Was thinking about going digital on this year's hunting license. A friend told me he won't because for every kill, including dove, you have to take a photo of it and upload it. And that if you do that the game wardens have your location and could show up. I told him he was full of it (without knowing for sure...he's just usually full of it). If you're legal then why care if game warden shows up?
Has anyone heard of this? Nothing I've read says anything about uploading photos. Also, what are the drawbacks of a digital license, other than the obvious.
(No need to lecture on the digital tagging, I know how to do that).

A.

B. Don't go to the dark side. Full disclosure: I still print a lot of my bills, and...I write this thing called a "check" and put it in a mailbox!

Not true, your friend is pulling your leg. Only input you are required is region of kill and type for tags(deer, turkeys)

There is an optional ability to up load a photo, but they mainly wanted people to Volunteer it for Mule deer. It was for a beam width to a tip to tip Ear reference for mule deer, as they were trying to gather AR feasibility data.

Here is my understanding. Only animals that require tags have mandatory reporting. On other things that do not require tags, reporting is optional. I reported a few feral hogs last year just so TPWD would know they've moved into an area that did not previously have any.

I now have NM, Okla, Texas, and CO on my phone.

I love the fact Okla went to it because before they had mandatory check stations. hauling a whole Pronghorn back in 99 degree weather in Aug suxs

Data online check provides is a much more scientific approach to sustainability of game management

Yep. I love th OK one. But, only because of the check station thing. In Texas, I go with the printed license.

Cool thing with okla is at least they had data points… weight, age etc. Texas doesn’t have a clue

There's something you don't hear every day.

I guess I'm the only one who doesn't want check stations, and thinks what I kill is none of P&W business, unless I'm routinely stopped by a warden.

My question to the whole digital license is what happens if you are in a place with zero cell reception? Many of the places I hunt are remote and you can't connect. And I have run into game wardens in really remote regions. What would happen if one checked you can you couldn't pull up the license? This is one of the reasons why I use paper licenses.

Same thing with NM, it’s logged/cached in phone until you hit service. If you phone is dead just give him your name, he can look up if you have a license.

CO now has all your stamps and small game licenses in the app. It’s cached in your phone

I think if TP&W are going to make limits then they need to have relative data to make those decisions. As of right now only real data TPWD has is MLD properties, and what ever percentage uses the digital.

I’ve been saying this since they started requiring the deer log on the license, never understood the point. All I never noticed was an interrogation when I got checked fishing out of it. They set seasons and limits but have no idea how many deer there are or are harvested. It couldn’t be that difficult to enter the previous seasons deer log into the system when you get your license. I mean they have the time to ask if you went snipe hunting?

Go digital, way easier. Been rolling with the digital license for three years now. No cell service, no problem. They have that covered. The attempt you make without cell service is stored on your phone if you have an encounter with a game warden. Once you get service, finish up. It's way more convenient than carrying the paper license and filling out the small tag and notching it.

Where does it end is my issue. Every time someone goes fishing they have to log in and say exactly how many fish they caught and where on the lake they came from? It’s like gun control. I don’t want to give up an inch because sooner or later it will be a mile.

I personally want my limits based on sound ecological data, not a dipshitee in congress or popular vote.

Big deal in Oklahoma right now. Their mule deer tag is either or meaning it’s a buck and doe “deer” tag, whitetail or mule deer. How many states can you go hammer multiple mule deer? They have no idea the population trends in mule deer because they haven’t track it that way.
Grant it that’s about to change but you can see why data collection would be use full.

Voluntary harvest does nothing, half time it’s not even truthful

In Texas all you are giving up is sex, numbers, region, unbranded or not. That’s it.


I personally wish entire state had same reporting structure as MLD and all private land tags where LO tags based off survey

You do you but don’t complain when you have to report the types of minnows you keep after throwing a cast net or a real time update on your dove numbers. I don’t want them to start all this nonsense or we will end up like Maine and most of the other liberal NE states with mandatory check stations.

The very liberal state of Okla had check stations, then online, now app. They have actual harvest data. We have iffy processor reporting.

You can manage a resource without data, I personally don’t see logging you kills in an app as intrusive. Be cool if they added weight and age option to online check in

The real "digital license" question should be......WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU LOSE YOUR CELL PHONE WHILE HUNTING OR FISHING? Of course, a state game warden would still have electronic access to your information. But just how difficult is it to carry that license in your wallet? Somehow, I have managed to do it for 70 years; can count on one hand the number of times having been checked by a Game Warden - 4 times in Texas and once in New Mexico!

On the other hand, I have one cell phone at the bottom of Lake Waco, and one is somewhere in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico. Have never lost a license in my wallet ! ! !

How many game processing operations are set up to accept a deer with no tag? Are they sophisticated enough to accept an electronic tag to prepare your deer for processing? That's placing too much responsibility for what has always been a simple process!

Sometimes the OLD WAY is still the BEST WAY!

You log in from another phone or device or GW’s. In NM and Co you are carrying more then one licenses/endorsement. kind of nice having all 5 of my licenses/endorsement in same spot

Every processor in Texas is set up. They just record name, lic # and confirmation #, No different then stapling tag to there paperwork.

It's what ever works best for the individual. I've never lost or even broke a phone to the point it was inoperable. Carrying the paper license is another thing to carry. I haven't carried a wallet since I can remember. That paper license is as thick as about 1/2 of what I do carry in my Carbon Ridge. Processors, yes they are "sophisticated" enough. I like digital most everything given the option. But then again, I prefer to check myself out at the grocery store or anywhere else I can.

Stupid question. I went online and I don't get a digital option. Is it for Package deal only?

Not sure I have two youth and a super combo for me in mine.

You can down load the app and put in your name and Customer #, and see if it shows up

Very limited, close to zero harvest monitoring and there are more deer than ever today...it ll be ok

I’m not against the digital aspect as a whole. But if it becomes mandated, I’m not sure if I’m going to go buy a $1500 phone just so I can have a hunting license.