I wonder if I’m representative of the average big game hunter in Washington. This year, for example, I purchased a deer and elk license, a small game license and applied for 5 different special species permit hunts. I suspect, with my luck, I will be hunting deer and elk during the general season and perhaps indulge in some upland game bird hunting. Maybe even some duck hunting later in the year. If I spend just two or three days in the field hunting the investment will be worth it. If I don’t spend a day hunting, it still will be worth it, because I will have contributed towards wildlife conservation in Washington.

I was surprised to find the cost of a hunting/fishing combination license, valid for the entire state, to be $7.50 for residents in 1922 (Table 1). However, the county resident hunting and fishing license sold for only $1.50. What a bargain! Those were truly the good old days.

Hunting license costs have risen over the years to keep up with inflation. Considering deer and elk hunting opportunities in Washington, hunting license fees were increased 17 times from 1922 through 1999. Deer and elk hunting fees have increased on the average every 4.5 years.

If the cost of a hunting license is compared with the average monthly salary for the beginning of each decade, we get an appreciation for the relative value of a hunting license. Table 2, represents a cost comparison between hunting license fees, the prevailing average monthly salary in the U.S., and the cost of some food products during the same period.

In 1999, a significant change in fee structure and cost occurred in Washington. In some respects this new fee schedule allowed more flexibility and may have reduced costs for some participants. It is difficult to compare previous fee schedules with changes that were made in 1999 because separate tag fees for species were eliminated and some licenses authorize multiple species. Big game hunting licenses were separated from the upland game license. The combination hunting and fishing license is also no longer available.

A deer hunter in 1922 could hunt for as little as $1.50, if he hunted exclusively in the county he was licensed in. A nonresident could have hunted for as little as $10.00. Today, a resident deer-hunting license cost $36.00. If a hunter applies for a special permit hunt, another $5.00 is required to purchase a permit application for a chance at drawing a special permit hunt.

The hunting license fees calculated as a percentage of the average monthly salary in the United States reveals some interesting information. A hunter who purchases a hunting license today is spending about 1.4% of an average monthly wage. This compares favorably to the 1920s. The trend in license cost displayed as a percentage of average monthly income is declining. The highest percentage occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. We truly are experiencing the good old days. Hunting is still one of the greatest bargains around.