MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) -- The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says it will hold a dozen public meetings around Oregon as it puts together a budget that calls for higher hunting and fishing license fees.

It says fees were last raised generally in 2004, and they make up a third of the department's budget, which totals $262 million for the current two-year period.

The Medford Mail Tribune reported that a combination hunting-fishing license would rise from $43.75 now to at least $50 and as much as $55 under the proposal the department is considering.

It says a taxidermist license, unchanged from 1974, would jump from $5 to $25, just to keep up with inflation.

Laurie Byerly, the department's deputy administrator for administration, told the Mail Tribune that potential fee increases will be laid out in a range: low, medium and high.

Increases on the low end would likely pay for a status-quo of programs in the 1,300-employee agency through 2015, Byerly said.

AP photo

Salmon fishermen float with the current on the Columbia River near Corbett, Ore.

Increases on the higher end of the range could lead to boosts in programs, such as more fish and wildlife enforcement and field biologists -- common requests among Oregonians in past budget discussions, Byerly said.

"It's really up to what people think they can take on and see what else they want to support," Byerly said.

The Medford-based Oregon Hunters Association hasn't taken a position, although a recent poll of 1,000 new members shows a slight majority in favor of higher fees to keep programs at the status quo, said Secretary Duane Dungannon.

He said some members see fewer opportunities for hunting and fishing.

"They're being asked to pay more for a product that is perceived, by many, to be declining in quality," Dungannon said. "We're concerned that we don't price people out of participation."

Other possible increases, the paper reported:

-- Resident angling license, from a license agent, now $24.75: $29 to $31.

-- Harvest card to fish for salmon, steelhead, halibut and sturgeon, now $21.50: $26 or $27.

-- Application fee for controlled-hunt lotteries, now $3: $6.

-- Deer tag, now $19.50: $23 to $24.

-- Commercial fishermen vessel permits, now $75: $125.

Hearings are scheduled April 7 in Portland, April 8 in Bend, April 9 in La Grande, April 10 in Ontario, April 14 in Klamath Falls, April 15 in Medford, April 16 in Roseburg, April 17 in Salem, April 21 in Astoria, April 22 in Newport, April 23 in North Bend and April 24 in Gold Beach. All are from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.