The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) proposes raising prices for most hunting, fishing, trapping, and commercial permits. This is an effort to keep up with the rising costs of goods and services it uses to manage its more than 1,000 conservation areas, nature centers, shooting ranges, fish hatcheries, and other facilities. MDC wants your opinion on the matter.
Who This Applies To
Missouri has more than 1 million anglers, 500,000 hunters, and several thousand trappers. MDC annually issues nearly 2.6 million hunting, fishing, and trapping permits. Most MDC permit prices have remained the same for the past 20 years, while costs for goods and services have increased significantly. MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley added that, on average, most resident hunting and fishing permit prices would be adjusted by about $1. She compared Missouri prices to surrounding states and said,
Compared to other states, Missouri permit prices are in the middle-to-lower end of the scale and would still be a bargain. The average price of a resident firearm deer permit for surrounding states is $54 compared to Missouri’s proposed price of $18 [1].
What Funds Go For
Additional revenue from permit sales will help MDC maintain and improve its nationally recognized programs and services for hunters, anglers, wildlife watchers, and others. The director added that most Missourians are generally familiar with some of MDC’s work, but there are new challenges with added costs.
You can go here to read the itemized list of projected price increases. This list contains the current prices alongside the proposed markups. It also lists surrounding states’ prices.
To leave your comments and thoughts on this proposal, you can click here.
MDC will take the public’s thoughts from July 4, 2023 through August 2, 2023.
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