Wow, a hidden tax in Colorado

[dennis 221]

You’ll Now Need a Hunting or Fishing License to Access State Wildlife Areas
Starting July 1, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is requiring visitors to Colorado’s State Wildlife Areas to carry a valid hunting or fishing license—even if they're not hunters or anglers. We explain why.

 

[craig333]

All about income. I'm surprised they don't have something else though, like a "public lands conservation card" or some such.

 

[rando]

The reasoning is that these lands were purchased/leased with funds from hunting/fishing licenses (bit tax revenue) and are seeing heavy use which may degrade their suitability for their primary wildlife use.

I am not sure I necessarily agree with this, but realize this is a small fraction of public land in the state about 600,000 acres out of 23,000,000 acres. In some ways this is similar to the State Parks, you need a pass or pay a fee to enter these as well. But I would have hoped that you could buy an add on to your state parks pass instead of needing a fishing/hunting license.

 

[Foy]

Montana has, as do many states, a modest baseline access fee which is required to be purchased by anybody who must otherwise purchase a hunting or fishing license. I don't know if the baseline fee is due for only accessing state game lands, but I think it is solely tied to actual licensure. But I'm a fixin' to find out by purchasing two fishing licenses for an upcoming trip.

Foy

 

[windy]

My guess is we will see more of this in the near future as many state coffers are depleted as a result of Covid and the economic shutdown.

States will need to generate revenue wherever they can.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I don’t see an issue with modest annual fees. The funding generally goes towards things that we as outdoor people need or want. Whether that’s habitat, trails, parking, leasing access, invasive species control or staffing, it’s important. I don’t mind the expense.

 

[PaulT]

Perhaps, more folks will become aware that hunters & fishermen have been footing the bills through licensing fees and excise taxes on equipment for decades.

Paul

 

[rando]

I don’t see an issue with modest annual fees. The funding generally goes towards things that we as outdoor people need or want. Whether that’s habitat, trails, parking, leasing access, invasive species control or staffing, it’s important. I don’t mind the expense.

I honestly don't mind the expense either, compared to my overall recreational budget it is a very small amount. What is annoying though is having to have a different pass for each type of land - an interagency federal lands pass (thankfully only one of these) a state parks pass for each state you use, and now a fishing license.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

I don't mind paying an entrance fee,but if I am an out of state visitor to one of these
wildlife areas that means I have to purchase at a great fee an out of state license.
Or can you just pay an entrance fee at the area?
Frank

 

[ntsqd]

I don't mind the expense either. What I don't like are the "upgrades" that the gov't seems to feel is needed. Those in turn require maint. and staffing and.....
Pretty soon I may as well go to Disneyland.

 

[Old Crow]

5280 Magazine's article on this issue

Also- This Colorado State Wildlife Area FAQs pdf provides some additional info. It includes this paragraph...

"Here are the current 2020 prices of resident licenses that are most cost-effective: Adult fishing, $35.17; small game, $30.11; combo small-game and fishing, $50.37. Senior fishing is $9.85. A person 18 years of age and older and under 65 years of age will also need a Habitat Stamp when applying for or purchasing a hunting or fishing license. No Habitat Stamp is required for applying for or purchasing a person’s first two one-day hunting or fishing licenses. The 2020 charge for a Habitat stamp is $10.13. That is a one-time charge in a 12-month period, so that is not charged on the purchase of another license(s)."


I then went to this Colorado Parks and Wildlife site for more info on fishing licenses and non-resident costs.

The $35.17 adult-annual fishing license is $97.97 for non-residents.

In addition to the adult-annual cost, those age 18-64 must also pay an additional $10.13 for a Habitat Stamp (for the first license purchase of the year).

The $9.85 Senior annual fishing license is not available to non-residents. There's no such thing as a Senior Non-Resident annual fishing license.

There are one-day and five-day licenses available to non-residents. The one-day is $16.94 and five-day is $32.14. (Note- no Habitat Stamp is required on the first two purchases of a one-day license in any one year. Presumably, those 18-64 would have to pay the $10.13 for a Habitat Stamp on top of the cost for the five-day license.)

Please note that these are costs for each individual in your party over the age of 18. (And if anyone under 18 plans to fish or hunt, they need a license)

The fine for being caught without a fishing or hunting license is $140 and five license suspension points (per person).
.

 

[Happyjax]

Guess Colorado doesn't get my business.....$97 for someone who has no interest in hunting or fishing and would likely only stay a week or so.... Got my senior national Park Pass. Works for me....

 

[Beach]

To expand on Rando's "federal annual pass" idea, I'd like to see a federal fishing license. I hate having to buy a fishing license from every state I visit on long trips. Or maybe a reciprocity agreement between some states, not unlike carry permits for handguns.

 

[Rosary1]

That would be nice, but the revenue and expenditures isn't consistent across states, so it makes it hard to determine where the money would be allocated and what federal agency would administer the program.

One license that was good in all 50 states would likely cost hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars as the expenditure would increase significantly just to run the program. Then, the different "tags" that are available in differing states would be a logistical nightmare. I'm sure those that wanted to hunt big horn sheep one week a year, as an example, would impact different resources than someone that spent every afternoon shooting quail. I've only lived in a couple different states, but the game was different and so were the resources. Then of course you have the issue of federalism.

It's very different than a national park fee, for a "national" park. It's even very different than a state park fee since most park fees are relatively consistent; without add-ons for fish type, small game, furbearers, large game animals and upland game; each with a separate tag fee.

 

[fuzzymarindave]

You’ll Now Need a Hunting or Fishing License to Access State Wildlife Areas
Starting July 1, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is requiring visitors to Colorado’s State Wildlife Areas to carry a valid hunting or fishing license—even if they're not hunters or anglers. We explain why.

What kind of activities were you doing on these lands? I frequent both State and Federal Wildlife areas in California. They may have some differences in their regulations as well as their land management goals. All seem to require a day pass to enter for any reason. At least a few have portions of their area strictly for wildlife viewing, other areas strictly for hunting only, and other areas closed to any human use. Having non-hunters in the hunting areas may be counter to their area management goals. Also, there has been instances of anti-hunters entering the properties with the sole purpose to disrupt legitimate hunting. I'm pretty certain the state areas with dedicated wildlife viewing areas do not require a hunting or fishing license to enter however non-hunters are not allowed in the hunting areas. I suppose a non-hunter can get a hunting license and then get a day pass to enter. Maybe Colorado needs to carve out some non-hunting wildlife viewing areas within each property?

I attached a screen print of a allowed activities at a typical California Wildlife area

 

[idahoron]

I am a member of the ACCESS yes program for Idaho. The sportsmen and women of Idaho pay the full bill for these areas, the fish and game WMA areas and more. The fact is many people come to Idaho to camp, visit, sight see, watch wildlife and more. Those people are not asked to support these areas at all but use the areas as much or more than the sporting public. In one of our WMA's Wildlife Management Areas, its not uncommon for all the camping spots to be taken by non sporting campers. Some of these areas are pay areas, some are donation. If you are in Idaho and are using these lands please remember that it take money to keep these areas open to the public. Donate with the thought "where would you go if it was not here"?

Idaho has no fee to use WMA property or access yes. But we are discussing the option to have some form of fee. The down side is once you make a fee to allow non sporting use, those users now have a voice. It is a double edged sword.

 

[searching for nowhere]

My two cents. I don't mind paying fees but I don't like the maze of trying to figure out what fee is required where and potentially ending up at a site and not having the right pass. And there is the challenge of trying to figure out where dispersed camping is not allowed. Or where sites are closed seasonally due to habitate. Or trying to figure out hunting openings as I travel. It seems like the rule makers are focused on communicating to the local population. As someone traveling through an area I find it challenging to find all the rules before I'm surprised. I would love to find a web site that compiles all the rules into a simple usable map. I like to follow the rules.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Get a lawyer to figure it all out.
Frank

 

[camper rich]

Utah just passed a Constitutional Ammendent that says Fishing and Hunting are now the "prefered way of managing wildlife" in the state. I imagine I will soon need a fishing license to put my canoe on the water even though I don't fish here, and not all waters in Utah even have fish in them. I do a lot of paddling on the Great Salt Lake.

 

[Batman]

I believe our Colorado Parks and Wildlife recently announced the option of purchasing an annual pass rather than having to buy a hunting or fishing license to access state wildlife management areas. I think it will be $47 a year but don't quote me on that.