How Did We Ever Live Without…?

By Bill Miller

www.huntingclub.com

 You don’t even have to be as old as me to utter the phrase, “How did we ever live without (fill-in-the-blank)?”  Some of the blank fillers in my lifetime are microwave ovens, fax machines, anti-lock brakes (on cars where the brakes actually work), cell phones, DVDs, MP3s, Iphones, Blackberries, and on and on and on.

 Sometimes in hunting we find refuge from the ceaseless barrage of technology, but less and less often. Think about it. Laser rangefinders, string releases, GPS, pelletized black powder, etc., etc.  Hunting’s list of how-did-we-live-without technological advances is really no less endless!

 There is one technological advance that is truly a boon to hunting any way you look at it. It unquestionably makes it easier to be a law biding hunter and actually creates hunting opportunity by making preparation for a hunt much, much more convenient. It’s acquiring your hunting license via the internet!

 I won’t guarantee it’s available in all 50 states because I haven’t bought a license on-line from all 50 states, but I’d sure guess it won’t be long if we can’t already.

 How easy is it? I can’t see how it could be easier.

 1) Go to your favorite search engine, (I’m mostly going to bing right now for the pretty pictures).

 2) Key in: “buy hunting license on-line” and the correct state name.

 3) Click on the links that show up and start buying.

 If you’re a first time on-line buyer, you’ll probably need to establish an account with some background information, but you only do that once in each state.

At the completion of the purchase, most states have you print out a license on paper, sign it, and you’re good to go. Depending on regulations for a particular hunt, some states need to send you a carcass tag through snail mail, so it’s a good idea to go on-line at least 10 days before your hunt to allow enough time for the tags to reach you.

 And then there’s some really advanced states that just give you a code number.  You print it out or write it down and stick it in your wallet. When the conservation officer checks you in the field, he simply codes the number into his satellite linked computer and sees your license on his screen.  In those states you can be legal to hunt if you buy your license from your Iphone or Blackbery on the way to the woods.

 How cool and convenient is that?

The only drawback I can see is we’ve lost forever the experience of walking into a musty old hardware store, filling out a license on a thick pad, pressing hard so the carbon paper transfers to all three copies, picking up some hand warmer fuel just in case, and signing up for the local “big buck” contest. Come to think of it, now how am I going to live without that?