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It's state license time again

Aug. 9, 2009

In barely two weeks — Sept. 1, opening day of dove season in most of the state — Texas' 2-million-plus hunters and anglers will need new state licenses.

All current 2008-09 hunting licenses and almost all recreational fishing licenses expire Aug. 31. The only exception is year-from-date-of-purchase, all-water fishing licenses, which anglers can purchase for $7 more than the regular, annual all-water license.

To soften the crush of license sales around Sept. 1 and the Labor Day weekend, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department begins selling 2009-10 licenses and special-use stamps this Saturday, Aug. 15, at more than 1,500 license outlets across the state.

To make the issue a bit less complicated and encourage early purchase of licenses, those 2009-10 licenses purchased before Sept. 1 are considered effective the day they're bought. And if recent years are any indication, TPWD's computerized licensing system will, in the two weeks between Aug. 15 and Labor Day, spit out as many as 500,000 or more of the 2.1 million hunting and fishing licenses it typically sells each year.

This past year, Texas hunters and anglers bought about 584,000 licenses and stamps between Aug. 15 and Sept. 1, with about 135,000 of those licenses purchased on one day, Aug. 31, said Tom Newton of TPWD's license section.

New protocol for cranes

Earlier this year, the Texas Parks an Wildlife Commission approved increasing fees for almost all hunting and fishing licenses, boat titling and registration — the first such fee increases since 2004. The increases are, overall, modest, averaging about 5 percent for the most commonly purchased licenses. Most 2009-10 hunting and fishing licenses will cost $2-$5 more than the 2008-09 licenses.

Lifetime licenses are a big exception to the modest cost increase. Beginning Aug. 15, a lifetime hunting license or a lifetime fishing license will cost $1,000, up from $600. A lifetime combination hunting/fishing license will go from its current cost of $1,000 to $1,800.

This year, sandhill crane permits, federally required of those who hunt sandhill cranes, will no longer be issued though Texas' retail license outlets. The crane permits will be available only at TPWD field offices, the agency's Austin headquarters or through TPWD's online license sales option.

Those getting a crane permit in person at a TPWD office will not be charged a fee. But those obtaining a sandhill permit online will be charged a $5 service fee.

TPWD changed the way it issues sandhill permits because it needs a more reliable count of how many people hunt cranes in Texas. Because the crane permit has been free and easily obtainable, many people who never intended hunting cranes added a crane permit to their license “just in case.”

This past year, more than 125,000 sandhill crane permits were issued for Texas hunting license holders, TPWD's Tom Newton said. Agency migratory bird managers estimate only 10,000 or so wingshooters seriously anticipate hunting sandhill cranes in Texas each season, and only about half of those — 5,000 or so — actually pursue the big birds.

Data obtained from annual surveys of crane hunters — days hunted, number of birds taken, counties hunted — are crucial in managing the species and setting hunting regulations. The surveys are sent to a sampling taken from the list of persons who obtained a permit. With so many people getting crane permits and never actively hunting the birds, surveying actual sandhill crane hunters and getting the best available information for management is compromised and much more expensive — the agency has to sample about 25 percent of all sandhill hunters.

By making the permit a little harder to obtain, the agency hopes to see only those seriously planning to hunt sandhills get the permit. That will save the agency money by having to mail fewer post-season surveys and get more statistically sound survey data.

Duck stamp

As part of an agreement with federal officials, Texas is one 15 states where “electronic issuance” of the federal stamp — commonly called a “duck stamp” — is being used. All waterfowl hunters 16 years old and older are required to possess a valid federal duck stamp.

Beginning this year, a hunter purchasing a federal duck stamp from a Texas license vendor will not be immediately issued a stamp. The purchase will be noted on that person's Texas hunting license and will serve as proof until the actual stamp arrives.

The actual federal duck stamp will be mailed to the buyer from a business that has contracted with the state to fulfill the stamp purchases.

The switch to electronic issuance of federal duck stamps will cost Texas hunters a couple of extra dollars. Persons purchase a federal duck stamp from a Texas license vendor will be charged $17 — $15 for the stamp and a $2 service charge.