Do you hunt or fish in Michigan? Heads up—your licenses are about to get more expensive, if recent budgetary proposals by state government go through.
In February, Michigan’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer put out a proposed state budget that included suggestions for higher taxes and fees in order to boost the government’s failing coffers. Michigan is one of the most broke states out there, and Gov. Whitmer’s budget suggested upping the price of fishing licenses, hunting licenses and boating licenses, along with other tax hikes, could bring in an extra $208M this year, although most of that is not coming from outdoors fees.
The proposed changes would see some fees raised by a small amount, while other charges might go up a lot. Starting at the lower end, a small game hunting license would rise to $17, from $11; a minor’s license would go to $10, up from $6. A non-resident small game license would be $165, up from $151.
The numbers climb once you start looking at fishing licenses. An all-species license goes up $14 for residents, from $26 to $40. Seniors would pay $30, up from $11, and non-residents would pay $90, up from $76. Combined hunting and fishing licenses would rise to $115 for residents, from the current $76 price, and non-residents would pay $275 instead of $266.
Again, most people could afford these fees, but for a family with a lot of kids, or a senior on a fixed income, or a low-income outdoorsman, these may be more consequential than you might think, as everything else is getting more expensive. And, if you’re buying multiple hunting licenses the costs will add up. For adults, a turkey license goes up $8, to $23; a waterfowl license goes up $6, to $18; a deer license goes up $10, to $30; a bear license goes up $13, to $38. A senior’s deer hunting license goes up $15, to $23.
The potential fee hikes for motorboat licensing are even higher. Currently, fees can cost anywhere from $14 to $448, depending how big your boat is. The fees would rise to $24.17 at the low end, $773.57 at the high end, under Whitmer’s proposal.
The fee increases are expected to bring in an additional $22M from hunting and fishing licenses in 2025, with the boat fees expected to bring in another $6.9M.
Reactions to the proposed licensing fee increases are mixed. The boating fees have not risen since 1993, and the hunting license fees haven’t been hiked since 2014. Comments in Michigan’s media outlets seem to show that outdoors enthusiasts recognize the need to fund conservation efforts, but most people are feeling an economic pinch at some level these days, and as the Mackinac Center For Public Policy points out, a big part of the problem is government waste.
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