Texas hunting, fishing a bargain, but price increases are coming

The price we pay to hunt and fish in Texas is a bargain compared to states. Especially when you take into account the quality of the goods and the vast array of opportunities you get for your buck.

Deer hunters nationwide will label Texas among the best states in the country. The fishing venues in fresh and saltwater alike are among the richest in North America.

"The high quality of our resources is pretty obvious if you look at the number of non-residents who come to Texas to hunt and fish each year," said Newton.

During 2007-08, more than 78,000 non-residents bought general and special hunting licenses ranging in cost from $25-$300. The licenses allowed them to hunt a wide variety of game including white-tailed deer, mule deer, turkey, ducks, quail, dove, pheasant, squirrel and other game animals.

Newton said this year's non-resident hunting license sales generated roughly $11.6 million in gross revenue for TPWD. Nearly 29,000 non-resident general hunting licenses (valid to hunt any legal bird or animal, including deer) were sold last year. At $300 per pop that equals about $8.7 million in gross revenue.

Texas resident hunting and fishing licenses are not near as expensive, but Newton said prices will likely undergo an increase within the next couple of years. The current licensing structure has been in place for five years.

"It is not really a matter of 'if' we will see a price increase, it is when," Newton said. "Our costs are going up, so it we are going to have to make some adjustments in the future. It could be an across-the-board increase or it could be on certain licenses. We are in the process of doing a marketing survey right now to determine which direction we need to go. At any rate, any increases will be low — something our constituents can live with."

The best deal going for all-around sportsmen is the Super Combo Package license, $64. The license includes an annual hunting/fishing license and five state stamp endorsements (archery, freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing/red drum tag, upland game bird and migratory game bird). Sold separately, the licenses and stamps would cost $82.

Other popular resident licenses include:

* Senior (65 and older) Resident Super Combo, $30

* Combination Hunting and Freshwater Fishing, $47

* Combination Hunting and Saltwater Fishing, $52

* Combination Hunting and All-Water Fishing, $57

* Senior Hunting and Freshwater, $15

* Senior Hunting and Saltwater, $20

* Senior Combination Hunting and All-Water, $25

* Hunting, $23

* Special Resident Hunting (Under 17 or over 65), $6

* Freshwater Fishing Package, $28

* Saltwater Fishing Package, $33

* All-Water Package, $38

* "Day Plus" Freshwater, $11 for one day, additional days, $4

* "Day Plus" Saltwater, $16 for one day, additional days, $4

* "Day Plus" All-Water, $35

* July/August Freshwater, $25

* July/August Saltwater, $30

* July/August All-Water, $35

* Year from Purchase All-Water (valid for 1 year from purchase date), $45