Are you HIP certified?

I bought my licenses online as I have for years.
In the past, I was prompted in that process to answer the Harvest Information questions, therefore being Certified.

This year, no prompt.

Now I look at my license and it says "HIP Certification Required"
What?
If it's required then the license should not have printed, right?

What is going on?

You are only asked the questions if you click the box indicating you want it. It's not that hard really.

You should have gone to Walmart. They HIP certify you without asking any questions.

But, you're right. They should just ask everyone the questions that selects the migratory endorsement

I bought 4 licenses online this year and was prompted every time...you did something wrong, but its not to late to fix your heathen ways

Not here in Greenville. The girl at the Wal-Mart here in normally very good but this year she got frazzled and forgot to ask me. Then she had to go do a re-print to show that I am HIP certified.

I noticed this as well, Cabelas didn't ask how many birds I took, thought it was weird but it is on my license so oh well.

Yes.

And that hip is a joke anyway

HIP or no HIP, I ain't going to Walmart.

Online is the ONLY way to fly.

I bought 3 license online and was prompted each time as well.

I think they tweaked the online system in the past years. I had a similar experience last year. I thought I was HIP certified but found out otherwise once the temp. license stuff printed. So I had to login back to my account and was charged an online processing fee just to register for free HIP.

As I remember, before you would get a prompt which would take you directly to the HIP stuff and then you would be registered. Now you get a prompt but it does not take you directly to it. So you have to 'shop again' and select HIP and then answer questions.

This is my experience, although I may be missing a few details.

I wasn't prompted on line I checked it when I bought my public land permit.

Here's what TPWD said about it:

"Dear Sir or Madam,

Thank you for your e-mail correspondence. We appreciate hearing from our customers.

When purchasing a license online, you have to go back to the HUNTING category once you've put the hunting license in your cart. There is a prompt that says "If you intend to hunting migratory game birds, go back to the hunting category and select item 137, the HIP Certification." The survey is something that you have to physically go back and add to your cart, it does not automatically pop up for you to fill out."

It used to pop up. I guess it was too easy the other way.

last year I had to carry 2 pieces of paper because Wal Mart screwed up my HIP cert..

The last time I went to Walmart they ran two different "employees" back there, neither one could even operate the machinery.

I left without a license.
Went home, printed one off in two minutes...


...'nuff said.

If they don't ask the questions, what good is the survey?

The state could fix this issue easily by requiring HIP certification on all hunting licenses sold.
My Walmart generally does it automatically, but I don't take a chance. I have a lifetime license, so I just give them my card and DL and tell them I need my license printed and I need the HIP certification.

Maybe on all waterfowl endorsements,but no need to put it on all Hunting licenses

It may not seem accurate but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service relies on it so keep that in mind when answering the questions

The HIP cert is such a joke and a waste of time.

Cashier: Sir how many dove did you shoot last season?
Me: I dunno a thousand....
Cashier: ok

Cashier: Sir how many dove did you shoot last season?
Buddy next in line: I dunno a thousand and one...
Cashier: ok

Yes........never saw the point of it.

Yep me too. Their machine was on dial up. The guy asked me if I had any other shopping to do. I said never mind. Went home printed in about 5 minutes. Never bought from a retailer since. I'll give the extra $5 to never leave home and darken the door of another WalMart.

Bought mine online and after clicking on super combo, a screen pooped up for HIP certification. Answered the questions and good to go! 5 minutes total instead of dealing with the yahoo's at Walmart.

No reason not to, and lots of dove hunters don't hunt waterfowl. It doesn't matter though, it won't happen.

Online? Maybe. I know last years, they didn't ask at Academy and I questioned them. They said they just "filled in the numbers"? Same thing this year. However, it's the hunters responsibility to make sure

If these retailers are "filling in the numbers" then the whole system is worthless and needs to be abandoned.
Of course, I guess it's still useful to Game Wardens who write tickets.

HIP isn't used for harvest estimates or to set bag limits. It's mainly used to select who will fill out the more in depth season long hunt log. I did it back in 2008, and had to record every hunt, hunt location, duration, and species harvested (duck, goose, etc).

http://www.fws.gov/hip/



"In addition, when you sign up for HIP, you will be asked to voluntarily answer several questions about your hunting experience during last year's season. Your answers to these questions are not used to compile harvest estimates, but are simply used to identify what types of birds you usually hunt. This allows the Service to mail its surveys to the appropriate hunters. For example, most surveys about dove harvest are sent to hunters who usually hunt doves, while most waterfowl harvest surveys are sent to hunters who usually hunt ducks and/or geese."

Ah ha. Got it.

My HIP is certified. After they installed it last year they gave me a card to use for proof at the airport security check.