controlled hunt application fees

[blast and cast]

I was looking at what I paid for in application fees this year and was suprised. I applied for- bear, antelope, goat, sheep, deer, elk, additional deer, doe, turkey, sage grouse and seven sauvie applications. Total 17 applications at $4.50 is $76.50.

I have no problem with cost for Oregon tags, heck I think they are a bargain for what you get, but I do not get the $4.50 fee for entering stuff into a computer.

I took a look at the 2003 game regs and tallied up the first choice applications (assuming that each first choice is a new appication since you can not apply for more than one first choice). I grouped all deer and elk together.

Antelope 37,909
Bear 6,587
Goat 5,135
Sheep 12,215
Deer 191,079
Elk 127,251
Sage Grouse 1,279

Total- Around 381,455 applications. This does not include the number of applications for each sauvie island duck hunt (7 periods), Fern Ridge applications or klamath marsh applications.

So... the fees from just applying were around $1,716,547. Where does this money go??

[Point-of-Sale Clerk]

Sauvie Island applications are I believe less than $4.50 but you are correct that it is a lot of money. Director Ball at a commission meeting indicated that the fees for controlled hunt applications are only what is needed to cover the cost of man hours to do the selection. That could be true, the last time I looked at the numbers ODFW had to make corrections to nearly 60,000 applications by hand to the computerized controlled hunt applications. That is a lot of man hours. They could reduce that number to a fraction with a little foresight, better management, and consumer friendly instructions but the last time I made a suggestion to the *** people at ODFW they tried to get me fired. It worked out OK though… by the way, anyone know how Dale Christianson is doing these days? :tongue: :grin:

[ 12-02-2003, 03:31 PM: Message edited by: *** Clerk ]

[Radke]

Well, for the *** system the data was entered into would be a good start, plus vendor maintenance, computer system maintenance, personel to operate the system. This is the stuff I do for a living, I know it doesn't come cheap.

[ajfishfinder]

Don't even get me started!!! Just let me say this, if the F & W director was an elected position I would be running. I am no politcian but I certainly would make some major changes!!! They would all benifit the sportsman and not some big fat wallet somewhere. I am convinced that all they want is our $$$. I really like the part where you have to first buy a lincese before you can even apply for a tag. But if you don't draw and you want to just take a year off of hunting to go else where, you just donated your lincese fee. Real nice!!!! I wish my business could get away with it. Pay up front, if we don't deliver, sorry. I could go on but whats the point???

[Radke]

If all it cost you to apply was $4.50, what do you think your chances would be to draw a tag verses what it is today? I really think that requiring a hunting license helps to weed out the non-serious people a bit. I for one am glad you have to by the license.

ajfishfinder,
Having to buy a license and paying for the application stops many of the humainaic groups from flooding the system and keeping hunters from getting their hunts. This was happening in Alaska until changes were made.

[ajfishfinder]

Ok now you have me started. Who is it that has the great idea of setting a 5 day elk season that starts on a wednesday??? My experience is that most guys head east on sat morning, hunt 4 days and pack and drive home on sunday. Why not make the season tue thru sat. No way that would mean the general population would actually hunt all 5 days of the season. To good of a chance to actually kill something. Everyone knows the best west side deer hunting won't happen till the last weekend. This is after the leaves are down and the weather has turned and the bucks are getting stupid. But if you want to hunt this last weekend, you better not want to hunt elk on the east side. Yep they screwed us again. Way back it was a great trip floating the Deschutes for deer, fish and birds all at once. Not any more. You would need 3 different deer tags and birds dosen't open till 2 weeks later. Yep they got us again, and once again we didn't even get a kiss. How about the upland bird stamp??? If I remember correctly this was to be a 3 or 5 year only plan. The idea was to raise funds to get the secwan pheasants going in the valley. I have yet to see one of these birds let alone hear anything about them, for years. Yep we still have to buy that upland bird stamp every. Where do you suppose these $$$ go now???? You can bet they certainly aren't going anywhere to enhance the pheasant hunting??? And has anyone besides the F&W employees actually truly figured out the poin system??? Apparently not because those people even got caught cheating so they could draw the tags they wanted. Heard enough??? I could go on but until we all either boycott or revolt nothing will change. I mailed a 5 page letter to the director simply asking some of these questions and making comments. I never received any kind of reply. Gee must be to busy trying to decide which roads to close where and not effect there own honey hole. Or perhaps they are discussing which roads to reopen this year because they found out if they closed one end, without closing the other, people will still drive in. DUH!!! Or maybe they are making plans to dynamite the tops of trees to help the birds have a better habitat. Yea that is a great idea, and lets do it during the 5 day elk season so that the elk will all be holed up. Yep that way we get the licence and tag fee and the elk get to live another year so we can do the same thing next year only in a different unit. That way we can hose more than just those poor guys that had it happen to them last year. Back to pheasant hunting. I have a reliative fly in for 1 day of bird hunting. He has to pay huge for a lincese and stamp. But you want to catch an "endangered salmon. He can buy a 1 day tag only for 5 bucks. Yep this sounds pretty fair to me. I am just scratching the surface with these points. Let me know if you want to hear more. And yes I would be campaining if this was an elected position!!!! After reading some of these comments, I bet I could count on your vote also???

[2LEYS]

There is a limited amount of game and there have to be restrictions, it isn't 1945 anymore. Their funding is under constant attack. I for one think they do a good job for the most part. I don't mind paying the fees. Even the increased fees that are coming next year.

If it was an elected postion some hippy from Eugene would win and we wouldn't have any hunting or fishing period. Be careful what you wish for.

[fishgirl]

Be careful with your facts, aj. ODFW does not close roads. The landowner does (in most cases, this is the Forest Service).

[Scaup]

Move to Virginia. No application fees. $12 for the hunting license and $12 for one tag that lets you take 4 deer, 3 turkeys, and one bear.

Good luck finding a place to hunt though! Oh, and it's illegal to hunt or train your dog with live animals on Sundays!