This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Utah's deer hunt opener Saturday will draw thousands to the mountains, with many families using the event as much as an excuse to enjoy one more camping trip as to seriously hunt.

Buying a hunting license, though more complicated during a time when the number of permits is limited, continues to be a relatively small part of the expense of such outings.

Look at the money spent on camping equipment, fuel, all-terrain vehicles, big trucks, guns, ammo and food, and the $40 cost of a resident deer permit is a relatively minor part of the overall expense of the hunt.

Hunters and anglers should rightfully be proud that their license fees, coupled with federal duck stamps and federal excise taxes on equipment used in pursuit of game and fish, have helped preserve habitat and game species.

That's why I suspect there hasn't been much consternation about the Utah Wildlife Board's recent license fee restructuring proposal, which will be sent to the 2007 State Legislature.

This is a kind of "back-to-the-future" system where all hunters would be required to either buy a combination license that includes small-game hunting and fishing, for $30, or what would be called a hunting license, for $26. Big-game hunters would have to buy a hunting or combination license before they could apply for or buy any other hunting permits.

In the days before permits were required to hunt big game, most of us purchased a combination fishing, small game and deer hunting license each year.

There are other proposed changes to Utah's license structure.

If the Legislature agrees, the price to apply for Utah's hunting draws would double from $5 to $10, perhaps the biggest revenue booster in the package.

In addition, 12- and 13-year-old anglers would be required to buy a $5 fishing license. And any wildlife watcher visiting a Utah wildlife or waterfowl management area would be required to buy a watchable wildlife pass for $10.

A resident small-game hunting license would increase from $17 to $26 under the proposal.

Some fees would be reduced.

The resident combination license would drop from $34 to $30. Deer permits would drop from $40 to $35. Elk permits would drop from $65 to $45 and turkey permits would go from $40 to $35.

The wildlife board and Division of Wildlife Resources obviously hope the proposal will generate more money.

"The added revenue will allow us to cover some serious budget shortfalls we're facing and will allow us to continue to manage Utah's wildlife effectively," said DWR director Jim Karpowitz in a news release issued by the agency. "The revenue will also allow us to provide hunters, anglers and wildlife watchers with some additional services they have asked for."

The agency's main funding - license dollars - has dropped in recent years, especially with a sharp decline in fishing license sales. Though there has been a bit of a rebound with better fishing, the end of a drought and a promotional campaign.

The guess here is that a few hunters will complain about the doubling of permit application fees to $10, but most will realize that funding is needed to provide everything from habitat improvement, access, land purchases, fish hatcheries, marsh management and law enforcement.

And the Legislature seems more inclined to raise user fees than to provide agencies such as the DWR with more general tax dollars.

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* TOM WHARTON can be contacted at wharton@sltrib.com or at 801-257-8909. Send comments about this column to livingeditor@sltrib.com.