Published: March 24, 2009 11:08 pm      

Senate OKs one-time senior hunting-fishing license bill

CHARLESTON — Old-timers planning to reel in a hefty bass or take down a massive buck in West Virginia a year from now might be paying $15 for the privilege.

Without dissent, the Senate agreed Tuesday to send its bill on to the House, seeking a onetime senior license to hunt, fish and trap.

For some time now, the Division of Natural Resources has sought the legislation to offset the losses of federal dollars that are based on the number of licenses issued.

“This generates some additional income which we can leverage in federal funding,” said Sen. Ed Bowman, D-Hancock, the prime sponsor of SB399.

“I think this is a benefit to the sportsmen of West Virginia.”

Anyone already age 65 or older would be grandfathered since that is the age when the DNR no longer requires a license.

“Any hunter and fisherman, which I am and have been all my life, would be glad to put that kind of dollars in to capture additional federal dollars to help us out in the long run,” Bowman said.

West Virginia has long been a state where hunting, fishing and other outdoor pursuits have been a tradition.

But in recent years, there has been a generational change, Bowman pointed out.

“There has been a decrease across the country simply because younger people aren’t taking up the sport as much as we did when we were younger,” he said.

Recently, Natural Resources Director Frank Jezioro called the Legislature’s move to exempt people 65 and older from buying a license the biggest mistake with regard to outdoor legislation.

Each license the state issues translates into $5.25 returned by the federal government and is invested in wildlife enhancement.

Jezioro recently told a Senate panel he had heard little opposition to the special, onetime license for seniors.

Considering the free seniors license, and the privileges granted to juniors and landowners, without cost, Jezioro figures the state has lost some $12 million.