Who's the big pushers in this garbage? Goverment, Big Outfitters? More then likely! Hunting is getting to be a rich mans sport more and more every year, heck it already is as far as that goes! What a joke!!!

Looks like last year was my first and last Illionois hunt.

Wasn't really that impressed anyway.

Hunt worked out to like $1,000 a day.

It is cheaper to go to Africa.

IMHO

I agree with couger on this one!! As a NR I love Illinois and I would pay what ever they ask, but they just keep uping the numbers of tags and now number of days. They are going to destroy a great thing if they don't watch what they are doing and Illinois will just be another Michigan soon!!! Walt

Yep, they stopped planting sunflowers on the public land near me a few years ago. Used to be a good dove hunting area.

One other thing that has always griped me, don't know how it is in other states but in order to hunt spring turkeys you have to draw for a turkey permit per season or week. For instance you have to apply for a specific week for the first permit......$15 resident. That permit is only good for that time period which is anywhere from 5-7 days long depending upon which time period you draw. To hunt other weeks you must pay, apply for and draw another week and another permit...more money.[:-]

Actually Andy, these price increases were approved back in prospectively back in 2003 if I remember correctly. There was an article in Deer & Deer Hunting or one of those magazines regarding this "graduated" that had an endpoint of an IL NR Deer tag costing around $500. I vowed right then and there NEVER to buy a NR IL deer tag.

It's truly a shame how it's trying to rape and pillage.

That's what our state specializes in.....We are masters at finding new areas to perfect our craft!

Hunting,Ammo,Guns...Yep #1 at it...

FYI For those Ill. bow hunters going to minn. Minn. charges out of state hunters the same as their state charges Minn. hunters to hunt there. So this will effect some resident Il. bow hunters too. Also economics is driven by supply and demand so we are the ones in power. All we have to do is put the bows away for one year and I bet we could change the license fees and guide fees in a hurry. It would happen so fast that you wouldnt even miss a season. Just hold out like the pro sports players do and watch how fast things will change.

I'm gonna have to find another job if I want to come hunt with any of you IL boys... well wait I probably couldn't talk in any of those guys into letting me in their camp since I snored so loud the last time I was there.[&:][&:][&:]

I'm all for increased fees, out west they charge 10-15X what a resident pays, I forget what a res tag costs me, $35? I'd pay more and that's a buck n doe tag. Doesn't sound outrageous to me, if you go out west to hunt a muley etc....or a whitetail in other states itll cost you. Maybe IL should consider a doe only tag....for non-res if they want to come here just to harvest a deer. If you're trophy hunting anywhere, I don't think hunters care if the tag is 350, 375, 400. It's not like were talking about meat hunters coming here to harvest a buck/doe, they'd hunt their own state if for meat, and so we're talking trophy bucks, and we're not comparing a $35 tag to a $400 tag. I'd like to see a limit to how much more a non res pays than a res in all states. 15X a res tag is outrageous, narrow the gap I say, if a res pays $25 and non rest pays $450, I think 10X a res tag should be the max allowed.

And yes for what reason would a bowhunter hunt during the gun seasons? Is this for non-res options? non-res would prefer a gun as well I'd assume, I hope IL doesn't start getting whacky. We've had very well established seasons for 40 years or something. Just my thoughts, but I'd like to see a "earn a 2nd buck tag by harvesting a doe put in place" maybe a muzzleloader season before the shotgun seasons or earlier than late season only when some buck shave lost bone already. I think that would be a great start. I think IL has one of the fairest programs for non res, every non res gets a tag, not the same for many other whitetail states, um hum, Iowa?