IL Non-Res update
Posted: February 11th, 2005, 10:45 pm
Thursday, February 10, 2005
By Deborah Gertz Husar
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
PITTSFIELD, Ill. ? Proposed state legislation could clear the way for more growth in the deer hunting industry.
House Bill 1161, introduced Tuesday by Rep. Lisa Dugan, D-Kankakee, adds language to the state wildlife code prohibiting the Illinois Department of Natural Resources from limiting "the number of resident or non-resident archery deer hunting permits."
Supporters say the proposal is the latest step in a long-standing effort to remove the cap on non-resident permits as a way to spur economic growth in Pike, Adams and surrounding counties.
The cap has been in place since the 2002 archery season and is set at 15,000.
"This is what we have been brought to by DNR. By them not taking their own action getting rid of the cap, we felt compelled to seek legislation," Pike County Farm Bureau Manager Blake Roderick said.
He expects similar legislation to be introduced in the state Senate.
"This is absolutely a positive step," said Judy Smith, who coordinates the Pittsfield-based Access Illinois Outdoors program. "I'd like to see them remove the cap and see what kind of difference it makes and study the results."
Access Illinois Outdoors matches landowners with resident and non-resident land users for hunting and other recreational opportunities.
The archery deer industry provides an estimated payroll in excess of $1 million for 60 full-time equivalent jobs and $15 million to $20 million in cash receipts in Pike County alone, Roderick said. Those figures do not include appreciation and asset value in the county.
"We're looking at half a billion just in Pike County, easily $400 million, and what's happening here is happening in the surrounding area ? definitely Scott, Greene, Jersey, Calhoun, Adams and Brown counties," Roderick said.
"This is definitely an economic engine, and I think an important point to make is the government has spent not one dime in creating this. What we're asking for legislatively is for government to get out of the way and let the market grow."
Jerry Gille, president of United Bowhunters of Illinois, said that growth often comes at the expense of hunting access for residents, especially in Adams, Brown and Pike counties.
The key is providing residents with a place to hunt, not capping the number of non-resident hunters.
"Limiting hunting in any form is not a decision we take lightly, but when you look at a regional or statewide basis, we had to put the cap in place to give residents more of an opportunity for hunting," Gille said.
"With the budget concerns at the state level, the current administration has not been interested or capable of doing anything to improve access for resident hunters. If you couple that with entire removal of the cap, things are going to get pretty crowded pretty fast.
"Obviously UBI opposes removing the cap without putting provisions in place before that for improving access for residents."
The bill likely will be assigned to the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee, with all sides having a chance to testify at a public hearing. No date has been set for a hearing, but "there is a sense to get this moving, get the cap off and improve the ability of landowners and outfitters to meet the demand," said Kevin Semlow, director of state legislation for Illinois Farm Bureau.
IFB policy calls for removing the permit cap. That spurred Semlow to work with Dugan, who represents portions of Will, Kankakee and Iroquois counties.
DNR spokesman Joe Bauer said the department is reviewing the bill and also working on a new deer hunting proposal for this year.
Questions about the cap's future and the new DNR rules are unsettling for landowners along with resident and non-resident hunters.
"I'm getting lots of calls from non-residents as well as landowners wanting to know what is going to happen with non-resident licenses so they can go ahead and plan for the hunting season," Smith said. "It's very important to the little guy with 200 acres who pays his taxes from non-resident and resident hunters every year."
By Deborah Gertz Husar
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
PITTSFIELD, Ill. ? Proposed state legislation could clear the way for more growth in the deer hunting industry.
House Bill 1161, introduced Tuesday by Rep. Lisa Dugan, D-Kankakee, adds language to the state wildlife code prohibiting the Illinois Department of Natural Resources from limiting "the number of resident or non-resident archery deer hunting permits."
Supporters say the proposal is the latest step in a long-standing effort to remove the cap on non-resident permits as a way to spur economic growth in Pike, Adams and surrounding counties.
The cap has been in place since the 2002 archery season and is set at 15,000.
"This is what we have been brought to by DNR. By them not taking their own action getting rid of the cap, we felt compelled to seek legislation," Pike County Farm Bureau Manager Blake Roderick said.
He expects similar legislation to be introduced in the state Senate.
"This is absolutely a positive step," said Judy Smith, who coordinates the Pittsfield-based Access Illinois Outdoors program. "I'd like to see them remove the cap and see what kind of difference it makes and study the results."
Access Illinois Outdoors matches landowners with resident and non-resident land users for hunting and other recreational opportunities.
The archery deer industry provides an estimated payroll in excess of $1 million for 60 full-time equivalent jobs and $15 million to $20 million in cash receipts in Pike County alone, Roderick said. Those figures do not include appreciation and asset value in the county.
"We're looking at half a billion just in Pike County, easily $400 million, and what's happening here is happening in the surrounding area ? definitely Scott, Greene, Jersey, Calhoun, Adams and Brown counties," Roderick said.
"This is definitely an economic engine, and I think an important point to make is the government has spent not one dime in creating this. What we're asking for legislatively is for government to get out of the way and let the market grow."
Jerry Gille, president of United Bowhunters of Illinois, said that growth often comes at the expense of hunting access for residents, especially in Adams, Brown and Pike counties.
The key is providing residents with a place to hunt, not capping the number of non-resident hunters.
"Limiting hunting in any form is not a decision we take lightly, but when you look at a regional or statewide basis, we had to put the cap in place to give residents more of an opportunity for hunting," Gille said.
"With the budget concerns at the state level, the current administration has not been interested or capable of doing anything to improve access for resident hunters. If you couple that with entire removal of the cap, things are going to get pretty crowded pretty fast.
"Obviously UBI opposes removing the cap without putting provisions in place before that for improving access for residents."
The bill likely will be assigned to the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee, with all sides having a chance to testify at a public hearing. No date has been set for a hearing, but "there is a sense to get this moving, get the cap off and improve the ability of landowners and outfitters to meet the demand," said Kevin Semlow, director of state legislation for Illinois Farm Bureau.
IFB policy calls for removing the permit cap. That spurred Semlow to work with Dugan, who represents portions of Will, Kankakee and Iroquois counties.
DNR spokesman Joe Bauer said the department is reviewing the bill and also working on a new deer hunting proposal for this year.
Questions about the cap's future and the new DNR rules are unsettling for landowners along with resident and non-resident hunters.
"I'm getting lots of calls from non-residents as well as landowners wanting to know what is going to happen with non-resident licenses so they can go ahead and plan for the hunting season," Smith said. "It's very important to the little guy with 200 acres who pays his taxes from non-resident and resident hunters every year."
Will you let me gut, skin, and quarter your big buck as well? This is sounding real good right about now.