lifetime fishing/hunting license

[I Like Worms]

Has anyone bought a lifetime license here in MN? I have been kicking the idea around for the last few years, wish I didn't, could have saved a few bucks already.
Anyway, I believe we will see license fees being raised very soon here, and they will probably get higher. I am thinking I am definitely going to get one this year. Just wondering if anyone has bought one and what he or she thinks. I know there aren't very many of you out there with opinions.

FYI
Fees
Age fishing/small game/sports/firearms deer/ archery deer
3 and under $227 $217 $357 $337 $337
4- 15 $300 $290 $480 $450 $450
16-50 $383 $363 $613 $573 $573
51 + $203 $213 $413 $383 $383

[BLACKJACK]

I looked it over and did the math, it looks like a good deal if you're an avid hunter or fisherman, especially if you're young. At my current age of 46, I think that I'll wait til I hit the 50 mark, then jump, at least on the fishing and small game, and maybe archery.

[The Chemist]

I'm thinking of getting it for my 3 yr old before he turns 4. I have until next November.

[Nels]

Are the lifetime licenses still good if you move out of the state?

[Grabs]

Nels, yes they are. This one of the biggest benefits if you think you may ever move out of the state. Major savings from this point of view.

I have thought about this many times and I intend to buy one soon for myself. The best thing is for grandparents to give these as gift to young children (3 and under). Great gift!!

[Guest]

Do they give you a like hard card, drivers lincencse type deal or do you have carrry a mangled piece of paper for 80 years?

[The Chemist]

I heard it's a renewable license like you currently have every year. You haev to go in and get it from any place that sells the licenses. This is just what I've heard.

[wishiniwerefishin]

I recieved a lifetime liscense for my graduation two years ago, and it is great. I just have to go into any liscense center and they will print out the "paper" liscense for me right there. Really worth it if you are younger, makes great gifts also. And yes, it is still good if you move out of state.

[Jarrod32]

Yeah, Grabs hit it. The biggest benefit would be if you move out of state and still expect to come back and fish most years.

[Pig_sticka]

well maybe for my birthday next year ill give hints to everyone i want a lifetime membership. at 19 it should be a great deal. if u get them one at 3 years old u wouldn't have to worry about keeping 2 limits for a dad n his son either.

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Good luck sticking pigs this year!

[Try Too Fish]

Twitter
I have never looked into the fine details of the lifetime licence.Are you saying that with a lifetime licence you are forever considered a resident even if your not?
thanks

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Try Too Fish
Forced Too Work!!

[Guest]

YES, even if you move from the state they are still good. Even if you move to yet another state it is still good, they are LIFETIME licenses, good for your lifetime.

yb

[Twitter]

Try too fish,
That's CORRECT !
That's the major advantage of the lifetime license. Plus if you buy one for your kid before they turn 16 you get a really good deal, $300 for fishing or $480 for a sportsman. Like I said, I look forward to the days when I can retire to my lake home with the other half and spend all my time fishing and hunting. But I really look forward to the days when my kids will bring their kids to see us and fish and hunt with us up North ! I know what a hassle it is now for my relatives that make annual trips to the lake to fish with us and what they spend on their weekend licenses. I hope 20 years from now he appreciates the ability to fish in MN whenever he wants to and not get gorged for non resident licenses.
Twitter

[Guest]

Now, if they'd only let us buy lifetime waterfowl, pheasant and trout stamps!!

[big_fish_guy]

I wasn't too far off when I said the license fees will probably be going up. A quote from an article in todays STRIB:

"That could mean significant increases in hunting and fishing licenses and in the fees for other services -- many of which have been without sizable increases for a decade or more and which range far below those charged in other states"

the full article: http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/3659377.html

I am buying mine this month.

[Guest]

I got the lifetime small game license and then I upgraded to the lifetime sportsman which lets me hunt small game and fish for as long as I live, no matter what state I end up in. They give you a little card with your number on it and a little medallion with a folder with a certificate in it. Well worth it. I am 23 years old. I still have to go into Gander or wherever and get the print out but it doesnt cost me anything but a little time....errr wait I cant go into a sporting goods store and not spend any money so it does cost me something but I can regulate that...err wait no I cant, man am I messed up, I need help.

yizzoungblizzeeds

[Twitter]

The lifetime license is a great deal. I plan on buying one for my oldest son before he turns 16. I figure, at the rate license fees will increase over the next decade they'll pay for themselves in less than 10 years, plus, if he ever moves out of state for college or afterwards and is a no longer a MN resident he'll still be able to fish and hunt small game without paying non resident fees. I figure I'll ALWAYS have a place in MN while I'm alive, but there's no way to predict his future career and location. At least he can always "come home" and fish with his Old Man

[big_fish_guy]

ahh yes, the stamps. How long do you think it'll take them to realize that raising the license fees won't bring in that much more in revenue? They'll then raise the fees on stamps more (which by the way, they are looking at raising those amounts too. $5 stamps raised to $10.) They won't make the mistake of offering lifetime stamps. They gotta get you somehow.
Problem is, wasn't the stamp money supposed to be earmarked for that type of hunting? i.e. trout stamp revenue towards improving trout habitat and restocking, pheasant stamp money for pheasants...
When the majority of the sportsmen have lifetime licenses, what will they raise to generate more revenue? Create a new general sportsman stamp? Or are they diverting stamp money to the general fund? (Which I think is wrong)

[Big Dave2]

I was thinking of getting my 2 year old a lifetime lisence and I probably will before he turns 4, but it seems kind of wierd buying something that he wont even need untill he is 16!

[Fisher Dave]

I am going to buy my 2 year old the fishing and the small game lifetime while their cheap .... The big game is a big jump to make .. never know if the kid is going to be into hunting.

[Piker]

My biggest fear about these lifetime licenses is that they could add something like a "walleye stamp" or something of that nature and still get you. Otherwise, yeah the math seems to add up right. Maybe I should have bought one before moving to ND. At $36 for out-state it would have only been 11 years.

[Fisher Dave]

Piker .. if they do add stamps .. we are going to get hit by yearly license fee's regardless .. I really cant see where we can lose if we plan on staying avid fisherman, and will be fishing Minnesota waters regularly.

Witht he budget cuts and everything else starving in the economy I could see stamps coming into play in the future. I would like to know where this lottery money is going that was supposed to help feed the DNR. Somebody wins big ... they get paid out over several years, or takes a small percentage payout immediately. Where is the money going? This wasnt the place for the question, but I think its a good one.

If we buy the lifetime license, we know the majority of that will be supporting the DNR at the least. They may be a pain checking for licenses, and all of our equipment, but we need that hassle to insure we will hold onto a quality fishery in popular waters.

[Guest]

I do believe that eventually they will cut the sales of the lifetime license. I had a client tell me once that the state where he was from, and I can't remember which one it was, once sold the lifetime as well, but after about 5-6 years of sales they figured out that in the long run, the state would loose revenue so they did away with them. Those who had purchased them were of course grandfatherd in, but new ones could not be sold.
My guess is that they (MNDNR) had planned on tons of people jumping on board and buying these left and right, kind of a way to quickly fill the coffers. But if I'm correct, I think they sold way fewer than they had projected (only a couple thousand in year one). I also think that if they did sell like they had hoped, that they would have continued to sell them for a couple of years and then make some idiodic statement to as why they would have to no longer make them available. I think that eventually, they will decide not to sell them anymore, but that's ok, I have mine already!!

[SpikeRoberts]

Wow. That's a pretty good take on it Tom, I hadn't thought about it that way. Imagine if everyone went out and bought a lifetime over the next five years; the fisheries budget would look nice a healthy for those five years but after that it would be the end of the revenue stream. Maybe the lifetime license is good for the individual but not for the state in the long run? Although if the sales figures are low it probably won't have too much impact overall.