Caribou Gear

Iowa SF255 NR tags going to outfitters.

one of those bills wants to allow depredation permits to be used in any county. How do these guys dream this stuff up.

That is not how I read that bill. This bill allows landowners who qualify for depredation tags to use them in January as well, even if their county does not have a special January Anterless season. Not every landowner qualifies for depredation tags. To qualify for depredation tags a landowner has to show a significant amount of crop damage, work with a deer biologist and come up with a plan to minimize crop damage on the landowner's property. One of the first things the biologist suggests is allowing greater access to the property for harvesting does during the regular seasons (youth, archery, muzzleloader, and shotgun). Depredation tags are still paid for, they are not free tags.

I am in no way endorsing this bill or the depredation program, I am trying to clarify some things about the program.
 
I wonder at what point we will stop being surprised by things like this. We live in era where compromise is a dirty word and rules don't apply if your "team" has a large majority. It probably isn't new, but it seems like we are in a world of "when I win I'm going to shove new rules down the throat of my enemy".

If it passes, who would file the lawsuit to claim it invalid? If it was about wolves, I am sure there would be a half dozen groups lining top to get an injunction.
I’m never surprised by it. It’s prevalent in many states. Just like I’m never surprised when Trustees of a private Trust play favorites among beneficiaries. They do it, but in the private world you get held accountable by the other Beneficiaries and possibly a judge.

Everyone of these handouts to a small class of Beneficiaries is counter to every state’s rules/laws on Trustee duties. These Trustees who engage in doling out Trust assets to a small class of Beneficiaries are either ignorant of their duties to all Beneficiaries or they are complicit and are betting that the other Beneficiaries won’t haul them to court.

Surprised, no. Fed up with uninformed/unqualified Trustees, yes.

I’m not a Beneficiary of the Iowa Public Trust that holds their wildlife assets. So, I have no standing with Trustees. Even with that, I’ll use my platforms to push against it.

One of the largest threats to hunting, maybe on par with habitat destruction caused by too many humans, is the efforts by some to use the power of appointment/elections to take Public Trust assets for their own personal benefit.
 
I’m never surprised by it. It’s prevalent in many states. Just like I’m never surprised when Trustees of a private Trust play favorites among beneficiaries. They do it, but in the private world you get held accountable by the other Beneficiaries and possibly a judge.

Everyone of these handouts to a small class of Beneficiaries is counter to every state’s rules/laws on Trustee duties. These Trustees who engage in doling out Trust assets to a small class of Beneficiaries are either ignorant of their duties to all Beneficiaries or they are complicit and are betting that the other Beneficiaries won’t haul them to court.

Surprised, no. Fed up with uninformed/unqualified Trustees, yes.

I’m not a Beneficiary of the Iowa Public Trust that holds their wildlife assets. So, I have no standing with Trustees. Even with that, I’ll use my platforms to push against it.

One of the largest threats to hunting, maybe on par with habitat destruction caused by too many humans, is the efforts by some to use the power of appointment/elections to take Public Trust assets for their own personal benefit.


Sadly, I think "trustee duties" are often overridden by trustee greed. In my lifetime, I've watched hunting become a sport of the wealthy. Remember knocking on doors and getting permission to hunt more often than not? Now it's very difficult to get onto a private parcel for big game. Thankfully birds and small game hunting can still be found with a little work.

Thanks for all that you do for wildlife Fin.
 
That is not how I read that bill. This bill allows landowners who qualify for depredation tags to use them in January as well, even if their county does not have a special January Anterless season. Not every landowner qualifies for depredation tags. To qualify for depredation tags a landowner has to show a significant amount of crop damage, work with a deer biologist and come up with a plan to minimize crop damage on the landowner's property. One of the first things the biologist suggests is allowing greater access to the property for harvesting does during the regular seasons (youth, archery, muzzleloader, and shotgun). Depredation tags are still paid for, they are not free tags.

I am in no way endorsing this bill or the depredation program, I am trying to clarify some things about the program.
good call, thanks for catching that. I think you are 100% correct. It is worded in a way that is not very clear.
 
good call, thanks for catching that. I think you are 100% correct. It is worded in a way that is not very clear.
I personally don't mind the bill. I have heard nothing but good things from landowners and partners who have participated in IA's depredation program.
 
I’m not a Beneficiary of the Iowa Public Trust that holds their wildlife assets.
Why would a nonresident not be a beneficiary a states wildlife? The state offers nonresident licenses and when you purchase those you are benefited the right to hunt.
A nonresident would also be considered a stakeholder, especially if you are acquiring points to draw a nonresident deer tag, because decisions by the trustees could impact you either positively or negatively.
 
Why would a nonresident not be a beneficiary a states wildlife? The state offers nonresident licenses and when you purchase those you are benefited the right to hunt.
A nonresident would also be considered a stakeholder, especially if you are acquiring points to draw a nonresident deer tag, because decisions by the trustees could impact you either positively or negatively.
By law, in the US, the courts have held that the only Beneficiaries are the residents of that state. It goes back to a state-based system that has origins in the 10th Amendment.

As a non-resident I am a possible stakeholder who does business with the Trust, but that status comes with no responsibility to the Trustee to manage the Trust for my benefit, as comes with the status of being a Beneficiary.
 
Just a few notes from reading this bill:

It is partisan. (Republican)

An outfitter must be registered as a business in Iowa prior to July 2022 to be eligible for the reserved tags.

A nonresident hunter is only eligible for 1 reserved license. (Doesn’t clarify if this per season, per calendar year, or lifetime)

Not more than 35% of the reserved licenses can be archery.

Anyone who is caught falsifying information for these tags is subject to a $35 fine.

I see this as a way for the state to issue more than 6000 nonresident licenses in the future.

If I was a nonresident hunter who has been applying for points to hunt in Iowa, I would be adamantly opposed to this bill.

This is just the beginning of the session, hold on!
It's what's struck (amended) out of the bill that's more surprising than what's in it, from the political standpoint. But @Pucky Freak is right, 2nd intro, amended no less, with as @Gellar Said, sponsors.

Hopefully goes nowhere again.
 
It does seem to be a common theme, but I would encourage you to write a senators on the natural resources committee. I would hope that an email hearing from nonresidents against this bill that “appears” to benefit nonresidents explaining why you are against it would go a long ways in not letting it get further than the subcommittee hearing.
Let's be honest here not one politician cares about what a nonresident thinks. What they do care about is lining the pockets of outfitters and themselves. That's the bottom line here like all the other states.
 

FREE deer and turkey tags for nonresident adult children of large landowners.
 

FREE deer and turkey tags for nonresident adult children of large landowners.
We have that here. 40 acres or more. Any immediate family member that shares the same dwelling is also eligible. Tag is only for that particular parcel.
 
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