KDWPT Response to Removal of Senior Exemption
I have provided the document explaining the KDWPT position on removing the senior exemption for hunting and fishing licenses made available yesterday from the Office of the Secretary. Hopefully this will answer many of the questions that have been asked on this site over the past couple of weeks. Since this topic is out of my area of expertise as a fisheries biologist, please direct any additional questions on this issue to the KDWPT Office of the Secretary in Topeka. Feel free to discuss on this thread but I won't be answering any questions pertaining to the exemption as I don't have any more information than what is posted below.
Thank you,
Craig
Removing the Senior Exemption for Hunting and Fishing Licenses
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) is asking the Kansas Legislature to
consider removing the hunting and fishing license exemptions for persons 65 years of age and older.
Kansas residents younger than 16 and older than 64 have not been required to purchase a hunting or
fishing license since 1971. We can understand the many questions and concerns this request has sparked.
More than 40 years is a long time to have enjoyed a free privilege. However, the request is not meant to
unfairly target seniors. In fact, it will make the license fee structure more equitable for all hunters and
anglers, help continue the programs and services they enjoy, and help pass along the outdoor tradition to
future generations.
There are several reasons for this request.
First, State General Fund tax dollars are not used for KDWPT wildlife and fisheries programs. Instead,
these programs are funded by a combination of license/permit fees and a federal match for each individual
who buys a license or permit. Fifteen percent of the department’s budget comes from that federal funding,
which is provided through the Wildlife and Fish Restoration Program, and is based on the numbers of
hunting and fishing licenses sold. The federal funds come from excise taxes on hunting and fishing
equipment. When a user doesn’t buy a license, Kansas wildlife and fisheries programs lose money once
due to lost license revenue and again due to lost federal aid if the user doesn’t also buy a permit.
This license fee/federal dollar model of funding wildlife management is followed by all the states.
Currently, 15 states offer free hunting/fishing licenses, four states have discount/free combo licenses, 30
states have discount licenses, and one state has no discount licenses.
License and permit holders support many outdoor services. Removing the license exemptions for the
senior age group will help KDWPT to continue providing a variety of hunting and angling opportunities.
For example, licensed hunters and anglers support the Walk-in Hunting Access (WIHA) program, which
opens more than 1 million acres of private land to public use; and the Community Fisheries Assistance
Program, which makes it easier to fish at more than 200 community lakes. In addition, license revenues
pay for fisheries management and fish stocking at 24 federal reservoirs and 40 state fishing lakes,
wildlife-related law enforcement, wildlife management at 100 public wildlife areas, boating access, fish
habitat programs, research, education and wildlife population and health monitoring.
Second, we must adapt to changing times. The state’s population is changing and so are hunters and
anglers. Hunters and anglers are aging, and more activities compete for our recreational time than ever
before. According KDWPT records, the number of hunters 65 and older who purchase deer permits has
increased by 25 percent in the last five years. However, at this time, these permit holders do not have to
purchase a hunting license. The problem will worsen with increasing life expectancy and as more baby
boomers reach their 65th birthday. If we don’t broaden the funding base for hunting and fishing programs,
our children and grandchildren will have to carry a heavier burden to pay for the services all hunters and
anglers enjoy. Spreading the cost among all who hunt and fish will ensure quality opportunities are
affordable for all.
Third, we think an annual license is a bargain for a year’s worth of hunting and fishing enjoyment.
Individual hunting and fishing licenses cost $20.50 each (including $2.50 vendor and convenience fees).
Even better, at $38.50 (including $2.50 vendor and convenience fees), a combination hunting and fishing
license costs less than 11 cents a day. Annual licenses are bargains compared to dining out, catching a
movie or playing a round of golf.
Licenses are a small portion of the cost when we consider other expenses related to hunting and fishing. A
general fishing rod is $17; a box of 25 steel-shot shotgun shells costs $14; buying 15 gallons of gas at
$3.00/gal. will cost $45.00; and a Remington 870 shotgun is $330.
Finally, the estimated lost revenue of more than $1.4 million is rather significant. Estimated lost hunting
license revenue amounts to more than $550,000 and the estimated lost fishing license revenue comes to
more than $847,000 (See calculation details below).
In summary, the importance of license revenues to the state’s wildlife and fisheries programs, the
changing demographics of hunters and anglers, the relatively low cost of an annual license compared to
other activities, and the estimated lost revenue of more than $1.4 million all combine to make this request
something that should be seriously considered.
CALCULATIONS OF ESTIMATED POTENTIAL LOST REVENUE
Based on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlifeassociated
Recreation in Kansas, 20,000 Kansans 65 years old and older hunted in 2006. (Results for the
latest USFWS survey won’t be available until this summer.)
o Estimated lost annual hunting revenue due to 65 and older exemption:
o 20,000 x $18/hunting license* = $360,000
o 20,000 (minus 7,696**) = 12,304 x $16.15 federal aid/licensed hunter = $198,709
o Total Estimated Potential Lost Annual Hunting Revenue = $558,709
*The department receives $18.00 from the sale of each hunting license after the vendor and convenience
fees are subtracted.
**The department receives $16.15 in federal aid for each licensed hunter. Hunters 65 and older who
purchase a big game or turkey permit may be claimed as licensed hunters for federal aid purposes.
• Based on the USFWS 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-associated
Recreation in Kansas, 33,000 Kansans 65-years old and older fished in 2006.
o Estimated lost annual fishing revenue due to 65 and older exemption:
o 33,000 x $18.00/license* = $594,000
o 33,000 (minus 2,520**) = 30,480 x $8.31 federal aid/licensed angler = $253,289
o Total Estimated Potential Lost Annual Fishing Revenue = $847,289
*The department receives $18 from the sale of each fishing license after the vendor and convenience fees
are subtracted.
**The department receives $8.31 in federal aid for each licensed angler. Anglers 65 and older who
purchase fishing permits such as third pole or trout permits may be claimed as licensed anglers for
federal aid purposes.
Total Estimated Potential Annual Lost Revenue Due to
Fishing and Hunting License Exemptions =$1,405,998
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, Office of the Secretary, 1020 S Kansas Ave., Ste. 200, Topeka, KS 66612
January 23, 2012