House Panel Approves Increase to Hunting and Fishing License Fees

Soon, it may be a little more expensive to hunt and fish in Louisiana.

Hunting and Fishing license fees in Louisiana have been reasonably priced at a pretty standard rate for  20 years. Now, outdoorsmen in Louisiana may be forced to pay more in the near future. A bill has been approved by the House Natural Resources Committee that would spike those license fees quite a bit. If the bill gets passed as it stands, fishing licenses will jump from $9.50 to $17 and a hunting license would then cost $200, $50 more than its current cost.

Naturally, that's quite the jump, so many outdoorsmen in Louisiana are hoping that our state Wildlife and Fisheries can find a different way to get their money. Heck, I'm the last person you'll find in the outdoors and even I have seen this topic debated and discussed regularly on my Facebook feed.

The reason for the price jump is simple, according to LA's Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. They say they've needed this money for a long time, but have been forced to get by with what they can, and now they can't continue to push forward without this increase.

Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet says, "We have been able to hold down the costs of licenses because of that, now we are facing a big dilemma." He continued to make his case to Louisiana decision-makers by saying, "In order for us to continue to function and provide the services we do for the Sportsman’s Paradise, we need your help and consideration for this bill.”

Although the House Natural Resources Committee approved the legislation, this bill is no sure-thing and will be discussed ad nauseum in the future in our House before it gets the greenlight.