Picked up my new fishing licence and was asked about crappie spawning..

[JohnMickish]

When I got mine this evening at Gander, the lady asked me if I had kept any bass last year. I said no. After reading this post I asked her if these questions come up randomly and she said yes.

[Ole the Guide]

When I got mine at Fleet Farm all they asked me was cash or credit card! <geesh>

Ole the Guide

[hip_hop_fisherman]

I got mine at a local bait shop, both my fishing license and shelter tag and didn't get asked any questions.

[Lost]

Quote:

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I was asked "In your opinion does the DNR manage too many lakes for Muskie in MN?" No.

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I was asked a slightly different question: "In your opinion, should the DNR decrease the number of lakes that they manage for Muskie?". I argued both sides out loud while the line of people behind me grew. Eventually I gave an answer.

Now, as far as having a season on crappies, I say "no way". I want to be able to fish for something when I'm unable to go after walleye, pike, and bass.

[wallydiver]

They asked me: "Has the increased shoreline development hurt my fishing".

[Captain B.R.K]

Interesting?!? I just got mine Friday as well and I was not asked a question about managing our fisheries.

Really is to bad for the DNR's sake that, if the agents are suppose to be asking, that they are not. Because everything is electronic, we are at the mercy of the cashier pushing the buttons and not knowing what they push.

No wonder why the DNR's information is so squewed:)

[HoleHopper]

pathogen, Oly, and Hip Hop, There are those of us that are fortunate!

[cybermuskie]

Maybe someone should inform the DNR that those questions aren't being asked! I got my shelter and fishing licence the other day and no questions.

[slick814]

I got my fishing license yesterday and was asked if I had harvested any large or smallmouth Bass....

I'm wondering if it's a random thing, or if it depends on where you buy your license... might be that stores like Holiday, SA, Fleet Farm, Sportsman's Warehouse, Gander, etc. are asking them, whereas the smaller bait shops aren't asking, just answering for the customer?

[Borch]

When I picked up my sportmans liscense, and shelter tags they had all sorts of questions for me. The only fishing one I recall was if I icefished after the walleye season closed last year.

[Northland Sportsman]

Picked up my new license yeasterday and no questions for my wife or me.

[The_Duckslayer]

I got the "Have you fished for Walleye after dark" question. I can now hunt or fish for anything dang near! Still have to get the Federal Duck stamp and deer tag but other than that I am GTG for the year. Takce care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[bturck]

No questions asked of me when I picked up all the goodies last week. Didn't know anything about it until I picked up the topic here. A lot of the lakes that i fish for ice out crappies are posted off after a couple of weeks to protect the spawning bass, so I suppose they are actually protecting the crappies as well. Interesting thread. Bill

[cybermuskie]

I was told by the owner of Bluewater Bait in Bemidji tonight that if a question pops up when you buy your license they are suppose to ask you. He said the DNR is trying to police the stores that don't but haven't found a good way to do it yet!

[pikehunter]

It bothers me that some stores don't ask these questions. This is one of few ways the DNR is trying to keep anglers involved in fishery management, and some retailers aren't cooperating, apparently. It's our tax dollars and license fees that fund these opportunities to play a role in DNR decision-making, and I think it's unfair that based on where you bought your license you might not only not get asked, they might actually be answering for you. You might think it's not a big deal if you, individually, don't get to answer, but it adds up. I just took a quick tally, and of the 25 anglers who posted here about buying their license, 10 were NOT asked a fisheries management quesetion. 40 PERCENT! And it's likely only because of clerk laziness. Just my opinion, but I think this should be reported to the DNR. Drop them an email at [email protected] - let them know where you bought the license and that you were not asked a survey question. It might help ease the heartburn next time the DNR indicates most anglers are in favor of a regulation you don't agree with.

[ghotierman]

There is a random list of questions that rotate (randomly..*L*)

As an ELS agent, I will confess there have been a few times when the lines were long that I've cycled through the question without asking it...

after glossing this thread, I'll be sure to ask and answer as the client answers. It is important information...not statistically accurate...but nonetheless helpful information.

I don't think the box stores have any different policy...the questions should be on there screens as well.

All new equipment and license material coming this summer. no more sticky stuff....blue tear free paper, no adhesive..should be statewide by july. you may start seeing the new blue paper licenses by the end of the month.

[metrojoe]

I just talked with someone from the DNR and there are 10 questions that come up randomly and change from year to year. He explained that every person buying a fishing license should be surveyed with one of those ten questions. I’m sure they have to enter an answer to continue on with the license sale. As pikehunter pointed out, if their not asking you, then they must be answering for you.

[witter1631]

Are license Jan 1st to Jan 1st cuase wisconsin is mar31-mar31 just a ?

thanks

Matt

[juggs]

A crappie season.......figures. The DNR has become so over intensive in their management practices it wouldn't suprise me if they did. So what do we fish in April and May?? The limits are so low now and the last time they lowered them there was talk of going to six instead of ten. They must think panfish are an endangered species or will be soon.

[bigbucks]

March 1st to February 28 or 29th as applicable.

[CrappieJohn]

Since much of what the dnr garners from these questions can have an impact on our fishing, maybe we should be asked how much we think they ( dnr personel) should be getting paid or, better yet, whether we think they should have the positions they have. The people purchasing licenses are paying the salaries for some of the higher-ups who have an agenda and much on that list bothers me to no end. Just my .02.

[Nutty Fisherman]

The license are good from 2/28 to 2/28

[GullGuide]

Another thing you need to watch out for is MAKE SURE, if you are a waterfowler, that your lic says "HIP CERT" on it.

The gal who did mine just hit the buttons all the way through and did not bother to ask me ANY questions. Knowing she should have asked me about waterfowl, I checked and it did not say HIP CERT on it. She diddnt even know anything about it and I made her do it over again. This time the questions were asked and I got the correct lic.

So dont assume...CHECK!!!

[Walterwontfalter]

Quote:

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Really is to bad for the DNR's sake that, if the agents are suppose to be asking, that they are not. Because everything is electronic, we are at the mercy of the cashier pushing the buttons and not knowing what they push.

No wonder why the DNR's information is so squewed:

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Scenario: Bob from Bob's Bait really likes to spend every second of his free time fishing muskies. A question comes up on the licensing system straight from the DNR which is trying to get statistics to help them decide whether to manage more lakes for muskies only. From Bob's customers he hears that most of them are against muskies. Bob decides that everytime the question comes up he will answer whatever response supports managing more lakes for muskies no matter what the customer answers so that he can fish his beloved muskies anywhere he wants.

Surveys can be designed to generally get the statistics you want. [Researchers generally have an idea what their research is looking for. They thus formulate questions that will illuminate their research, either pro or con. Prejudice can creep in when a researcher unconsciously words questions in such a way that the answers support his or her contention or opinion.

Loaded questions are those that, no matter how they are answered, the respondent loses. "Are you still beating your wife?" and "Are you still cheating on your income tax?" are examples. A loaded question appears to ask for a yes or no answer, yet the actual answer may be neither yes nor no.

It is easy, and often subconscious, for the questioner to word the questions in such a way as to lead to respondent to reply in a certain way. For example, a survey on whaling could ask, "Should the only three countries in the world that do so, continue to slaughter to extinction the helpless, harmless intelligent giants of the deep?" I surmise that few people would respond with a yes.]

The above in brackets is from an article "The problems with statistics by Richard F. Taflinger. Type it into a search engine, it's some interesting reading. The question something like..."Do you support smaller bag limits to improve fishing" is obviously looking for a certain pre-determined answer.

I was asked "Have you witnessed a game law violation in the past year?" To my knowledge I haven't so I said no. If I said yes, would they cite me for aiding and abetting because I didn't report it? I may also have witnessed a violation and not known that it was a violation. I can imagine that most of the answers to that question are going to be no for any number of reasons. How will the report it...Surveys show us thta 95 percent of fishermen have not witnessed a game law violation in the past year so clearly the conservation officers are deterring violators... who knows. I think there should be an option #3-decline to answer. Do you think that when people complain about the crappie season being closed in the spring that the DNR will counter with..."Our surveys show that a majority of the people either do not fish after walleye season closes or they support a closed season during the spawn.

Sorry it's so long winded. Just important to think about in my opinion.