Hunting Opportunity's Decreasing Nation Wide

[MickThompson]

At one time I never would have considered that. But the place is not as affordable anymore. No state income tax but a 10 percent sales tax even on groceries and even the fine print you read hidden state tax's on. The farms I hunted are gone. The beautiful hillsides I use to love covered in houses and lights. Traffic is terrible because we still have the same roads that we had when half the people lived here. The covid migration and what it started. Has just about ruined everything here. Same story all across the state though.

The grass may be greener but the houses will find you out before long. Governments are designed to make "more"… houses, shopping, restaurants, tax base, more government. And they've gotten really good at more and convincing us that more is always better.

 

[.243 Deer]

At one time I never would have considered that. But the place is not as affordable anymore. No state income tax but a 10 percent sales tax even on groceries and even the fine print you read hidden state tax's on. The farms I hunted are gone. The beautiful hillsides I use to love covered in houses and lights. Traffic is terrible because we still have the same roads that we had when half the people lived here. The covid migration and what it started. Has just about ruined everything here. Same story all across the state though.

I agree with both you and Mick Thompson's sentiments. It makes me angry to see how much of the countryside has been turned into cookie cutter houses. This isn't the same TN that I grew up in.
It's such a shame because Tennessee will slowly become like California, with everyone moving in here. Soon, it'll be unaffordable for the locals and born Tennesseans to continue to live here.
Not to mention how many hunting and fishing opportunities are being lost daily.

 

[DaveTN]

XX

 

[tellico4x4]

House Bill 2 would boost resident hunting license application fees from $5 to $20. Fees for nonresident hunters would jump from $15 to $75. That's an overly sensationalized headline. The percent increase is real, but it really isn't that bad when you actually look at the dollars.

on top of the $2K elk tag....
Myself, grandsons & couple buddy's are burning our WY elk points this year. That's over $10K just in license & application fees for 5 guys.

 

[branden]

We were slowly reverting back to "the kings deer" days but social media influencers have exponentially sped this up.
Everything about hunting and the outdoors is so money driven now that "influencers" and companies are using dirty tactics to promote the industry.

I've seen fully guided cow elk hunts knocking on $5k (not including the tag and logistics). It's a different world now and I hate it.

The demand is through the roof, recruiting more hunters the new age way just stresses the system and feeds the beast. I wish it didn't but it does, money talks.

As for WY increasing app fees, it will not do a dang thing for demand. It will just generate more income for the state and make it more stressful for the hunter that isn't fiscally blessed.

Just remember the next time your favorite public hunting spot is jammed packed with hunters….Joe Rogan and Cam Haynes said "find another trail head stupid".

Did you move to Wyoming?

 

[Bushape]

Hunting is getting insane on costs. I know of 200 acres in an East TN county that was recently leased by 3 guys from Knoxville for $30,000 per year. Just insane. I don't see it getting better.

You could purchase land in Iowa with that monthly payment and have something to show for it in 20 years.

 

[TX300mag]

Stupid out of state foreigners

 

[redblood]

Hunting is getting insane on costs. I know of 200 acres in an East TN county that was recently leased by 3 guys from Knoxville for $30,000 per year. Just insane. I don't see it getting better.

They could have bought it for that much for yr

 

[redblood]

You could purchase land in Iowa with that monthly payment and have something to show for it in 20 years.

I almost bought some land in iowa cheap…… but wouldnt have been able to hunt it as a nonresident

 

[7mm08]

TN is for sale……

 

[Wooden Arrow]

But but but hunters are on the decline

judging from my trips the past three years, they are...at least, in the areas i hunt these days. i believe that many hunters have given up on many public areas because of lower deer numbers (steeper country, too!) there per acre.

 

[AT Hiker]

According to an article in Outdoor Life, the increased fee covers all the application fees for tags/licenses bought at the same time.

"On the bright side, that pricey fee would cover all applications. Hunters currently have to pay a fee for every limited-quota tag they apply for"

Wyoming Lawmakers Want to Quadruple Hunting License Application Fees

A newly proposed bill in Wyoming would raise application fees for nonresident and resident hunters by 300 to 400 percent.

www.outdoorlife.com

Still clear as mud but I spoke with a Game Warden and Access coordinator tonight, both interpreted it as staying the same just the cost is going up. So, it will be an increase in application fees per species.

Thought I'd pass it along, especially since the Outdoor Life article says otherwise and the bill isn't clear.
Freaking law makers find a way to screw everything up. Best case scenario this doesn't pass.

*However, I think I know how to do a work around. Basically you just complete one application for all species then modify it later on.
Also, in some instances (like die tags) the application fee would be higher than the actual tag. I'll be surprised if this passes.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

They could have bought it for that much for yr

Not even close. Maybe elsewhere but not that. Yes it's insane but no you couldn't buy a 2 mil property for $30,000 per year. Thats part of the issue with increasing property values in TN, it takes more and more $ to make landowner happy on the leasing side now also.

 

[Wooden Arrow]

The covid migration and what it started. Has just about ruined everything here

we are being pinched both by folks moving from the north (had enough snow) and folks that retired to the south are moving back north (because they've tired of hurricanes.) both groups blew real estate values up far beyond what real estate was relative to prices just a couple of years ago. it both helps/hurts us not having a state income tax as well. i see it all as a bubble myself, & they don't always pop when you expect...

 

[redblood]

Not even close. Maybe elsewhere but not that. Yes it's insane but no you couldn't buy a 2 mil property for $30,000 per year. Thats part of the issue with increasing property values in TN, it takes more and more $ to make landowner happy on the leasing side now also.

Wow. That property shouldn't cost 2 million.

 

[Ski]

Wow. That property shouldn't cost 2 million.

200 acres at $10k/acre. It's a lot of money but the price per acre is on par with a lot of TN. That's how much it was when I moved here ten years ago. Get up nearer Murfreesboro and it gets out of sight.

When I bought this place in 2015 I could comfortably afford it. Our income then was about 30% less than now but if i wanted to buy this same place again today I couldn't afford it. Property inflation has grossly outpaced wages. I feel terrible for young families trying to grow roots. They have to be so incredibly indebted it's hard to imagine how they manage. Loss of hunting ground is a visible symptom of a much more serious problem, IMO.