I hung up the phone after a conversation with another Michigan-based outdoor writer and a thought he shared stuck with me.

"At the end of the day," he said, "I looked at the fish that we'd caught and thought, 'This would have cost about 80 bucks to buy in the store.' " We were discussing the proposed hunting and fishing license fee increases for 2026.

That conversation immediately brought to mind a recent trip to Sam's Club, where the cheapest package of steak - a New York Strip - was $19.95 a pound. Two of my local grocery stores advertise their cheapest ground beef at about $7 per pound.

Thinking about the last deer I processed, I estimated about 30 pounds of good meat for steaks and burger. Using these prices, that venison was worth a significant amount:

• Ground venison: 15 pounds (as a conservative estimate) at $7 per pound would be worth $105.
• Venison steaks: 15 pounds at almost $20 per pound would be worth $300.

A savings of $405!

All this from a single $20 deer license and a $10 base license fee. That's a phenomenal bargain in my book.

An Agency in Need: The State of the DNR

Raising fees is always a formidable task, and it's understandable that no one wants to pay more. However, the reality is that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has been slowly losing money.

State Game Areas are struggling to maintain the properties they are employed to care for, and as a hunter who uses these areas every fall, I've noticed the decline firsthand.

Photo: Loanna Ammerman

For many hunters and anglers, there's a recurring feeling that our license money isn't always spent wisely. I can't speak to every complaint, but one recent observation made me scratch my head. During a conference call with all the DNR division chiefs, I heard they had canceled a plan to purchase new replacement shotguns for conservation officers. Do they really need new shotguns?

A Tale of Two Shotguns

Consider the life of my personal shotgun compared to one used by a conservation officer (CO).

My shotgun is a true workhorse. It has been with me on countless treks through weedy pheasant fields, dense grouse woods, and swampy wetlands. It's been in more goose fields and duck marshes than I can remember. It's traveled miles through turkey woods and made numerous trips to the trap and skeet range. It's even been knocked into the water more than once while retrieving decoys. It has seen serious action and has the wear to prove it.

A CO's shotgun, on the other hand, spends most of its life riding in a truck cab. While it is a tool of the trade, it doesn't endure the constant abuse of being carried through thick brush or being exposed to the elements in the same way.

Given the hard life that it's going through, it seems my shotgun might need replacing sooner than a CO's, but there is no reason for me to replace it. Despite the rugged life my shotgun leads, I meticulously clean and care for it. I expect it to last my entire lifetime without failing me. It even looks rather new.

DNR decisions like this, which feel detached from the real needs on the ground, are exactly what make people question the necessity of license fee increases.

The Problem of Stagnant Funding

Michigan last increased hunting and fishing license fees over a decade ago, in 2014. We've been paying the same prices ever since, while consumer costs have risen significantly due to inflation. This has created a substantial problem for the DNR's budget.

DNR field staff salaries have not kept up with the economic upturn, and there are a substantial number of vacant positions that should be filled. It's not that the DNR can't find qualified people; they have the authority to hire hundreds more, but the funding simply isn't there to pay them.

On a recent visit to a State Game Area, I met with two gentlemen who were the key to the day-to-day operations. Neither had the official title, but they had been appointed to fill in until someone could be hired. In the meantime, their original duties are going unfulfilled as they try to do two jobs at once. With hunting season just around the corner, they were overwhelmed, and I was lucky to have garnered an hour of their time.

A Modest Proposal and a Worthwhile Investment

State Senators Cherry and Bumstead have introduced two bills that would increase some hunting and fishing license fees while lowering others. It would result in a net increase for the DNR if these bills pass. Most hunting and fishing licenses would go up by about $5, but doe permits, which are currently $20, would be reduced to just $5.

Revisiting my conversation with the other outdoor writer, I believe I remember him saying, "I don't have a problem paying another $5 for a deer license." In light of the fact that DNR funding has been stagnant for 11 years and the number of hunting and fishing licenses sold continues to decrease, I believe it's time to bite the bullet and pay a few bucks more.

If I have to, I'll drink one less coffee on my hunting trips. I'll leave the bag of road trip Doritos on the store shelf - and by doing so, I'll help ensure that the public land I rely on will be funded for your kids, just as our parents made sure it was funded for us.

How do you feel about paying a few dollars more when you buy a license? Let the two Senators know by contacting Senator Cherry and Senator Bumstead.

Look up current Michigan fishing license fees and hunting license fees.