Ohio fishing license sales dip more than for hunting license sales

The periodic release of spread sheets by the Ohio Division of Wildlife points to only a faint decline in to-date resident hunting license sales.

The dip has been more pronounced for the sale of to-date resident fishing licenses, however.

Both represent near real-time sales snapshots for the Wildlife Division.

Boiled down, the Wildlife Division has experienced a decrease in income generated by the sale of resident fishing licenses.

From February 15 to July 31 of this year the Wildlife Division sold 595,397 resident fishing licenses. For the same period last year that figure was 644,764 licenses. This change represents a 7.66 percent fall, a loss of $938,353.

Combine all fishing licenses and tags the Wildlife Division sold 775,232 permits: Compared to 836,778 permits sold last year for the same period.

As a result, the Wildlife Division has seen a drop of $1,018,236 in income generated by all fishing license sales.

The view is more attractive for sales of hunting licenses and various related permits.

From February 15 through July 31 of this year the Wildlife Division sold 62,649 resident hunting licenses. For the same period in 2009 the number was 65,425 resident hunting licenses sold.

Translation: The Wildlife saw a drop in income derived from the sale of resident hunting licenses of only $52,744.

Taken in all of the state’s hunting licenses, permits and stamp sales and the gross income the current to-date tally was $3,488,898. Last year for the same period the state collected $3,515,795. This drop is less than 1 percent, total.

It must also be noted that most hunting license sales and deer permit sales are conducted during just a few days around the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com