Hunting and fishing enthusiasts have until the end of the month to weigh in on plans to boost the cost of licenses issued by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Citing inflation and a call to align permit costs with neighboring states, the Missouri Conservation Commission in May proposed price adjustments for some permits next year.
The aim is to “to keep pace with continually rising costs of goods and services.”
The agency also cited inflation for increases in past years.
The cost of a fishing license for Missouri residents would rise to $14, up from the current $13 fee. A firearm deer permit for a Missouri resident would cost $19.50, up from the current $18.
Non-Missouri residents would bear the brunt of the increases. A nonresident firearm deer permit would rise to $360, up from the current $288.
A spring turkey permit for a nonresident would rise to $304, up from $243.
The proposed changes also include a new nonresident migratory bird permit at a proposed $60 price and a new nonresident trout permit at a proposed price of $40.
The department issues nearly 2.6 million hunting, fishing and trapping permits each year.
An estimated 43,000 nonresidents hunt deer, 10,000 come from out of the state to hunt spring turkeys and 165,000 come to Missouri to fish.
Texas County dominates as one of the top deer and turkeys harvesting counties in the state.
The nonresident fee for an annual fishing permit will rise to $57, up from $53.50, under the proposed changes.
Commercial permits for fishing, wildlife breeding and other outdoor and hunting-related businesses also would rise under the proposal.
The additional revenue provided from the price increases will “help MDC maintain and improve its nationally recognized programs and services for hunters, anglers, wildlife watchers and others,” the department said.
The added revenue also will help pay for maintenance at conservation areas, fish hatcheries, wetlands, river accesses and shooting ranges that are “many decades old and in need of significant repair or replacement.”
The department’s $240.9 million budget is funded by a one-eighth of 1% sales tax, which generates approximately $160 million in funding each year that goes directly to the agency.
The department also receives funding from permit sales, federal aid and income from sales and rentals. While the department has a dedicated funding stream, the Missouri General Assembly appropriates the funds to the department each year.
The deadline to comment on the fee increases is July 31.