Lifetime License Origin?

[Lawdwaz]

Does anybody know when the LT license started?  Just curious.

[RTF]

Here is a topic you might want to look at.

http://huntingny.com/forums/index.php/topic,14.0/topicseen.html

[Lawdwaz]

What year did it start??

[Gthphtm]

I seem to remember a friend of mine saying he got his at 18 years old and he is in his 60's now.

[Lawdwaz]

NO WAY!

  I don't think it's been that long.  If so, they sure didn't advertise it much!

[nyslowhand]

Bet they have been around 30-40 years. Recall them being $350, but annual licenses were hardly nothing. Should have gotten one them with my license now at almost $100 a pop.

[Doc]

For a lot of years, hunting licenses were so darn reasonable that hardly anybody ever worried about the cost and the lifetime licenses seemed so expensive. That's probably why everyone is having such a difficult time remembering when they were first available. It's a little different story now.

What I have never heard stated by anyone is just where all that windfall of money is kept (invested), or if it is invested at all. If the DEC is typical of all state agencies, chances are pretty good that it gets spent as it comes in the door. If that's the case, you have to wonder with the massive numbers of hunters purchasing lifetime licenses recently, who is going to be paying DEC bills in the future? By the way, some of those bills relate to the mass mailings of licenses, copies of the game laws booklets (hunting and fishing for sportsmen's lifetime licenses) and other literature that we recieve free every year for the rest of our lives. Let's hope they are putting that money in some pretty darn good investment.

Doc

[nyslowhand]

Pretty sure all hunting license revenue is posted to the dreaded GENERAL fund. You know, where the lottery revenue also goes. You're right about the "Old Time" cost of licenses and splurging for the lifetime fee.

[fasteddie]

I was under the impression that some of the money went to support hiking and biking trails . Is there anything to that ?

[Doc]

I was under the impression that some of the money went to support hiking and biking trails . Is there anything to that ?

I wouldn't be surprised. If so, the lifetime license money is blown. So what are they going to do the following years? If they haven't been putting that money into some interest bearing trust fund, they have some real serious problems ahead because there was a masssive amount of hunters who went that route last year, and never again will be contributing any income for DEC funding. And yet those hunters will be absorbing some heavy annual publishing and mailing costs on the part of the DEC. Do I sense another license fee hike coming?  :

Doc

[wztirem]

For a lot of years, hunting licenses were so darn reasonable that hardly anybody ever worried about the cost and the lifetime licenses seemed so expensive. That's probably why everyone is having such a difficult time remembering when they were first available. It's a little different story now.

What I have never heard stated by anyone is just where all that windfall of money is kept (invested), or if it is invested at all. If the DEC is typical of all state agencies, chances are pretty good that it gets spent as it comes in the door. If that's the case, you have to wonder with the massive numbers of hunters purchasing lifetime licenses recently, who is going to be paying DEC bills in the future? By the way, some of those bills relate to the mass mailings of licenses, copies of the game laws booklets (hunting and fishing for sportsmen's lifetime licenses) and other literature that we recieve free every year for the rest of our lives. Let's hope they are putting that money in some pretty darn good investment.

Doc

Doc, the money has already been spent!

[bpb]

I want to say early to mid 1990's. I've had for several years, long nuff to pay for its self.