No, I would not hunt deer if the tag cost $5,000.

No, I would not hunt deer if the tag cost $1,000.

I would much prefer to go to Wyoming to hunt pronghorn antelope for $237 than pay $1,000 or more to hunt a whitetail deer. I would much rather go to Colorado to hunt cow elk for $300 than pay $1,000 or more to hunt a whitetail deer. Now if all big game cost $1,000 for a tag, I would probably give up big game hunting. I have kids to send to college and bills to pay, I cannot justify $1,000 on such a limited discretionary activity. I might rather invest more of my time and efforts in small game hunting such as squirrels, rabbits, upland game bird hunting, duck hunting, goose hunting.

I'm not going to lay out that kind of money, and I think it would be the death of the sport to raise fees to that level. Many, many people would, like me, just stop hunting. With no hunters, what do you suppose happens to the support provided by hunting licenses, ammunitions sales, availability of gazillions of camo patterns at Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops, etc? Habitat suffers. Fewer people are engaged in shooting sports and the vigorous defense of the second amendment freedom diminishes. It would be bad bad medicine to drastically change hunting fees.