By Jessica Domel
Multimedia Reporter
Texas hunters and anglers will be able to purchase new-year hunting and fishing licenses online and at retailers statewide starting Monday, Aug. 15.
Single-year licenses, unless otherwise noted, expire at the end of August before dove hunting season begins for the north and central zones.
This year, license types will remain the same, but hunters and anglers will have a new option for proving they have a valid license.
“A couple of years back, there was some legislation that passed that allowed for an electronic version of a license to be displayed any time you are hunting or angling for a species that does not require tags,” Mike Hobson, license manager for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said. “Obviously, with a digital license, it’s a little bit different this year, but if you have a print super combo, and you want to go freshwater fishing, as long as you have either a picture of that license on your phone, or if you have one of our apps synced to your license account using your customer number, you can pull up the license that you’ve purchased and display that to a warden if asked.”
Hunters and anglers can enter their license information in the Outdoor Annual app under the licenses section.
A paper license and tags are still required when targeting game that requires tagging, like white-tailed deer or turkey.
This year, the department is also testing a new feature with some license holders.
“We’re doing a pilot program with our resident super combo, senior super combo and lifetime super combo holders,” Hobson told the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. “Those individuals have the opportunity to participate in a completely digital experience that would involve no print license at all. Everything would be done through the Outdoor Annual App and My Texas Hunt Harvest app.”
Tagging would also be digital through the pilot program.
“The digital tagging is done through the My Texas Hunt Harvest App. There’s actually more information currently available on our website at TPWD.texas.gov/digitaltags. There is an information page that gives the details on what to expect and how to digitally tag a harvest,” Hobson said.
Participation in the pilot program is not required.
“You’ll have the option, online, to select whether you would like to go print or digital. If you go to a retail location, then it’s obviously going to be a print license,” Hobson said.
There are several different options for those needing a hunting and/or fishing license in Texas.
Single-year licenses are available as licenses for youth, seniors and non-residents.
Combination licenses and lifetime licenses are also available.
“We have several different combo licenses. Our most popular is our super combo license, which includes everything that you could possibly want to hunt or fish throughout any season in Texas,” Hobson said. “We have a combo hunting and freshwater license. You can do a combo hunting and all water license or a combo hunting and saltwater license.”
The combo licenses do not include a federal duck stamp that’s required for waterfowl hunters or the Harvest Information Program (HIP) certification because those are federal programs.
Several licenses will have new names this year.
“We have our item 107, which was formally known as a non-resident special hunting license. That’s been renamed to the non-resident special small game/exotic hunting license,” Hobson said. “Item 157, which is a non-resident five-day special hunting license, has been changed to the non-resident five-day special small game/exotic hunting license. We found that individuals were purchasing those licenses, thinking that they could hunt deer, turkey or big game, and that’s actually not accurate.”
Hunting and fishing licenses may be purchased at about 1,700 locations across the state, at TPWD offices and at Texas state parks.