Tonight at 6:30 p.m., the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is scheduled to hold a meeting and potentially a vote on increasing the fees for hunting licenses. As specified on the DNREC website, their proposed hunting license fee increases are around 80% and in some cases even higher. Hunting license fees were last increased in 2007. In the months preceding that increase, there was a consistently growing number of hunters in the field. After that increase, hunting license sales dropped and since 2007, according to DNREC’s presentation, hunting license holders have decreased by 3-8% per year. By increasing the fee in 2007, the number of hunters in Delaware has shrunk to its lowest point since 1972, the first year that DNREC started keeping its records. Due to the low numbers of hunters, DNREC is attempting to recoup their losses by again raising the fees on hunting, which could dissuade even more hunters from being in the field.
Hunters have been and continue to be among the foremost supporters and funders of wildlife management and conservation in the United States. Pricing hunters out of the field is disastrous for wildlife populations, the economy, conservation, agency funding and America’s hunting heritage.
It is more important than ever for hunters to attend this meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the DNREC Auditorium (directions) to express your opposition to this proposal which will effectively reduce hunting and the number of hunters in Delaware. Meeting details below:
Tuesday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m.
Richardson & Robbins Building
89 Kings Highway
Dover, Delaware 19901
Your NRA-ILA will continue to keep you updated on this issue as more information becomes available.
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