 1 in 5 federal refuges. Setting aside the argument over cutting funding to conservation and conservation services, the author talked about some of the folks in the Dept. of the Interior being in favor of a fee increase on the federal duck stamp, from $15 to $30 to fund more consevation and habitat work. Word has it that nationally, as it was in this latest legislative session in Minnesota with proposed hunting and fishing license fee increases, Republicans will not support any sort of tax or fee increase, so a federal duck stamp increase will be difficult to pass.

I'm curious what hunters think about a federal duck stamp fee increase, would you be for it or against it?

elwood, could you put a poll into this thread? Just curious how it would break down within the HSO waterfowl crowd.

[goblueM]

i'd pay it, particularly if it meant avoiding shutting down 20% of refuges

i'm willing to pay to play, and I believe in protecting the resources we enjoy as a massive privilege in this country

[Superduty]

No problem paying here. Another $15 added to my annual waterfowl expenses isn't going to make any difference. That's not even a full box of shells!

[TylerS]

Heck, I'd pay $60 if that meant they'd be able to open up more land for hunting. Getting harder and harder to find spots every year. Gotta stay ahead of the ol' 8-ball!

[carpshooterdeluxe]

should have been $30 10 years ago. I'd pay $100. This money = ducks plain and simple.

[Finlander]

carpshooterdeluxe wrote:

should have been $30 10 years ago. I'd pay $100. This money = ducks plain and simple.

I agree!

[PierBridge]

I'm mildly impressed so far...

I'll pay $20. $30 is a bit much in my opinion.

[B. Amish]

they need to get more bird watchers buying duck stamps!!! the numbers of avid bird watchers is mind boggling, yet they don't do a lot to support the habitat imo.

[LightningBG]

I'd be fine with an increase as long as it was going towards specific programs, vs going into some general fund of nothingness.

[uwleagle]

I agree with most of you. I spend a ridiculous amount of money waterfowling every year and would have no problem if the stamp was $30 or even more.

[Feathers Rainin]

they need to get more bird watchers buying duck stamps!!! the numbers of avid bird watchers is mind boggling, yet they don't do a lot to support the habitat imo.

I'm curious as to how you think they would go about enforcing it. It is pretty obvious when one is duck hunting. I would think it would be tough to classify who is a bird watcher and who is just enjoying the outdoors.

I would be fine with the increase. It's pretty cheap and if it means keeping some of our refuges it is well worth it. People complain a lot about license fees but if you stop and think how much a serious waterfowler spends a season licenses are a tiny fraction of the total costs.

[smnduck]

I woould pay extra, but with the current rhetoric in washington about no new lands or fee increase's i doubt it will happen.Some of our current leaders want nothing more than an out right fire sale of all things public.

[Gordie]

I would have know problem paying just about any amount of money for a stamp to waterfowl hunt but I would really like to see excatly what I'm spending it on. not just some offical word that its getting well spent for waterfowl I would like to see first hand what our money is doing

[Bran32]

20 would be sufficient but 30 is a little much!!

[Finlander]

They should spend a certain amount of that money to eliminate feral cats! That would help all the birds!

[RiverRunner]

They should spend a certain amount of that money to eliminate feral cats! That would help all the birds!

People really think feral cats are that big of problem. Maybe around towns and old farmsteads. Your racoons and skunks are more of a wide spread problem than feral cats. Predator control would help, but don't count on it with fur prices where they are at. We need habitat preserved and grasslands first and formost.

No problem with an increase to $30. A $15 dollar hike is a pretty small price to pay. With the big cuts to CRP an Federal refuges projected I think its almost needed.

[TylerS]

they need to get more bird watchers buying duck stamps!!! the numbers of avid bird watchers is mind boggling, yet they don't do a lot to support the habitat imo.

[Gordie]

They should spend a certain amount of that money to eliminate feral cats! That would help all the birds!

I'ii do it for free

[Muthagoose]

Did a couple free bird mounts for the fuge few years back...

"""" The Ditch Tiger contest"""

Hummmm Might have to do that again....

[nolte]

I've got no problem with a fee increase but I'd like to see where the money is going. Make sure it's not just being thrown away. As much as I hate to say it a lot of the money we spend with outdoor associations never makes it to the wildlife. It gets sucked off to the administration of said association long before it can benefit a critter. We keep giving because we think we are helping out.

This is something I don't really understand. How much money does it take to run a refuge. Most signs are already up showing no hunting and most of the road structures are already in place. The land is already owned and they don't pay taxes. They might have to shut down an interpretive center or something but the vital part (the land) is still there. We might not have the ability to gain ground on preserving lands but we shouldn't be going backwards.

[B. Amish]

The gist i get from Amish's quote is that more bird watchers ought to be buying the stamp anyways because they are benefiting from its use. There doesn't need to be a law (as you said, it would be pretty tough to enforce) but maybe some more education/information needs to be made available just to show how many people (besides just hunters) benefit from the duck stamp.

bingo!

over the last 10 years, about 1.6 - 1.7 million stamps have been sold per year. i looked around on line, but couldn't find anything as to who is buying those duck stamps. is it all hunters? i would say the vast majority is.

98 cents out of every dollar for duck stamps sold goes directly to buying or protecting habitat.

the best data i could find on the number of birders in the usa is about 40 million adults ---> that's a lot of folks that could be buying a duck stamp.

[Gordie]

Did a couple free bird mounts for the fuge few years back...

"""" The Ditch Tiger contest"""

Hummmm Might have to do that again....

No contest Mutha its open season on Prairie Lions

[mulefarm]

Personally I'd have no problem with the increase. What an increase might do, is keep marginal and new hunters from taking up waterfowling. It is an expensive sport to start with, and adding possible state increases along with a federal stamp increase would probably decrease our numbers.

[koonie]

I really don't think it needs to jump from 15 to 30 dollars. The number of waterfowl hunters has been in decline for a while and this will cause the numbers to drop even further. With the price of everything(license, stamps, gas) going up I can see many people getting priced out of hunting. This is what worries me long term. I know the cost of conservation is going up as well, but at some point we may wind up losing enough hunters and not recruiting enough new hunters, due to the cost, that even with this increase(or the next one) there won't be enough money coming in for the system to continue.

Just a thought. Maybe the sky isn't falling but it seems to be closer than it used to be. :-)

[TylerS]

I really don't think it needs to jump from 15 to 30 dollars. The number of waterfowl hunters has been in decline for a while and this will cause the numbers to drop even further.

I dunno...$15 isn't going to break the bank when you consider the hundreds if not thousands of dollars duck hunters invest in their equipment every year. If that's the last straw for somebody...I reckon they really weren't that interested in duck hunting in the first place.

[koonie]

Maybe and extra 15 won't hurt you and I but it will no doubt deter some people. Then if the small game license and state waterfowl stamp go up(which will surely happen) it really starts to add up. Plus not everyone spends thousands of dollars on waterfowl hunting and just because they don't and aren't serious waterfowl hunters doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to go waterfowl hunting.

My whole point from earlier was just food for thought. Concerned about the future of hunting. Not trying to start an arguement(I know you weren't either). Just saying.

[Gordie]

15 bucks is less than a box of shells .

I realize it might be a lot of money for some and everyone has the right to hunt waterfowl but if you want to hunt you will have to pay for the stamp. I dont want to see a loss in hunters and I really dont want to lose the the habitat that the money is supose to fund.

[gundy89]

I dunno...$15 isn't going to break the bank when you consider the hundreds if not thousands of dollars duck hunters invest in their equipment every year. If that's the last straw for somebody...I reckon they really weren't that interested in duck hunting in the first place.

For the guy that spends hundreds and thousands, $15 wont' matter. However, there a a lot of people like me that go out on opener and maybe one other time. For me, a $30 federal stamp will mostly likely mean that I won't be putting the waders on this year. I'll take the weekend and chase some walleyes, muskies, grouse , or deer.

[carpshooterdeluxe]

I've got no problem with a fee increase but I'd like to see where the money is going. Make sure it's not just being thrown away. As much as I hate to say it a lot of the money we spend with outdoor associations never makes it to the wildlife. It gets sucked off to the administration of said association long before it can benefit a critter. We keep giving because we think we are helping out.

This is something I don't really understand. How much money does it take to run a refuge. Most signs are already up showing no hunting and most of the road structures are already in place. The land is already owned and they don't pay taxes. They might have to shut down an interpretive center or something but the vital part (the land) is still there. We might not have the ability to gain ground on preserving lands but we shouldn't be going backwards.

Spend a day volunteering at a refuge. You'll be exhausted. There is always willows to cut, grass to burn, invasive weeds to spray, trees to cut, roads to maintain, mowing, etc. It takes a lot of work to maintain the type of habitat required to produce and rest waterfowl and other migrating birds.

Personally, I wish that a federal duck stamp was required to do any type of hunting, big game, upland, etc. on any Federal WPA. These properties were bought with duck stamp money, but how many other species benefit? Maybe if this was a requirement, we wouldn't even be having the conversation about increasing stamp prices, because the revenues would already be higher.

[paceman]

"For the guy that spends hundreds and thousands, $15 wont' matter. However, there a a lot of people like me that go out on opener and maybe one other time. For me, a $30 federal stamp will mostly likely mean that I won't be putting the waders on this year. I'll take the weekend and chase some walleyes, muskies, grouse , or deer."

+1