Some of the more than 75,000 Missourians who own small parcels of state land are upset with a proposal by the state to begin charging them for hunting permits that previously had been free. The Missouri Department of Conservation has proposed sweeping changes in its fee structure for hunting and fishing licenses, including raising the minimum requirement for the free permits from 5 to 80 acres.

It’s a change from a practice that has been in place since the mid-1980s, allowing residents who owned 5 acres of land or more to obtain free firearms and archery deer and turkey tags. The change would affect more than 75,000 landowners, one of whom is Brian Andrews, who has about 30 acres in the Ozarks and has received free permits for eight years.

“If this goes through, I might never hunt deer in Missouri again,’’ says Andrews, 33, a network consultant from Cook Station. “I might even move to another state.

“It’s not so much the cost that I’m upset about. It’s that we’re getting one of our freedoms taken away. Small landowners like us are the ones who take care of the wildlife. We provide the habitat and the food, and we manage the land.’’

The decision isn’t final. There will be a 30-day comment period during which landowners can contact the conservation department and elected state officials. Members of the Missouri Conservation Commission will review the responses. If the measure passes that review, it would take effect in 2009.

Although the Department of Conservation has a $160 million budget, it’s beginning to feel the pinch from the current economic downturn because maintaining game and fish programs costs more and it’s difficult to find new ways to increase revenue.

“We’re not saying that these smaller landowners don’t matter,’’ notes Eric Kurzejeski, chief of outreach programs for the department. “Some have written or e-mailed and said they feel like we’re slapping them in the face. That’s not the message we want to convey. We value what they contribute. It’s just that we felt it was time for some changes.’’

Changing the minimum required acreage from 5 to 80 acres would return to the original intent of the law, Kurzejeski says.

“When we set this up in the 1940s, the purpose was to reward those who were involved in agriculture for their contributions,’’ he says. “We felt that we were getting away from that original intent.’’

Licensing small landowners has an added benefit. The conservation department gets federal funding only for those who pay for hunting and fishing licenses. In 2007, for example, the state received $17 for each person who bought a hunting permit. Increasing the number of Missourians required to pay for permits would increase funding both from federal aid and the sale of more deer and turkey tags.

Motives notwithstanding, the conservation department has received a flood of complaints. Linda Everhart of Blairstown, who with her husband, Johnny, runs the “Missouri Outback” radio show, is one of the angry landowners.

“We’ve heard from all kinds of people who are upset by this,’’ she says. “We’re not just going to accept this thing. We’re going to fight it.’’