Oct. 18, 2023
Randy Zellers Assistant Chief of Communications
LITTLE ROCK — The last few cold nights have leaves changing and deer hunters double-checking their equipment in anticipation. Make sure a valid hunting license is on that “to do” list as you get ready for the muzzleloader season opener this Saturday.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Deputy Director Spencer Griffith points out that setting up your new profile on the AGFC’s new licensing system and smartphone app only takes a few minutes and can help keep hunters on the right side of the law when it comes to harvesting their deer this year.
“The new system enables users to buy licenses, check game, and stay informed about hunting seasons, harvest reports and regulations,” Griffith said. “We also worked with the vendor to make sure the site has a familiar feel like those used in popular e-commerce sites like Amazon.”
Hunters and anglers can visit https://www.agfc.com/en/agfc-mobile-app-how-to for step-by-step instructions and videos on setting up their account, checking a deer and adding youth hunters to your account.
Renew your auto-renew
One feature that’s been carried over from the previous platform is the popular auto-renew system for annual hunting licenses. During their purchase, a hunting or fishing license buyer can check a box to have the AGFC licensing system store their payment information and automatically bill the license holder each year when their license expires. It’s a handy way to make sure you’re never caught in the last-minute scramble to make sure you’re legal the morning before heading for your hunt. But Griffith explains that the new system will need everyone to reestablish their payment credentials and automatic renewal options.
“Everyone who previously enrolled in auto-renew should still visit the site to make sure their information carried over,” Griffith said. “If your renewal happened before September, you should be good, but you’ll still need to re-enroll for the future. Either way, it’s smart to go ahead and verify your license is valid before you head to the woods.”
Check with E-tags online
Double-checking your license is especially important if you plan to use the AGFC’s website or app to check your deer in the field. The new system will populate your account with the amount of electronic deer tags your license includes upon purchase.
“Once these show up on your license in the app, you can check your deer, even if you don’t have cell service,” Griffith said. “But you need to make sure you’re ready for success before you leave the house for deer camp. Once you’ve checked a deer, you don’t need to physically tag it as long as it stays with you until you get back home. If you leave it somewhere like a deer camp, a processor or taxidermist, you still need to make a tag with your name, contact information and check confirmation number to claim the deer as yours in case a game warden comes to check on things.”
Renewable Youth CID
Some young hunters aged 6-15 will be hitting the woods with muzzleloaders this weekend, but the real excitement for the young guns is Arkansas’s Modern Gun Youth Deer Hunt Nov. 4-5. No matter what season the youth is hunting, they’ll still need to make sure they have a Customer Identification Number in the AGFC license system to check big game. The number, labeled YCID in the AGFC license system’s hunting license menu, is free, but hunters will need to go through the purchase process to secure their number each year and validate their allotment of deer tags. Once obtained, the youth hunter will be able to check their deer just like anyone else when they’re logged in with their account.
“Their CID number doesn’t change, but it needs to be renewed each year to make sure the tags show up to check your deer when it’s time to celebrate,” Griffith said.