The hard
rains in April and in May appear to have soften the sales of both Ohio fishing
and hunting licenses.
Based on
to-date data supplied by the Ohio Division of Wildlife via its several-year-old
computer-based license-issuing system, 378,940 resident fishing licenses were
issued as of May 30th. That figure is a 5.71 percent decline from
the 401,907 similar licenses issued figure for the same period in 2016, the
data shows. Translated this drop amounts to a revenue slump of $436,373; or
$7.64 million generated thus far verses the $7.2 million generated for the same
time frame in 2016.
Among other
significant angling licenses taking a thus far to-date hit include non-resident
annual fishing (off 4.48 percent); three-day fishing (off 8 percent); and
one-day non-resident (off 15.89 percent).
However,
showing some increases are reduced-cost resident angler (up 2.23 percent);
one-day resident (up 24.24 percent) and one-day Lake Erie charter
fishing/non-resident (up 3.56 percent).
Even so, the
total to-day revenue decline for the Wildlife Fund as it relates to sales
hiccups amounts to around $500,000.
Not to
worry, however, says Wildlife Division assistant chief Scott Hale, who did
admit that the nearly six-percent decline in to-date resident fishing license
sales caught him a little by surprise; but only by a little.
“We’ve seen
a lot of nasty weather on Lake Erie this spring and though the fishing’s been
good when anglers can get out, that’s been spotty; hit or miss,” Hale said.
“And Lake Erie fishing does drive fishing license sales.”
Hale says
too that the Wildlife Division frequently sees a bump in fishing license sales
as the calendar tips over from near the Memorial Day holiday period and toward
early summer but “we just have not seen that happen yet.”
And though
hunting season for practically anything is still a good ways off, some resident
Ohioans and a handful of non-residents do buy their general licenses early.
Just not as many to-date sales as what was experienced for the same period in
2016.
The to-date
resident general hunting license sales figure stands at 50,970 verses 53,843
for the same period in 2016. That drop accounts for a to-date decline in
revenue of nearly $55,000. Discounting special tags for deer, turkey and
waterfowl the to-date revenue dip amounts to $36,064. Again, not a problem,
says Hale.
“We plan for
these ups and downs,” Hale says.
Other
revenue stream and license sales ebbs and flows appear on the to-date ledger as
well. Not terribly surprising was good end-of-season spring turkey tag sales,
Hale said, with very nearly identical resident issuances: 41,876 in 2016 and
41,851 this year – a statistically insignificant 0.06 decline.
Moreover,
non-resident turkey tag sales demonstrated an actual increase: From 3,975
permits sold to this segment of hunters in 2016 to 4,311 this year, or an 8.45
percent increase.
Down
significantly, though, are sales of both annual and one-day shooting range
permits; these sales slips required for anyone utilizing one of several
full-service Wildlife Division shooting ranges. Here, the to-date number of
annual shooting range permits sold in 2016 was 6,745 while the to-date
corresponding 2017 figure was 5,577. That is a drop of 17.32 percent.
A nearly
identical fall of 17.82 percent has also struck sales of one-day shooting range
permits. Coupled together and the to-date revenue slippage for range permit
sales decline totals $35,947.
However,
Hale explains that in all probability the decline in both annual and daily
shooting range permit sales is attributable to the on-going closure and
rehabilitation work being performed at the Wildlife Division’s Delaware
Wildlife Area shooting range complex.
“This range
is located close to the Columbus area and is very popular with shooters,” Hale
said.
Perhaps less
explainable is the nasty drop in the number of direct financial donations made
to the Wildlife Division’s four such accounting cubicles: donations for the
agency’s Diversity and Endangered Species Fund; its Habitat Fund; Wildlife
Fund; and one additional Wildlife Fund account. In all donations to these
accounts are off a staggering nearly 51 percent for a to-date income loss of
$10,938 ($20,568 to-date 2016, and $9,630 to date this year).
Lastly, Hale
says that sales of hunting and fishing license, special tags and such by people
utilizing on-line services including computers, tablets, and smart phones is
now running about 25 percent.
“This method purchasing licenses and permits has
certainly grown from the earlier years of online sales, so they are definitely
catching on,” Hale says
