Virginia fees for a hunting license rank about 13th

Virginia fees for a hunting license rank about 13th above the lowest in the nation based on a 1964 survey, according to the Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries. Actual comparison is difficult since most states have a small game hunting license priced about the same as Virginia’s, but require a separate license for big game costing as much asjfhe basic license. In over half of the 50 states it costs $5 or over to get licensed for both big game and small game, and in 15 states it costs $6 or over for licenses and tags to hunt deer. Of the 5 states nearest to Virginia, four have hunting license fees higher than Virginia’s and two have fishing license fees that are higher. Resident big game license fees vary from Virginia's $1.00 to a $25.00 fee in one of the midwestern states. The national average big game license fee at the time of this survey was $6.88. The average small game and big game license package was about $10.00. Although the survey did not include the number of licenses similar to Virginia’s $2.00 county hunting and fishing con>i bination, apparently many states do not have an equivalent low-priced option. Virginia’s resident hunting license fee was fixed at its current $3.50 level in 1948, and the fishing license was increased to $3.50 in 1958. To meet rising operating costs the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries will recommend that the 1966 General A& sembly increase hunting and fishing license fees to $5.00 each, and establish a $9.00 state hunting and fishing combination license. Under this proposal, the sportsman who now buys both a hunting and fishing license would pay $2.00 more annually if he chose to purchase the new combination.