One of the goals of this project is to be apolitical as much as possible. Not for fear of discussing the issues, but because in my experience, hunting does not and should not be partisan. Issues do arise, however, that directly affect all of us - and as sportsmen and women we must deal with them.
A recent article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune talks about hunting costs and the Minnesota DNR's potential need to raise license fees.
Here in MN, I pay about $35 dollars for a basic "Sportsman's License" that includes small game hunting for me and hunting and fishing for my wife. In comparison to other things out there, this seems a drop in the bucket, and in my opinion, well worth it. If you look at it across the board, it does become costly to participate in all seasons available of hunting. Licenses are a small portion when compared against fuel, lodging, equipment and ammunition, to be sure. But one thing we need to be concerned about is how much is too much?
For many of us passionate about the outdoors, there may be no limit to how much you would spend to play, but there is definitely a point at which other parts of your life would suffer for it.
We need to consider everything from the vantage point of barriers to hunting, especially to new participants. Is there a point at which YOU would stop - or alternately, what season would you not participate in because of license fees?
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