as most of you have prob heard......the liberals have seized the govt of Illinois and went all out on raising taxes.....not to mention other things....

Illinois will now have the highest gas taxes in the nation........I simply cant afford to chase 5 dollar coon........and i'm not gonna catch 20 dollar yotes everyday.....

If I could..............i'd get out of this blasted state..............................but I just don't have the means. the sad thing is...........us folks that are left ,,,are gonna have to pay for the consequences of others

You can not trap because you have to pay taxes?
Come trap my line, I'll buy the fuel.

I hear ya Foxkidd 44. I hate the politics of this state. Many people around this country think Illinois is a bad state, it is not. You get away from Chicago and it is a great state. Great people, great land. All but Chicago, the collar counties, Champaign county and the Metro east area across from St Louis are all conservative for the most part. Hard working, family people. Problem is, the NE corner controls the entire state politically.

We have thought very seriously about leaving, but we own our home and our land, my wife and I have lived our entire lives within a few miles of where we were born. I've worked at building my trapping territory for 45 years, I know where to cut wood, borrow a tractor, etc, I think they call that your network. I would sure hate to give that up.

Come up here with me foxkidd. I have plenty of $8 beaver to trap and I may need help!!!!!!

Water trap. Several years ago when gas was nearing $4 a gallon , my line was entirely a water line. No cats, no coyote. Just rats primarily with some mink thrown in. Critters around war tend to be a lot more concentrated. Cut down on fuel considerably.

I hate this for people in your situation.

Thanks Aaron. Here may be the biggest reason for not moving for me, most won't believe this. In the area I live in a trapper will not tramp on another trappers territory. So, we find a place we like, let's say NE Kansas, or N Central Missouri, or wherever. If we move there and it is in someone's territory, I won't tramp on them, therefore I have nowhere to trap. In just a handful of years we will be retired and it does not look like we will have the funds for me to trap far from home.

If you are young and live in a liberal state, LEAVE NOW!

I'll be the first to say , moving can throw a wrench into things and usually follows with a few years of getting re-established. I'm still in that phase.

I loathe how a population center in one state dictates how an entire state lives. That is a pox on a lot of great states.

Dang man. Its this problem that keeps me out of Oregon

#11..........hear ya loud n clear on that. tryin to re-establish without stepping on toes can be a tough deal. I know a lot of good fishin holes, artifact huntin spots,places to harvest wild roots and herbs...............guys with integrity stay off of others permissions.

You just need a way to boost your income a little offest the tax hikes or give something up you dont need to save the money for trapping.

I worked in Illinois back in 2017. I stayed in a motel in Olney for about 4 months... I have yet to meet nicer folks than I met in that little town. The countryside I saw looked to be great for trapping. Nice looking deer too.

Sure do feel for you folks.

Mike

Don't feel lonely over there foxkidd44, Indiana has a high gas tax too. I just retired so a small line is all I will do. I only go out every other day to look for roots. or I walk the roads near home.

I lived in Illinois for 25 years or there about. Moved there mainly for tax reasons. I left there 5 years ago partly because of taxes but there were several reasons. Home taxes more then doubled. There was talk of taxing pensions as well. The requirement of the FOID card was always a burr under my saddle. Now that is set to require being fingerprinted as well as a jump in price. The last few winters being snow drifted several times was the final straw.

It took me a decade or better to get a semblance of a trapline going when moved to Illinois. Coyote and beaver paved the way for me on that. I am in the process again in Mississippi. We can conceal carry with limitation WITHOUT a permit.There is a law that forbids red light and speeding cameras. No seatbelt sheriff either but if pulled over for speeding or whatever you can still get a ticket for it. The slower pace of life here suits my retired self fine.

Drifter, the FOID change bill died in committee last Friday, but we know the anti gun lobby will be back.

How much is the gas tax being raised? What will that add to a gallon of gas at the current prices?

Bryce

It will raise from .19 to .38 per gallon, effective July 1. I paid 2.39 yesterday for the low grade, that would go to 2.58 if everything else stayed the same.

So, if you used 100 gallons of gas during trapping season you would spend and extra $19.

I have many hobbies. They are hobbies because they are things that I like to do. I don't mind spending money on things that I like to do. As long as I enjoy doing it and I have the extra coin, I will keep doing them. For me it is about doing things that I like to do. My return is the enjoyment that I get doing them. This year I got to see 2 of my kids faces when we caught our first cat during the cat season. I also have my wife with me when we caught another one that we had to let go. Worth all the money spent right there.

It does such that they have raised the gas tax, but your price per gallon is still a good bit less than ours ( ~$2.95).

Don't do it for the money, do it because it is something that you enjoy doing.

I filled up this morning @ $2.72 in sc Wisconsin.
No need to complain. You can always make extra cash selling weed now.

Didn't Chicago burn one time? About time …


Garry-