Michigan Senate Approves Big Hunting & Fishing License Fee Hike

If you thought the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) couldn't possibly find another way to get you to put down your rifle and pick up your phone, surprise! The Michigan Senate just approved a plan to make hunting and fishing licenses more expensive. Because nothing says "get outdoors" quite like a 23% price hike.

RELATED: Poachers’ Wall of Shame: Michigan’s DNR Makes Trophy Display

What SB 276 & SB 277 Propose

The bills — SB 276 and 277 — would bump up fees for just about every kind of hunting and fishing permit in the state. There's even a new "complete license" option that bundles everything from deer tags to pheasant permits for a cool $150 for Michigan residents and a jaw-dropping $450 for out-of-staters. Oh, and a new fee to use state-owned shooting ranges. Because clearly, outdoor enthusiasts aren't paying enough rent in Michigan's woods.

Critics: Will This Drive People Away from the Outdoors?

Now — to be fair — it's been over a decade since fees last went up, and the DNR says this would bring about $29.4 million more for its Game and Fish Protection Fund. That's great news for conservation, sure — but it's hard to imagine many new hunters jumping in when the biggest competitor to the outdoors remains TikTok and Xbox.

Michigan's outdoors are already losing attention to screens, yet here we are making it even harder and more costly to justify unplugging. So, next time you scroll past a "nature influencer" holding a fish, just remember: that might soon be the only way you can afford to see one.

RELATED: 8 Animals You Can Legally Hunt in Michigan Year-Round

What Happens Next: Michigan House & Governor

Both bills now head to the Michigan House for approval before they can be signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. House members, I assume, will be fielding some calls from concerned constituents before it hits the floor for a vote.