If you are buying your license online this year and choose SuperCombo, for the first time we have a popup asking about migratory harvest. You will need to answer the few questions to get HIP certified. No charge to do this.
If you go to Wally World or some other retailer, make sure you ask them to give you the HIP certification.
On license checks, HIP certs and WT deer ranch harvest info are the 2 leading reasons for warnings and fines.

The Azle Walmart ask me those questions for "HIP" when I got my tags this week, said it was mandatory.

I've always had them ask and until last year didn't know why.

Glad you said something. They have asked me that question every year, and I didn't remember them asking me this year. Pulled out my license, and sure enough it says HIP certification required. I guess I better make a trip back to the gun shop and hope they aren't going to try to charge me for the screw up.

I got mine last night, and they asked me all those questions also. They said it was mandatory to ask them now, if you plan to hunt migratory birds. We only dove hunted last year, so mine was short and easy.

Been in place quite a few years but many hunters have been written tickets for not being HIP certed. It is a USFWS program that is a Reasearch study that ultimately determines harvest bags.