Environment
Some nonresident hunters, anglers would pay less under proposal
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By ERIC FREEDMAN
Capital News Service
LANSING – There may be bargain license fees ahead for some out-of state hunters and anglers, but that would mean less money for wildlife and fisheries conservation programs and activities. An Upper Peninsula lawmaker wants to sell discounted licenses to nonresidents who own property in the state and to ex-Michiganians who formerly lived in the state for at least 10 consecutive years. Sen. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba called it a “come home to hunt” approach that would make their license fees higher than state residents pay but lower than other nonresidents. In the 2013 license year that ended in February 2014, 1,568,760 people bought fishing or hunting licenses, according to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). About 14.5 percent of them – 227,678 – were from out of state.