LITTLE ROCK – Don’t worry, you older hunters and fishermen. The popular lifetime licenses for Arkansans 65 and older are still valid and can still be purchased.
Many thousands of outdoors people have purchased these over the years, and they can be used as in the past for enjoying the Arkansas outdoors year-round.
The 65-plus lifetime licenses can be bought anytime during the calendar year when an Arkansan turns 65 or after and pays the price of one year’s hunting, fishing, sportsman or combination license. This license is valid for the buyer’s lifetime. The 65-plus lifetime licenses can be bought at Game and Fish headquarters in Little Rock and at any of the 10 regional offices. Proof of age and residency is required for purchasers.
What is new are revised procedures by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to comply with federal requirements. The number of licenses purchased in a state is used for federal turnback funds under the Pittman-Robertson, Dingell-Johnson and Wallop-Breaux acts, which cover money paid for federal excise taxes on hunting, shooting, fishing and boating equipment purchases.
But alternatives are now required. These are for persons who want just a one-year license to hunt and/or fish.
The Game and Fish Commission has proposed three new licenses. These would be a Resident 65-Plus Annual Fishing License priced at $3.50, a Resident 65-Plus Annual Sportsman’s Hunting License priced at $3.50 and a Resident 65-Plus Annual Combination License priced at $4.50. They can be bought anytime during the calendar year after you turn 65. Also, proof of age and residency is required.
Under Amendment 35 of the Arkansas Constitution, resident hunting and fishing licenses must be approved by the legislature. The commission is working with members of the Arkansas General Assembly and the Bureau of Legislative Research on the creation of the new licenses.