Statewide Iowa — The cost Iowans pay for an annual hunting or fishing license would rise from $17 to $20 under a proposal from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau, believes the fee increases are long overdue.
Revenue from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses is deposited into the Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund, which receives no tax payer money from the state general fund. This would be the first increase in the price of a hunting license since 2002 and the first increase of a fishing license since 2004.
According to Larscheid, even with the proposed increase, Iowa’s hunting and fishing license fees would remain lower than most other Midwest states.
Until recently, hunting and fishing license fees were controlled by state lawmakers. The Iowa Legislature and Governor Reynolds approved a bill last year that shifted the authority to the Iowa DNR and the Natural Resource Commission.
Full details on the proposed license fee increases are on the DNR’s website www.iowadnr.gov/hunting and Iowans can provide feedback either online or at “listening sessions” scheduled for August 21 in Des Moines, Spirit Lake, Ventura, Lewis, Manchester, and Brighton.
