Governor signs license bill increasing hunting and license fees in Mississippi

The governor has approved a bill that could raise the price of resident hunting and fishing licenses, which also means an increase for non-residents.

Resident fees still can’t be raised until MDWFP increases non-resident fees

Now that the governor has given his approval to a bill increasing hunting and license fees, the issue is now in the hands of the Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

Gov. Phil Bryant signed H.B. 1511 on Thursday, setting the stage for the first resident fee increase since 1993.

But, because of an amendment, no increases in resident license can be enacted until the Commission first increases fees for non-residents, which means sportsmen from out of state. Under Mississippi law, the legislative branch holds power over resident fees but the governor-appointed Commission controls non-resident fees.

Resident fees cannot be increased prior to July 1, which is the day H.B. 1511 takes effect, however, the Commission can raise non-resident fees through the 60-day regulatory process at any time. The next Commission meeting is Wednesday (April 20) in Jackson. If a non-resident fee is voted in at that meeting, the approval process could be completed prior to July 1.

Nothing in the bill dictates which non-resident fees can or must be increased, but it does set the new prices for the three main resident combination license types. Under previous changes, there is no separate fishing license. Fishermen must either buy a combination small-game, all-game or Sportsman license.

Under H.B. 1151:

* The fee for a resident small-game hunt and fish license will increase from $8 to $10. This allows fishing and hunting for all species except deer and turkey.

* The fee for a resident all-game hunt and fish will increase from $17 to $25. This allows fishing and hunting for all game, but a $14 primitive weapon/archery permit is required for those seasons.

* The fee for the all-inclusive Sportsman’s License will rise from $31 to $45. No primitive weapon/archery permit is required.

All license prices listed do not include a handling fee charged at the time of purchase.

The public is split over the increase, with most comments falling into one of three categories: for, against, and “I’m OK with an increase but it’s too much at one time.”

That quote belongs to Jim Wheeler of Brandon, who felt a phase-in increase plan eventually building to fees exceeding what the bill includes.

“I’d like to have seen increases phased in over say 10 years to when the Sportsman License would have been something like $50,” Wheeler said. “They could have started with increasing say $4 the first year to $35, and then added a dollar or two a year, or something like that, until we capped in 10 years.”

Johnny Wilkerson of Biloxi saw no point in that and supports the immediate increase.

“There hasn’t been an increase in over 20 years, get over it,” he said. “I’m in that group that understands that if my household was forced to operate with the same income I had in 1993, we’d be hurting. We’d be living with just bare necessities.”

The third group includes those who hate any kind of increase.

“Show me anything the wildlife agency has done for me lately and I’d change my mind, but right now, I’d say they don’t need or deserve it,” said an anonymous poster on one website forum. “By the time I pay for a WMA permit, waterfowl stamp, an alligator permit and license fee, or this and that, I’m out well over $100.”

Non-resident fees far exceed resident fees.

For instance, a Louisiana resident over the age of 19 who belongs to a club or has a hunting lease in Mississippi currently pays $300 for an annual all-game hunting license. If that hunter wishes to hunt deer, there’s an extra $5 fee. If that hunter wishes to hunt during the bow or primitive weapon season, there’s an extra $75 required. If that hunter wants to hunt turkey, there’s an extra $20 required ($20 more if participating in fall season).

“That’s another problem I have with this bill,” Wheeler said. “My club has several Louisiana members, actually more than Mississippians. These guys come to Mississippi to hunt, paying this increased license fee, and they spent thousands more each year per person to buy groceries, pay the lease fees and go to restaurants and gas stations. We’re already bilking them and I have to believe that there’s a point of diminishing return that we will reach when they just decide to stay and hunt at home.

“That’s a big loss of income for small businesses in that part of the state where we hunt, and I’m sure that’s true throughout the rest of Mississippi.”