Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum and looking for some opinions.
Over the past week I've been debating whether or not I should bite the bullet and get my lifetime license. I logged onto DEC's site to buy my license last night. It looks as though they has changed how you purchase the hunting licenses. There was no more sportsman for a regular license. You buy everything individual now. When I started crunching the numbers for lifetime licenses, as to how long it would take to pay for its self, it wasn't that appealing.
Every year I only buy the small game/big game $22, muzzle loader $15 and bow $15. That equals to $52 plus $10 for the dmp which then equals $62 to go hunting right now. Mind you even when buying lifetime everything, you would still have to buy the dmp every year.
If I were to buy anything lifetime, I would only purchase the small game/big game right now. Then get the bow and muzzle loader lifetimes next year. I don't turkey hunt or do any fishing, so those permits will be wasted and I'm not counting them when I'm calculating the numbers.
If I buy the life time small game/big game $535, lifetime bow hunting $235 and lifetime muzzle loader $235 that comes out to $1005. If those prices stayed the same, it would take me about 20 years to get my money back... thats IF i was only buying the small/big game, bow hunting and muzzle loading tags every single year.... $22+$15+$15=$52/$1005= 19.3 years to get money back
Now if i did buy the turkey tag and fishing license every year on top of what i would normally be getting, it would then bring my license cost up to $87(before dmp). $22+$15+$15+$10+$25= $87/ $1005= 11.5 years to get my money back.
By buying the lifetime small game/big game license, it includes the turkey stamps and fishing license already.
I know the prices will always be rising, but for what I'm doing, is it really worth it?