How many folks have bought them for their kids (or had one bought for them by their dad/parents)? My 4 year old is just enamored with hunting, going to the lease, working, etc.. I'm really contemplating getting him a lifetime super combo. Could he drop the love of it? Absolutely. That said, these things only get more expensive and he's been bit since he went out the first time as a 2 year old.

If he’s raised like many on this forum he will enjoy one or the other if not both for his entire life. It is absolutely a great investment as cost will only increase!
My wife and I, 29 and 32 would purchase lifetime if we could afford it.
If you can get him ahead, and have him one less bill than do so!
Can’t imagine what license fees will be even 5 years from now.

My dad got me mine just before he passed away many years ago. He said I’ll remember him every time I get my license and I do.

Bought mine when I turned 18, it paid itself off when I turned 35. I think it’s a great gift

I have a Lifetime for both Texas and Arkansas. The price for the Texas Lifetime has been the same for over 10 years, and last time they raised the prices they gave notice a few months before. When I bought mine it was $1000 and was a good deal, now that they are $1800 for the combo it's a little harder to justify. Since youth licenses are so cheap I'd continue with that until he gets a little older.

For a 4 year old another option could be to throw that $1800 into index funds or Blue Chips inside a Roth with the 4 year old as beneficiary and a rule to all that the first withdrawal is for a lifetime license. If TPWD ever has a significant price increase, take out the principle and buy it just before the increase. Otherwise wait until they are near adult to buy the license out of it and leave the gains. That way they will have something towards college or first vehicle money or a start on retirement, or whatever along with the license. At age 4 now, I think the investment will grow many times more in the next 10+ years in the market than the cost of the lifetime license will increase. Back testing $1800 put into SPY in 2012 would be worth $7,215 today. Or in MSFT it would be worth $24,159. Then if they grow up with no desire to hunt and fish for some weird reason, you will not have wasted $1800.

When my son graduates this year from HS I'll get him the lifetime hunting and fishing license as his gift.

I learned this year that in Colorado if you have a Texas lifetime license and move there you can not buy residents licenses for Colorado. Same for any state that has lifetime licenses for residents if you move to Colorado. CPW confirmed this . They say it is still a way to claim residency in another state.

They should of never merged parks with wildlife

How would they know if you have a Texas lifetime license? Lifetime license has nothing to do with current residency, at least not in the states I have them.

we bought our boy one when the first came out.
Best decision we could have made.

While I definitely agree with your math and the idea the argument could be made why ever buy the lifetime license. If you believe the investments will outpace the license cost why not just keep the investments and buy a license each year with the dividends and never touch the principle investment? It could even theoretically be passed down and buy the licenses for grandkids and and great grandkids in perpetuity with the dividends.

All that being said I have the lifetime license. My parents bought it for me as a high school graduation gift. I think it was an amazing gift and I think of them every year when I go get my tags.

I bought myself and my son lifetime licenses for $1000, the year before the went to $1800. I think it was in 2008 or 2009. For $1000, it will pay for itself next year, 2024. I'm very glad I did it then. Every year we make a special trip to get our licenses and do a little shopping spree with my son and daughter. My daughter likes to hunt, but I'm not sure she will use it as much.

I actually just looked at the lifetime license cost last week. At some point, it will obviously increase from the current amount of $1800. For myself, it's kind of hard to justify that amount. That's 26 years of super combos. By that time, I'll be over 65 and the current Senior Combo Hunting & Freshwater Fishing Package is only $16 per year.

It really only makes sense to get one for a young adult hunter. I wouldn't buy one for a kid - youth hunting licenses are only $7 and just because you think they love hunting as a 4-year old, a lot can change over time.

My dad got me one right before the price jumped, to which I was extremely thankful. I have just the lifetime hunting license, not the combo. More than likely, I'll buy my two boys the lifetime combo at some point in time.

This is the exact reason I'm not buying my two boys one until a little down the road. I'm going to get a few years under their belts actually hunting before I make that call.

Agreed. Since they raised the price to $1800 it really no longer makes financial sense. 26 years is a loooooooong time for it to pay for itself. That being said, buying it as a gift for your son is probably the only way I'd consider paying that price. The biggest issue with buying at that age is no way to know where they may live down the road when they get out on their own.

My parents helped me buy my Oklahoma Lifetime Hunting for my 16th B'day ($225 at the time). When I grew older and a new job took me to Kansas I bought myself and my youngest son a Kansas Lifetime Hunting when we lived there ($500 each). Both are for hunting only and no fishing and both offer different benefits. Now I live in Texas again (2nd time here) and when I was here in the late 80's the combo Lifetimes I believe were $1000. Never purchased one in Tx though. Lifetime licenses are worth every penny to buy in my opinion. My son and I are heading to Kansas this year to hunt Mule Deer as a resident. The cost of tags between resident and out of state will pay for that Lifetime license in 1 or 2 trips.

Colorado, the prettiest state with the ugliest people. I quit hunting there and take my money elsewhere.

I am also interested in on how they would know what other states you have a lifetime license in.

TP&W has an internal record of it but that’s it. The information isn’t in the NCIC.

I always kick myself every year for not buying one back when they brought
them out for sale. IIRC it was $600.00-$700.00 back then
I probably had the thought that I wouldn't live as long as I have or some
notion like that

I started thinking more about shelling out $1800 for a lifetime combo license with breakeven period of 26 years based on current annual license prices. Obviously 26 years is a very long time to recoup your investment. On top of that, if you assume that $1800 at time 0 was invested in something pretty conservative and safe with annual returns of 5%, that would amount to $6600 at the end of year 26. At a 7% return, $1,800 would grow to $11,000.

I bought one for my daughter before she moved to Boston. Now she can still afford to hunt with me when she comes home.

nope