Louisiana Department of Wildlife Reveals Major License Change

Whether you like to wet a line during the spring and summer or you don't mind the chill in the deer stand of late fall and early winter then you're going to love Louisiana. We are the Sportsman's Paradise and it shows in all the outdoor adventures our state has to offer.

We have fishing of all kinds. Whether you're on a pond, lake, bayou, or stream you can certainly catch a memorable moment. Or, if you want to go "blue water" fishing, we've got a coastline that is full of sports fish, crabs, shrimp, alligators, and other creatures that would look good mounted on your wall or simmering in your Magnalite pot.

The responsibility for maintaining and policing our outdoors in Louisiana falls to the men and women of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. They assist those of us who are stewards of the outdoors in making sure there is still "an outdoors" for future Louisiana generations to enjoy.

One of the simplest ways you can assist LDWF in its mission of keeping Louisiana's outdoors open is by purchasing your annual fishing and or hunting license. And now, LDWF has made some interesting changes to those licenses that many Louisiana hunters, fishermen, and outdoor enthusiasts will want to be aware of.

In the past decade or so the Department of Wildlife has made getting a license so much easier. You can now download an electric license onto your smartphone. And you can purchase your license for a year from the date you purchased it. It used to be that all hunting and fishing licenses expired on the same day, but with today's method, you get the license for a full year from the day you secured it.

LDWF is now offering "Hard Cards" for your outdoor licenses. These permanent plastic cards are much more durable than any paper license and they fit into your wallet as your driver's license does. These durable collector cards cost $5 plus a $3.50 convenience fee. You can order yours right here from LDWF.

The artwork on the cards was created by Scott Black and Jeff Perot their entries were chosen from many that were submitted for the Durable License Contest. The hard cards have images of a Lab, a Duck, and a Pelican. They also include the official seal of the Department of Wildlife and they hold all the pertinent information about your license.

The new cards were just made available for purchase on Monday, so be the first in your hunting camp or duck blind to get yours.