Starting this spring, hunters and anglers in Wisconsin will no longer have to carry a paper license with them when they’re in the woods or on the water.
The state Department of Natural Resources is moving to an all-electronic licensing and registration system that will allow sportsmen and women to buy a hunting or fishing license online at home. Once their electronic license is approved, all a person would need to carry with them in the field is a valid driver’s license.
Mark Rappe with the DNR’s Bureau of Customer and Outreach Services said if customers prefer carrying a paper license they still can.
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“They can do all of it at home and, unlike in the past, when you’re at home you’ll be able to print the materials right there for you to be able to use immediately,” he said.
Rappe said the system will be secure.
“We have all kinds of security measures in place that are on those pieces of paper and that access to that electronic data file for our wardens immediately at their fingertips gives them a lot of advantages,” he said.
Rappe said the goal is to make the experience easier for customers and give wardens instant access to online license and registration info. The changes will be phased in this month.
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