Press Release

Hunting and Fishing Licenses Now Available Online

August 08, 2003

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is pleased to announce that consumers may now purchase hunting and fishing licenses online by credit card. The licenses are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Department’s web site at www.conservation.alabama.gov.

The sale of hunting licenses for the 2003-2004 season began August 1. A hunting license purchased on or after that date will expire July 31, 2004. Fishing licenses expire one year from the date of purchase.

Conservation Commissioner Barnett Lawley says that online purchasing is just one way the Department is providing more efficient services to the citizens of Alabama. “We want to make it as convenient as possible for people to purchase a license,” he said. “The online purchase only takes a few minutes and can be done at home or anywhere a customer has access to the Internet and a printer.”

“Hunters and anglers totally fund the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division, which is responsible for management and protection of wildlife and aquatic resources,” said Division Director Corky Pugh. “No General Fund money goes to fund these programs. It is critical that we make licenses as readily available as possible.”

Residents ages 16 to 64 are required to purchase a license to hunt or fish in Alabama. Some prices for the most common types of licenses are as follows:

Resident Hunting:                                              $15.00

Resident Freshwater Fishing:                             $8.50

Resident Saltwater Fishing:                                $15.00

Combination Hunting/Freshwater Fishing:          $23.50

Combination Freshwater/Saltwater Fishing:       $23.50

A $1 issuance fee per license and a 2 percent convenience charge of the total will be added to the price of a license. For example, a combination hunting and freshwater fishing license is $23.50. With the $1 issuance fee and convenience charge of .49, the total paid by the consumer is $24.99. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.

Also available online are lifetime licenses, nonresident licenses, wildlife management area licenses, duck stamps (no actual stamp is issued) and Harvest Information Program permits.

Some vital information is needed to purchase a license online. Besides name and address, the following are also needed: driver’s license number, Social Security number, date of birth, sex, height, weight, eye color, and hair color. If born after August 1, 1977, and you are purchasing a hunting license, you will also need to provide a Hunter Education number. All information is processed on a secure server. “We’ve done everything possible to keep the information secure and to also prevent counterfeit licenses,” Lawley said.

Once the online transaction is complete, consumers may print their license and cut it out. An e-mail with a link to each license is also sent to confirm the purchase. If the license is lost, consumers may go back to the Department of Conservation web site, enter some vital information and print another copy of their license.

For those who prefer to purchase licenses the old-fashioned way, they are still available at all county probate offices and over 900 vendors statewide. They may also be purchased with a credit card over the telephone at 888-848-6887 for the cost of the license plus a processing fee of $3.95.

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