Pennsylvania Game News - November 2015 - 42

could include scaling back the pheasant
propagation program and decreasing
habitat-management activities on state
game lands.
Game Commission Executive Director
R. Matthew Hough said it's important
hunters and trappers understand why an
increase is needed.
"License-fee increases have not come
about very often in Pennsylvania,"
Hough said. "In fact, this 16-year span
is the second-longest period the Game
Commission ever has gone without an
increase. The longest span was from the
Great Depression through World War II.
"Seeking an increase is not something
we take lightly," Hough said. "We understand families often have tight budgets,
and everyone needs to live within their
means. That's some of the reason why
our license fees are among the lowest in
the nation.
"But we also want our hunters and trappers to realize we, as an agency, are facing
overwhelming financial challenges, many
of which are beyond our control and are
certain to continue into the future. Without a license-fee increase, we soon will
not be able to provide the same level of
service. We will have to make cuts. And,
to me, that would be much more costly
for hunters and trappers than the increase
we've proposed."

How is wildlife management funded?
Today in Pennsylvania, almost 40
percent of the Game Commission's revenue comes from the sale of hunting and
furtaker licenses. Other primary sources
of income include federal Pittman-Robertson funds collected from an excise tax
on sporting arms and ammunition, and
revenue derived from the sale of natural
resources like timber, oil and gas on lands
owned by the Game Commission.
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With these revenues, largely generated
by hunters and trappers, the Game Commission manages 480 species of wild
birds and mammals, most of which aren't
hunted. Unlike a number of other states,
the Game Commission does not receive
tax money from the state's general fund to
help pay for staff and operations.

Hunting license fees
Pennsylvania's hunting license fees are
among the lowest in the nation.
Only Hawaii has a lower fee for resident adults seeking opportunities similar
to those a Pennsylvania hunter gets for the
cost of his or her general license and state
migratory game bird license.
In many states, those opportunities cost
resident hunters four times as much, if not
more. In New Jersey, for example, the
cost to hunt antlered deer, spring and fall
turkeys, pheasants and other small game
and waterfowl (not including the cost of a
federal duck stamp) costs adult residents
$122. In other top hunting states like
Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan, residents
pay $116, $106 and $73, respectively, for
those same opportunities. Compare that
to Pennsylvania, where residents pay less
than $25 for similar licenses.
Additionally, many other wildlife
agencies receive appropriations from their
state's general fund, or revenue from state
sales or income taxes to supplement the
revenue generated through their higher
license fees. The Game Commission currently receives no funding from the state
general fund.

Proposed increases
Most resident and nonresident license
fees would increase three times in five
years under the proposal. The cost of a
resident adult hunting or furtaker license
would increase by $10 in the first year
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - November 2015
