Prices for hunting licenses on the rise
Tennessee hunting and fishing licenses will be going up by about 35 percent, marking the first time they have been raised in 15 years.
The increase in fees, according to Allen Gebhardt of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, is to prevent further cuts in wildlife management programs.
“We’ve cut our budget for the last three years and there simply was nowhere left to cut,” Gebhardt said. “It had reached a point where something had to be done.”
The higher fees are expected to be in place in late April, meaning those who act fast can avoid paying the higher fees. Hunters and anglers who purchase 2005-2006 licenses early, soon after they go on sale March 1, will not have to pay the higher fees.
“We want people to know that so they can plan for it,” Gebhardt said, noting those who buy early will save in the end for the coming year.
Licenses for young children, the elderly and the handicapped will be frozen and not subject to the increase; however, select fees for out-of-state residents will increase by 60 percent and the cost of some commercial licenses will go up by 100 percent.
The fee changes for some of the most popular licenses include: