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Resident Hunting License Update

Old Buck

Old Buck

Life Member
Here is an update on HF 2480, the bill to increase resident hunting licenses by $4.50. It comes from Jim Wooley with Pheasants Forever. Jim is a past DNR pheasant biologist and has been working with PF for many years. He is keeping PF chapters informed and gave me the ok to pass the information along to iowawhitetail.com.

"I recieved a communication today from a member of the Iowa House of Representatives indicating that we need to convince members of the House Ways and Means Committee to vote the DNR License Increase Bill HF2480 out of committee and to the full House for debate and a floor vote. Specifically, Rep Bryan Sievers (Scott County, New Liberty) has been assigned this bill and has indicated that HE HAS HEARD NOTHING FROM SPORTSMEN IN FAVOR OF THE LEGISLATION AND WILL NOT MOVE IT UNTIL HE DOES. We need some calls.

Please make your message simple: "I am a hunter and a member of Pheasants Forever, (change to avid deer hunter or whatever describes your interest and level of involvement-OB) and support HF2480 the DNR License Increase Bill. This is a resource user fee, not a tax, and hunters are willing to pay these increased costs for wildlife management. Please pass this bill from the House Ways and Means Committee to the House floor for a vote." That is all that is necessary.

The phone number to reach Rep Sievers and for your own Representative is 515/281-3221.
Rep. Sievers email address is >bryan.sievers@legis.state.ia.us
To reach Rep Sievers at home over the weekend 563-893-2930."

Let's see what iowawhitetail.com can do to move this bill. Call today!

Old Buck

P.S. (Full information on the bill follows below.)

HF 2480 Resident Hunting License Fee Increase: Legislation to increase the resident hunting license fee continues to advance its way through the Iowa House of Representatives. The House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee approved House File 2480, less than two weeks ago. The bill increases the resident hunting license fee by $4.50, to $17.00, commencing with the license year beginning January 1, 2003.

Also included in the bill is a stipulation that of the revenue received annually from the resident hunting license fee, $500,000 per year for five years is appropriated to the Department of Natural Resources to fund a pheasant and quail restoration program. HF 2480 has now been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee for that groups approval. The bill was sent to the Ways and Means Committee because it contains a fee increase. Now that the House Ways and Means Committee are considering the bill, the proposal is now exempt from any of the funnel rules that govern non-money related bills.

Pheasants Forever Analysis of HF 2480

PF supports this increase in hunting license fees for resident hunters, and the intention to target funds to needed habitat improvements on private lands for upland game birds. Iowa has not had an increase in general RESIDENT license fees for hunting and fishing in the past 10 years, and this bill is a partial step in the right direction. The DNR is in a very difficult financial position. Non-Resident License Sales (and future expectations) are down, and the lack of money is having an impact. The DNR is actively cutting capital expenditures (land acquisitions have already almost completely ceased), the Shelterbelt Program (which establishes winter cover on private lands) has been slashed, and the DNR's new and very well received Private Lands Habitat Program may be eliminated if finances do not improve. Staff reductions that may take place in the near term include wildlife and fisheries staff, and law enforcement. Please call on your Senators and Representatives to support this legislation.

Jim Wooley
Pheasants Forever Inc.
 
Old Buck,

I am behind you 100% on this one Larry, thanks for the update!

Did you go shed hunting yesterday with the group?

uploadedtonycamera.jpg


TLH,Founder - iowawhitetail.com -



[This message has been edited by TLH (edited 03-07-2002).]
 
Old Buck,

Thanks for the heads up on this.... I just sent an email to Bryan Sievers and I have been sending emails since yesterday to my district reps.
 
I have a question for people. Is it true that money generated from the purchase of hunting licenses and stamps does not go to the DNR but the Iowa's general fund? What is up with that?
 
Does any one know the legislative web address to look up Reps. email address?
 
I wrote to my state senator reguarding SF 2248, and 2249. His comments say:
"I do not believe we will increase the out of state deer licences at all. The house is particulary opposed. With respect to land owners, I do believe that there is a requirement for a minimum number of acres before a land owner would qualify."
These are his exact comments, just thought I would share these with you.
BOWDUDE
 
TLH,
No, I didn't get to go out with the guys yesterday but I did spend the whole day in the woods with my district forester developing a wildlife friendly TSI (timber stand improvement) plan. Learned a lot from a gentleman who has spent much of a life time studying forestry, and found one small shed.

Cornfed, thanks for the help. Hopefully many others will follow. It is easy to complain when things aren't the way we'd like but this is an opportunity to actually do something about it.

Bowbendr, my understanding is that hunting license fees fund DNR activities but you will need to find someone that knows the details better than me to explain exactly how it all works. Can anyone help?

Griz, this should help...
The phone number to reach your Senator is 515/281-3371 & for your Representative is 515/281-3221.

To access bills, E-Mail address for legislators, & other info on the Internet go to http://www.legis.state.ia.us/
 
When you call your reps up can they talk to you about the bill? By that I mean have they heard of it and can the speak on it and know what they are talking about? I was kind of dissapointed in mine. First time that I have ever approached them on hunting issues, definately will not be the last. They need some education when it comes to these issues, at least from my point of view.
 
Bowbendr,
Some legislators are quite knowledgable about outdoor issues, others often know very little. That is why it is so important to keep in contact with them on issues you care about. Frequently it will only 5 to 6 calls to sway them so contact friends in the same district and have them call also. You and a few friends can make a huge difference.
 
The money from hunting, fishing and trapping licenses goes into the DNR trust fund, NOT the general fund. By a constitutional amendment several years Fish and Game Trust Fund money can got to nothing but the DNR, it can't be diverted to the general fund.

The Iowa DNR, as well as all other states, also receives funds from the feds (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) based on a formula that takes into effect the number of licenses sold in each respective state.

Doug Clayton

State Conservation Officer
 
Doug - First off - congratulations are in order - good job!

Now for my question, how many resident general hunting license's does Iowa sell. I'm curious as to how much revenue is expected to go to PF vs other habitat and conservation projects. I think the increse needs to take place, just wondering how many did Iowa sell last year?

AC
 
I called my senator today and was surprised to have him answer the phone. He gave me about 10 minutes of his time. I was a little disappointed that he was unaware of HF2248 and HF2249. He seemed very interested in the fact that the proposed increase number(8000 licenses) would basically be allocated to outfitters for their out of state clients. He also stated that there have been a large number of calls supporting HF2480. Thanks all for getting me off of the bleachers and on to the field.

ironwood


[This message has been edited by ironwood (edited 03-08-2002).]
 
Here is the latest I've heard on HF 2480, increasing resident hunting fees...

Rep. Bryan Sievers indicated that he had received many communications and said he planned to bring the bill onto the floor next week.

Now is the time to contact your local representative and urge them to support the License Bill, HF2480.

The phone numbers to reach your Representative in Des Moines is
515-281-3221, and your Senator is 515-281-3371. To access bill information,
Legislator names for your areas, email addresses, home phone numbers, and
other information, go to www.legis.state.ia.us
<http://www.legis.state.ia.us> on the internet.
 
What is a "pheasant and quail restoration program"? I can support an increase if the DNR uses the money to acquire land for habitat/public hunting. However, there is no way I will support an increase so the DNR can buy and release pheasants. If I have the facts wrong, or if I inferred something wrong, please tell me.
 
Got a response back today from Rep. Bryan Sievers on 2480. He wrote:

Thank you for taking the time to write me with your concerns about this bill. I, also, am in support of this bill. I happen to be managing the bill in the Ways and Means committee and feel it will pass out of committee. When it arrives on the House floor for debate, I will also be floor manager for debate. I appreciate your input on the subject.

Representative Bryan Sievers
 
Received same response from Bryon Sievers on HF 2480 as Driftless.

Sounds like it is going well so far.
 
As Old Buck previously stated habitat and good spring nesting weather play a far greater role in having healthy upland game bird populations (pheasant and quail) than any other factor. Yes, predators do have some impact but nothing as great as not having habitat.

And the effect of bad weather during spring nesting season is compounded with back to back (or more) springs when it rains and is cold during the critical time just after the young birds have hatched.

During the nesting season if the eggs are destroyed by predators, flooding, etc., the hen will lay clutch after clutch of eggs. The problem comes when the chicks have just hatched and the weather goes to pot. If those chicks are killed, the hen does not lay any more eggs and there goes that years brood.

If that scenario happens in two or more consectutive seasons it doesn' take long for the pheasant population to take a downward spiral. Then throw in one of the longest and coldest winters Iowa has experienced statewide in its history and it's a wonder we have the number of birds that we do.

It we can get at least two good spring nesting seasons and average winters the pheasant numbers will rebound to a very reasonable level.

Killing predators and stocking birds have not worked in the past and they won't work now.

Doug Clayton

State Conservation Officer
 
This may be a little off the wall, at least I thought so, but I talked to a guy today who has in the past been an avid Quail hunter and he claims that Turkeys are known to kill Quail chicks. Living in Missouri all these years has given me a "Show Me" attitude and I was a tad bit reluctant to believe him. At one time we had a good Quail population in my area but I always thought the loss of habitat, etc. was the main reasons for the reduction in numbers. He stands by his "Killer Turkey" theory. Anyone else ever heard of such?
 
DeerHunter,
I know land acquisition is one of the areas that has suffered because of lack of funds. I would think habitat restoration would be a logical way to try to increase pheasant and quail numbers since it basically comes down to habitat and weather and there isn't much you can do about bad weather except give the birds adequate habitat to survive it. I'm sure the biologists would not be in favor of releasing pen raised birds as a means of increasing wild populations. These are all my thoughts but I think if you check with the biologitst you will get basically the same story.
 
This will probably open up a can of worms....I too would like to see some improvement made with the bird populations. PF donates a lot of money and land to the State for this cause...but it creates some additional problems. Once a piece of property is turned over to the County or State, then it burdens agency budgets further in order to maintain these areas. This isn't the best example, but imagine someone giving you a house and some property....but your income has not increased to support the one you currently live in plus another. Nothing against PF donating property, I'm a long time member of PF and half a dozen other organizations...but are we not burdening an already strained DNR and County Conservation Boards?

No doubt weather plays an important role in what the next years bird population will be....but just as devastating are the predators...hawks, coyotes, cats, etc.....we can't control the weather, but we can do something about predators killing off much of our bird population. I'm beginning to believe that predators have affected these populations as much as loss of habitat and weather. Could be wrong, would like to hear others points of view.
 
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