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info for VA hunters - new bills

Dear Virginia Friends,

This year's General Assembly agenda includes more ill-conceived hunting
bills than normal. If two of these bills pass and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) completes its pending $5 fee increase for all hunting, fishing and trapping license and permit fees, sportsmen's costs will skyrocket. A general firearm hunting license and big game tags, which currently cost $36, will jump to $104 !! Should you also require an archery, crossbow or muzzleloader license, those will be an added $23 each.

The largest and most disturbing of these cost increases is due to the
VA Bear Hunters Association's (VBHA) HB1553, introduced by Delegate Tony
Wilt. HB1553 requires that the combination big game tags be split up and sold separately, with bear tag fee set at $25. No longer will a sportsman hunt bear, deer and turkeys with a single set of tags, instead a basic license and three separate tags will have to be purchased, at a combined cost of $94. This assumes that DGIF raises all fees $5 each, as previously proposed. VBHA had earlier lobbied the DGIF to make such game tag changes, but was unsuccessful. Freshman Delegate Wilt is a past president of VBHA.

The additional $10 to a total of $104 derives from SB1023, Senator Phillip
Puckett's "Damage Stamp" bill. SB1023 requires that hunters of deer and/or bear purchase $5 damage stamps, ostensibly to compensate landowners for the crop damage caused by bear, deer and elk and by big game hunters. This program replaces a optional, moribund, county controlled $1 stamp program and would generate $3-4 million annually. Since the existing damage stamp code provision isn't widely used, the bill's apparent true intended beneficiary is Hunters for the Hungry, who will receive the fund balance every fiscal year.

The policy implications of HB1556 and SB1023, quite apart from their astounding costs, are profound. Fewer and fewer Virginians are buying hunting and fishing licenses. Sales in the four years since the 2006 $5 fee increase have dropped by 225,392 or -16.8%. Additional fee increases well in excess of that level will drive many more to give their sport. Squeezing smaller and smaller numbers of customers is not a viable business plan and it eventually jeopardizes Virginia's precious wildlife resources.

The Commonwealth's bear population is burgeoning. HB1553 seeks to set aside that resource for a very limited clientele. This legislation would override a recent DGIF decision and be extremely unwise from a wildlife and agricultural damage protection view point, to say nothing of its bad policy aspects.

As soon as possible, ask the following delegates to VOTE NO on HB1553.

Del. Lee Ware (David A. Bovenizer) <DelLWare@house.state.va.us>
Del. Tommy Wright (Nancy Snead) <DelTWright@house.state.va.us>
Del. Brenda Pogge (Debra Belcher) <DelBPogge@house.state.va.us>
Del. James Edmunds (Shelia Bradley) <DelJEdmunds@house.virginia.gov>
Del. Tony Wilt (Joel Hensley) <DelTWilt@house.virginia.gov>
Del. Ken Plum (Barbara Shearer) <del_Plum@house.state.va.us>
Del. Lynwood Lewis (Jessica Bowman) <DelLLewis@house.state.va.us>
Del. David L. Englin (John Golden) <DelDEnglin@house.state.va.us>


Separately, to oppose SB1023, ask the following senators to
VOTE NO on SB1023.

Sen. Patsy Ticer (Peggy Papp) <district30@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (Arlene Spinelli) <district31@sov.state.va.us> Sen. Emmett Hanger (Holly Herman) <district24@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. John Watkins (Sally Antonelli) <district10@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. William Roscoe Reynolds (Anne Lackey) <district20@sov.state.va.us>; Sen. Phillip Puckett (David Larimer) <district38@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. Frank Ruff (Cindy Hosmer) <district15@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. Harry Blevins (Karen Papasodora-Cochrane) <district14@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. Mark Obenshain (Jared Walczak) <district26@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. Ryan McDougle (Anne Creasy) <district04@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. Donald McEachin (Sonya Bowman) <district09@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. Chap Petersen (Kathy Neilson) <district34@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. Ralph S. Northam (Matt Strickler) <district06@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. Richard Stuart (Trisha Lewis) <district28@sov.state.va.us>
Sen. Dave Marsden (David Wesolowski) <district37@senate.virginia.gov >

Freely forward and cross post.

Sincerely,
Bob Kane, Chairman Emeritus
Virginia Hunting Dog Owners' Association
Sportsmen and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance

__________________
2012 National Grand Show Champion, World Show Bluetick Female CCH GRCH 'PR' Southern Flame Blame it on the Rain (Rain)
2012 Purina Show Bluetick Breed Winner GRCH 'PR' Southern Flame Grt Balls o' Fire (Jerry Lee)
2013 World Champion Bluetick, 2013 AO Overall Bred By winner GRCH 'PR' Sexy and I know It (breeder)
2015 AO Overall Dual Champion NTCH GRCH 'PR' Sexy and I know It (breeder/owner/handler)
2016 Grand American Overall Dual Ch, Overall Show CHampion NTCH GRCH 'PR' Sexy and I know It

AKC CSG, UKC CCH GRCH 'PR' Southern Flame Bad News Bandit (Bandit)
2010 National Grand Champion Bluetick
2013 AO Bluetick Stud Dog winner

CCH GCH 'PR' Southern Flame Elvira - the one that started it all

southernflamekennel@earthlink.net

RIP Southern Flame Elvira (the cornerstone of the kennel) 5/16/02-1/17/14

RIP Southern Flame Scarlet (the lone Redbone) 5/11/01-7/19/13

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RIP Southern Flame Too Hot to Trot (Bonnie) 3/27/07 - 4/20/15

RIP Southern Flame Bad News Bandit (Bandit)

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RIP Southern Flame Blame it on the Rain (Rain)

RIP AdeleMay's a Smokey Bandit (Adele)

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Bear, Jerry Lee, Camo, Maybellene, Lacy, Thor, Sissy, Merle, Tina, Bridgette - the Blueticks, Hollie - the Aussie