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NR tags exceed $500

quote by "sureshot1" : Residents who have lived and hunted in Iowa the past ten years have seen the changes firsthand.

What kind of changes are you talking about?

I don't understand all the negativity about this. The way I see it, the price increase will only make the best state in the nation for deer hunting even better. As long as they don't raise the quota, I don't see how more rich people coming from out of state could make it worse. They aren't going to lease or buy the whole state if they limit it where the quota is now, are they? Anyone, please explain if you think I'm wrong on that idea. I wish the Wisconsin DNR cared 10% as much about our deer quality as the Iowa DNR does. If you are a Iowa resident, I hope you know how very lucky you are to be living in the best place in the world for deer hunting. It was mentioned several times that they considered raising the number of NR tags from 3000 to 6000, but as far as I know it's been at a quota of 6000 any-deer tags since at least 2002 according to the NR application info I have saved every year since then. I have been applying since 2000 and have drawn a tag 3 times. The experience of hunting Iowa is awesome, and that's compared to Wisconsin where we have a pretty decent number of mature bucks compared to most states, but it doesn't even come close to the quality of Iowa. This price increase is going to make me think about whether or not I want to spend $700+ every 3 years to experience this again, but be the whitetail nut that I am, I'll probably go for it. Iowa- keep up the awesome work and see if you can do something to straighten out our DNR! EARN-A-BUCK is the worst management tool for a quality deer herd - it destroys it! I read somewhere else on here that Iowa should do this! PLEASE NO! DO NOT DESTROY THE BEST DEER HERD ON THE PLANET! I've seen first hand what that does to the deer herd. Finally, after years of taking a ton of pressure from hunters, the DNR was basically forced to quit EAB (outside the stupid CWD Zone, which is a joke by the way) Sorry that's a little off topic, but just to show that Iowa has the best deer management in the world.
 
10$

For 10$ I bought the point I probably wont need. Next year maybe..... I have 4 points now. I heard the JNRBRONC ranch has 200 inchers behind every tree.....that would be worth the 550$ tag. :)
 
DOR said:
For 10$ I bought the point I probably wont need. Next year maybe..... I have 4 points now. I heard the JNRBRONC ranch has 200 inchers behind every tree.....that would be worth the 550$ tag. :)
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I've been trying to avoid commenting much on this thread, but sure, drag me into it, Dor! :thrwrck:

Dor hasn't seen my ranch yet, not a tree on it! :D

For all of you who are thinking that tags cost too much (I don't care what state or tag for what species), I got one word for ya: plasma! :way: That's how I "budgeted" to apply for a NM elk tag. I'm living the old saying, "if there is a will, there is a way". ;)
 
price increases are the law of the land. take last year's cabela's archery catalog and compare prices to this year's catalog. NR tags went up this year, resident's prices will go up next year. go to the grocery store, everything is 75 cents higher that it was last summer. as soon as the uproar ends over this year price increase, it will go up again
 
JNRBRONC said:
I've been trying to avoid commenting much on this thread, but sure, drag me into it, Dor! :thrwrck:

Dor hasn't seen my ranch yet, not a tree on it! :D

For all of you who are thinking that tags cost too much (I don't care what state or tag for what species), I got one word for ya: plasma! :way: That's how I "budgeted" to apply for a NM elk tag. I'm living the old saying, "if there is a will, there is a way". ;)
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DOR,

I have heard that JNR has a guiding service he is starting up. :)
I will be at his place the first week of November. He is pretty reasonable too. ;)

I do have to agree with him on one thing he said. If there is a will there is a way.
If someone wants to do it bad enough they will be here hunting or anywhere else for that matter. Just might take a little more effort.
 
Wow, how did I miss this thread!? I agree that SUBSTANTIAL price increases will only ween out the average Joe NR hunter and will give the more rich NR hunters more power and we could see more loss of land for our residents.

That being said, I don't see why some of you are griping about the increase because it's not that substantial, really. I highly doubt this increase is really pushing the cost up so high that you can no longer afford it. If you could afford it before you should be able to budget for another couple bucks a month so you can afford the tag at the new price. It will only improve our state.

You truly do get what you pay for, so if you're not willing to pay it then that's your problem, not ours. Somebody will gladly take your place. Not trying to be a thorn in anybody's A$$, that's just how I feel.

There are many other things that can raise the price of NR hunts as well and it's not within most of our power to fight the change. Gas prices, food prices, etc... I personally have just as little control over that as I do your NR tag prices. So I'm sorry if the hike pushed you over the edge, but IMO the juice is still worth the squeeze.
 
As to those who feel they're getting screwed...not long ago, Iowa bowhunters were polled as to their stance on shouldering resident increases to meet the budget shortfall. The unanimous majority said yes. I like that idea and always have because the largest shareholder tends to have the most say in how things are being run. Iowa governer Chet Culver, in a political move which made him appear to be all caring and standing up for the little guy, advised the DNR (magically made front page of DM Register) to skip the resident increase. DNR said to plan on it for next year however. So we're all in this together boys. Buck up or stay home...and hope for sustainable funding. :D
 
And another thought, most hunter down here in the south don't have the priveldge of knocking on doors and finding a place to hunt because most properties are leased out. Average price to hunt in Ga is already $500-700 with some leases costing over $1500 for the best areas. So there are those like me that have said the heck with the high prices and low quality deer and would rather take the same amount of money and concentrate on a 7-10 day streach up north somewhere where the hunting is better. Some of you may feel pushed out who live in the midwest, but down here, the current prices are nowhere close to pushing us out of the state of Iowa.
 
I just have to wonder why the increase and why now? Nobody that I know lobbied for an increase in the NR tag price.

I do have to wonder though if some of the high handed tactics of FIO like "We'er gonna sue the DNR" resulted in an "Oh Yeah? Then watch this." reaction of the lawmakers in DSM. Do ya suppose that had anythng to do with the price hike? HHHmmmmm. If that is indeed the case, then a big THANK YOU to FOI for increasing the revenue stream for the department you were gonna sue with out gaining an increase in the tag quota. I bet the dues paying members of FOI are scratchin thier collective heads over this one.

The 'Bonker
 
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Ok ...guilty as charged...maybe it was my idea and maybe it wasnt...but heres one of the letters I wrote about increasing the cost of NR Tags.

To: " Linda [LEGIS]Upmeyer" <Linda.Upmeyer@legis.state.ia.us>

Linda,
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate that you took the time to respond to my email even though I sent you pretty much a canned email to start with. I respect your position and the willingness to compromise. Yet at the same time I hope whatever the outcome is it is in the best interest for the state of Iowa.

I have lived here in Iowa for over twenty years, and spent my time growing up and hunting whitetail deer from the state of Texas all the way to Saskatchewan. From my humble opinion there is no better place to hunt deer than this great state. Yet at the same time I recognize why this state’s deer quality is so high, and that is in my opinion is that the majority of the deer hunting in this state happens after the peak rut is over and the deer hunting in this state is not so commercialized that it drives the average guy out from having a place to hunt.

Today is not like it was twenty years ago, and in my opinion deer hunting as a whole it has done nothing but took a turn for the worse. Deer hunting in general has done nothing but become another commercial past time that only the rich can really afford to do. I mean look at the price of a non-resident tag its over 500.00 with everything you have to buy; so we are not talking about offering the average nonresident guy trying to raise a family and taking care of his bills more of a chance to hunt. This initiative by the Friends of Iowa and Dr. Mickey W. Hellickson in my opinion is about the rich trying to get richer. Kings ranch and Mickey W. Hellickson are a prime example of this initiative. In southern Iowa they have leased up over 5000 acres of hunting land the average guy used to be able to hunt on, look at the price of a hunt there now..http://www.king-ranch.com/hunt_pricing_2007_2008.htm for a truly trophy class animal the hunt cost starts at 5700.00 and goes to over 25,000.00. I don’t see this helping the average guy, just the special interests group looking to make more money. These areas that are leased up often are the root of the problem when it comes to deer over abundance as well. By limiting the hunters and the number of deer taken they add to the problem instead of help it. I see this problem happen over and over and not just by the FOI group, so it really is part of the problem.


If in fact that the committee decides we need to open up more spots for non residents and the special interests group so be it. Yet at the same time if that happens the state of Iowa should also benefit from this situation, not just from added license fees and added boosts to local economy. Let’s look at charging these big commercial outfitters a cost to operate in our state. Let’s do the same thing to them they are doing to the deer of Iowa. Let’s make it all about the money, lets charge them a very large tag cost for any commercial hunt. Leave the current cost structure alone for the guy trying to hunt by the current rules, and if more tags are demanded or needed by the special interests groups lets charge 2500 dollars apiece for the tags or even more. If the special interest groups can afford to buy land here and to charge 5700 or more for a hunt what’s another 5000 or even more to them at that point. That would truly help the state and at the same time the rich special interest group if they really care about hunting here shouldn’t have a problem paying for the extra cost tags. (I came up with those numbers from watching a DNR sponsored Non-resident tag sell on eBay that was auctioned off for charity.) I can understand adjusting the number, the concept is what I am trying to get across let’s just make sure our great state benefits from it.

I have hunted in other states as a non resident and never tried to change their rules, I figure those states know what’s best for their state.

Thank you once again for taking the time to read all this, I understand as a elected official not everyone can be made happy with your final decisions , but I was once told if no one walks away happy that maybe a fair compromise was met. I hope I offered a solution and not just a complaint about the problem and look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Sincerely
 
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I don't blame the state for raising the tags, we got a gold mine here and they know it. The tags will still sell out without doubt. I do believe that it will push some guys out but when you really think about it, I don't think it has to. Start saving, that is the way I look at it. You figure your only going to get drawn once in every 3 years, so take the cost of the tag and divide by 3. Surely anyone can save a couple hundred bucks of year until they are able to draw. Every time you get paid, assuming bi-weekly, take $30 bucks out and stuff it in an envelope. In just one year you would have $720 dollars. I guarantee you won't miss that $30 bucks every two weeks when it comes to a 24 degree morning in November in Iowa.

Its kind of like not carrying cash. I always use to love having $50 bucks in my wallet at all times. Just something about it. Now, I can't even remember the last time I have had money in my wallet. And Yes, I make 89cent purchases with my debit card. It saves money. If I cash in my wallet I spend it. Now if I took cash out of my paycheck and stuff it in my IOWA envelope, I would have a ton more money than needed in that envelope in three years to buy my tag, pay for gas, and maybe by a little something for the trip. Its the guys that don't plan ahead and pay out of pocket that are going to get pinched. Start saving gentlemen, we don't mind if you come and hunt at all!! Goodluck!!
 
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bonks, thats easy. why now? because they need money, and the DNR is a low priority in the budget. why a NR price increase? because if they jack the NR tags up, they raise the needed funds, and don't have to worry about pissing off VOTERS. i think it would be awesome if this increase was in response from FOI trying to ram their agenda down legislators throats. the only problem, is this small increase doesn't hurt FOI and their friends. their pockets are too deep
 
Price increase? My pref. point was $1.06 LESS than last year! Ha Ha ! :moon: I'm thinking of investing the money to offset the lic. increase when I come up next year.
In the mean time, I'll be across the river hunting for $175.00 . :drink2:
 
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I know I'm coming in late on this, I actually just applied the other day and have been at school so I didn't realize tags went up again.

As a economics major with a conservative background, I'm very much a free market capitalist. The Iowa DNR isn't dumb. They know that they haven't hit the ceiling yet for NR tag prices. It's only smart business for them to try to find the equilibrium point of price and demand. I sort of agree with the people that this will indirectly be detrimental for the Iowa residents who feel as though NR's will destroy hunting as it is in the state(read:IBA). You're pricing out the little guys, guys who will turn towards Kansas, the Dakotas, Nebraska, etc instead of trekking to Iowa. In their stead, you will get wealthier hunters who are less afraid to buy up land or lease.

That being said, I firmly believe the fears of NR's leasing/buying up all the GOOD land in Iowa are bogus. I don't think it's possible with only 3,000 hunters being let in. I mean, who's leasing a large tract of land for the whole season when they're only hunting 5 days of 1st Shotgun? Let's be real here. You could double the number of tags issued to 6,000 and you still would not still see problems. Sure, "horror stories" will flood the chat rooms and message boards claiming someone got squeezed out by some rich snobby NR, blah blah, etc. The effects would be minimal. And also as a free market capitalist, I view the land as being put to its best use per the intentions of its owner. If the owner of the land feels that leasing the land to someone to make money is his best use of it, so be it. Why restrict people leasing or outfitting? People call outfitters everything under the sun, never usually good, but has it ever passed your mind that they too are trying to make a living? If they can make a living doing something they love, why vilify them for? If you like being a cop and can make a good living being in law enforcement, should you be chastised because you see an opportunity to have a great job that you love? Because someone else can make money doing a job you despise they should be penalized and punished and publicly criticized? That's absurd.

Governor's tags are another thing that needs to be put in check. Given out for the promotion of the great state of Iowa's hunting? I think the state gets plenty of press that country music stars and the Drury guys don't need guaranteed tags. I want to see if anyone on the governor's tag list donated any money to any politicians in Iowa. Be something to check out.

One thing many of you fail to recognize is this little concept called inflation. Tag prices should increase every year in accordance with the inflation level. It only makes sense. A bow that cost 500 dollars 10 years ago will not cost the same today, nor should it. Consequently, a resident or non-resident tag shouldn't remain the same price for however many years they have stayed flat. You cannot expect the same services at today's prices using yesterday's revenue stream. Bad business. Either cut services or increase prices, it's simple.

Lastly, non-residents that own any land in the state of Iowa need to be given some sort of preference or reduced rate. Because they pay taxes to the land of Iowa, that should entitle them some sort of representation or say in the matter. I'm sick of hearing the "You knew it when you bought land" argument. To me, that's a simple, childish retort for those who really have no point. Any tool with membership in the Iowa Bowhunters Association can regurgitate that line. I don't view people use that argument as being very critical thinkers, it's a very knee-jerk reply.

Also, I almost forgot: the price of NR doe tags is absurd as well. Give landowners especially the tools they need to manage deer herds. If you made landowner NR doe tags like 25 or 30 bucks, I feel that they really would buy them up and shoot does. I know I would, as well as most NR hunters I know. I personally shot 6 does in Iowa last year so I practice what I preach too. NR landowner John Smith from Wisconsin should not be paying the same or have the same odds as drawing as Joe Schmo from Pennsylvania that doesn't own an acre and not pay taxes to the state of Iowa. Maybe an idea for a counter-group to the IBA: Iowa Taxpayers Association.

And as a non-resident landowner, I'll hunt Iowa every year whether I draw either sex or not. If I don't draw a bow tag, I'll just buy a doe tag and shotgun hunt. I'm in a unique situation, where there are probably only 20 or 25 farms like it in the entire country for whitetails and it's almost assuredly going to be like that forever so there's no ceiling on what I would pay for a tag. For others, I don't see that happening.
 
Many people characterize this as a way to soak the rich non-res hunters, but they are only a small portion of the people who hunt in Iowa on a non-res tag. What about the guy who likes to come back and hunt with family? Wha about guys like me who live paycheck to paycheck and love the oppotunity to go back to my home state to hunt? Friends hunting together? What we are doing here is cutting those guys out and favoring the small percentage of wealthy non-residents that are actually the problem everyone is complaining about.

To me this seems really counterproductive. When I get another pref point I will have to make a tough decision. I am not sure I can afford to hunt in my "home" state any more. This whole deal and the attitudes surrounding it really sadden me.
 
$700 goes along way towards a trip in another state. Even if the tag still runs you $350, thats still $350 for gas.
 
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