The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) announced recently that major changes are coming to the hunting and fishing license system in Arkansas. In place of the “long, tag-laden receipt they normally receive,” hunters and anglers will now have the opportunity to download a file they can carry on their mobile phone or have printed off on a single piece of standard printer paper.
The change comes as part of an overall effort to make it as easy and convenient as possible for hunters and anglers to purchase and carry their licenses with them when hunting or fishing. Thanks to advances in technology, anyone purchasing a hunting or fishing license, whether it be online or at a license vendor, will be able to carry that license with them on their mobile device.
“The Commission passed a regulation allowing electronic copies of hunting and fishing licenses to be valid in December,” reported Troy Davis, chief information officer for the AGFC. “And we’ve worked with our new license vendor to make it as easy as possible for license holders to do it.”
The electronic copy will come to license holders via email as a portable document format (pdf) file, which allows it to be saved to a phone, stored in the license holder’s email, or printed out on standard paper.
“We are also asking license vendors to supply a paper copy of the license to customers,” Davis said. “We know a lot of people still want that paper license, so we’re making sure that option still exists.”
The new system also has other features, according to Davis. Hunters can look up their current license privileges and print out replacements at home should their original license copy become lost or destroyed. “Before, there was a charge to replace a lost license, but now it’s as easy as hitting print on your home computer,” he said.
Game tags for deer and turkey will be included in the printout, and will still need to be used during the 2017 turkey season. Hunters may use tags from a license purchased before the transition, or they can use one printed with their license on the new system.
“We’ll have pretty much the same tagging system for this spring, but we’re looking into the possibility of implementing new tagging requirements going forward,” Davis said. “Proposed regulations for next hunting season, which are currently in the 30-day public comment period, may allow you to use the tags printed on the new license system or other methods, such as using tags found in the guidebook or even a blank sheet of paper. The goal is to allow hunters to hit the woods without the need to print out paper licenses and tags.”
The new system will simplify the process of online license purchases as well. Under the old system, small game and fishing privileges became effective immediately, but purchasers using the online option still had to wait for their tags to arrive before being allowed to hunt big game. Under the new system, big game hunting privileges will become effective the moment the license is purchased through the online system.
In addition to license purchases, hunters will be able to apply for all special hunt permits, check their game, and get current harvest reports for deer and turkey. Gift certificates for fellow hunters will be available and donations to the AGFC can be made through the online license site.
“We want hunters, anglers and other outdoor enthusiasts in Arkansas to have as much at their fingertips as possible when they visit our site,” Davis said. “And the system should remember all of your data once you enter your Social Security number or driver’s license the next time you renew or apply for a permit. We want people hunting game, not hunting for how to buy their license.”
The new license system will also feature other improvements, including email reminders to renew expiring licenses, an auto-renewal feature, and increased communication possibilities depending on the person’s license-purchasing options.