NYS 2024-2025 trapping/fishing/hunting licenses
went on sale on August 1st.

If you have not bought one yet, you are in for
a real shock & surprise.

They have done away with the decades old
multi-million dollar DECALS license issuing system.

Instead of introducing a newer, better technology or staying with
a proven, well used, already payed for system,
NYS DEC has taken a giant leap backward !!!

The new licenses come printed on three 8.5" X 11" sheets
of regular, everyday, office paper that is NOT waterproof,
durable, or tear resistant.

Your tags are printed on this flimsy paper, and you are expected
to cut each tag off the large sheet, and then somehow affix it to the
game animal and then be responsible for keeping it attached, intact, & legible.

Blood, rain, snow, or any other liquid will immediately render
these tags instantly un-usable & cause the disintegration of the paper.

This is the stupidest idea our NYS DEC has come up with yet !!!

w

Your a trapper. You'll make it work.

I've always said the NYDEC can screw up everything and anything they touch, why be surprised?

Nope !!

I'm thinking of preemptively turning myself in to the game warden
and having him cite me ahead of time for improper tagging violations !!

There's no way in (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman)
I'll be able to comply with the regulations
while using this new tagging system and
stay legal in actual field conditions.

If the game warden arrests me now, it will save us both a lot of time !!!

w

Kansas did the same thing a year or 2 ago. This is what happens when you have people who don't hunt or trap making decisions that impact people that do.

We had the Vinyl paper or whatever it was for a while. They did away with it and went to paper a few years ago. It hasn't been an issue. However, a warden can scan our drivers license or Conservation card to verify everything. Everything for registering is on-line. Don't need the paper on us.

Just Albany idiots saving money so they can waste it somewhere else. On the upside, if you print your own lic and tags, you will be able to make as many copies of your tags as you want.

Stupidity in the highest !!!!!

They said it was due to a shortage of the material used to make the old licenses.Also,,no back tag will be issued like before.Therefore,,the mandatory wearing of back tag while in the field is no longer in effect.They like to try to fix things that aint broke.Typical.

I purchase mine here in Illinois on line and print it out but it’s only a 3x5 square which I make numerous copies or go to rural king and they’ll print out a longer version waterproof for a couple buck fee for being a dealer

Since I can't buy my license online (no printer or credit card),
I'm stuck with folding up three 8.5" X 11" sheets of paper
and putting them in a plastic bag which won't fit in my wallet.

Also, that doesn't solve the issue of filling out wet,
can't write on it, disintegrating paper carcass tags.

This is just a tailor-made caveat for maneuvering hunters
into position for a handful of revenue generating citations.

Stupid beyond belief !!!

Wisconsin switched to printable licenses and tags 8 years ago. There was similar disgust when it happened, but folks have gotten used to it. For the first year or two we had paper tags you had to attach to the deer, but now we're down to only having paper tags for sturgeon and bear. Our deer and turkey tags are not required to be attached to the animal anymore.

Now when you buy your license online, you can print it right from home, no waiting and wondering if/when it will come in the mail. Easy/free reprints online as well.

Hopefully NY similarly switches to no deer tags attached in a year or two.

Back tags are a thing of the past. NY must have been the last or dang near it of the states to have them.

i got mine monday everthing on paper and got 2 dmps for 6k same with my 2 boys was told that i could wait to tag the deer till i got back to the truck then tag and put the tag inside of a zip lock bag then attach to deer

Zip lock bags and electrical tape. I carry it in my pockets cause some states have tags I have to attach to turkeys as well.
Georgia is all electronic.

NYS DEC regulations still state you MUST fill out your carcass tags
in full, IMMEDIATELY on the spot, upon taking a game animal.

Try that with this new flimsy paper, in the field, with bloody fingers
in the rain. wind, and snow & let me know how that works out for you ?

Yes,
you can delay putting the tag on the game animal until you arrive
at your home, camp, or mode of transportation but the tag must be
filled out as soon as you take (kill) a game animal.

Stupid, stupid, stupid DEC regulations.

Man if y’all can’t fill out a tag then maybe you don’t need to be hunting. Why are your fingers bloody? Are you in hand to hoof combat? Shoot deer. Find deer. Fill out tag, put in plastic bag, tape to leg/antlers, field dress, drag out. Pretty sure y’all hunt the same way we do. Quit making this complicated, lol.

Only NYs southern zone were you required to wear back tags. Bottom line this is an unfunded state mandate for independent lic issuing agents. They will charge a printing fee to cover their cost of paper and ink. Time will tell , but I agree with Walleyed that this is ripe for lots of improper tagging citations to be written.

Besides, I thought we were supposed to go paper less to save a tree ?

I put the paper tag inside a zip lock baggie and attach it to the animal with a zip tie. Have hauled deer 150 plus miles like that with no issues.

Filling out the tag only takes a minute at most. Do that before you get bloody.

in WI we have been printing ours now on our home printer for a few years

you can make as many copies as you want

you can keep the PDF on your phone and in your Google drive so that if you loose it you no longer have to go pay to have a re-print

we only have to keep a printed copy when in boundary waters or on a lake more than 3 miles out for fishing they scan your drivers license

we register our deer online or by phone you can cut that little tag and put it in a zip lock roll it up and zip tie it to the deer

watch the wording , we no longer have to affix the tag to the deer , only have a valid harvest authorization to present if asked.

also keeping that print out in a ziplock bag helps

since we print ours I just print one for each coat and bag it and put it in a pocket.

Try doing that in a rainstorm

Walleyed, now you can print off 100 doe tags for your zone if you want.

But really, there will be people printing doe and buck tags and shooting as much as they want.
How is anyone going to regulate those law breakers.
And trust me there will be more people doing it than people think

This^^

This is another attempt by NYS to generate revenues from a group of people, who other than their license fees, generate very little extra $$ for the state. Very few hunters and fishermen are fined for violating the fish and game laws.

As I said in my initial post,

I don't have a computer printer or a cell phone to utilize any of that technology
nor the technical expertise to accomplish any of that stuff.

I just want to hunt or trap without all the complicated minutia involved
in this poorly thought out intrusion into my outdoor experience.

I go hunting & trapping to escape all of this complicated B.S. crap.

I don't want it or need it in my life.

Dale,

I'm lucky if I can fill just one doe tag in my current state of health !!!

As it is, I haven't been able to fill any deer tag in the last several years
so I won't be any threat to the deer herd !!!

Besides, I don't break any game laws, & respect the DEC regulations.

NY has not done away with DECALS, but they will no longer have licenses and tags printed on that shiny plastic valeron. Remember when they switched to valeron? It required the license vendors (local ma/pa shops, town clerks, Walmarts, etc) to supply a dedicated computer that was hooked up to the state supplied valeron printer using state supplied valeron "paper". This also meant that all staff needed to know how to log in to that dedicated computer in order to handle transactions. They needed to know how to troubleshoot problems with the proprietary printer and where the rolls of valeron were stored. They got paid nothing for all this effort - the only time they made a dime was when they sold a license or tag. Many, including town clerks, opted out of issuing licenses because of this. Now, they do not need a dedicated computer or space for it, do not need space for a special printer or storing special valeron "paper". So, SELLING licenses just got easier, and should keep more places open to SELLING. It also SAVES the DEC money paying for specialized printers and paper. I don't see how anyone thinks the DEC is going to profit from this change (a change which has been made in plenty of other states years ago and they seem to have survived).

As for BUYING, well, the options remain the same as there has been for years - in person, call on a phone or order online.

As for USING, yeah, it's change, and no one likes change, but for MOST people, it will become easier. During our time, we remember having to carry a pen to fill out PAPER tags and DMPs. During our time, we can figure out how to keep our field toilet paper and PBJ sandwiches dry, so it really isn't that hard.

As for ABUSE, well, plenty of people were making regular visits to get their tags replaced for a small fee, so there will still be games played with tags. There will still be those putting their wives buck tag on the first one, etc. Not having to wear a BACK TAG anymore may make it harder to catch trespassers, but most didn't like back tags anyways. I am sure the ECOs will be told the priority for the next year or two on this subject is EDUCATING hunters, not writing tickets for plain paper issues.

Sure will be nice when the seasons open back up so we can focus on real issues.

Erict,

When you start writing on your toilet paper and PBJ sandwich in the rain I'll accept your explanation!

And yes someone always abused tags but this temptation will make it rampant.

And these are important issues to many of us. Accepting changes within Albany without questions and without "real focus" has been the downward spiral of New York state.

Yup,

And they were made of durable, tear resistant, waterproof paper
that was very easy to write on with a pen & ink as I still have
some of those old tags from the 70's & 80's

Yes indeed,

It's all going to be nothing but sunshine & blue skies, and rainbows & unicorns.

I'll be thinking of that come November when it's raining or snowing,
and I'm struggling to fill out my wet, tissue paper, deer tag in a 20 knot wind.

LMAO !!!!

As I stated before, this change is not about improvement , practicality , or function. It’s about Albany bureaucrats saving money not having to provide Valeron licenses so they can take the money saved and spend it on woke policies.

This new lic issue has come up at our region 6 Fish and Wildlife Management Board meetings several times, and from what I’ve witnessed sportsman and landowner reps. Have little to no input.

The state is trying to save money for all the illegal immigrants… and all the fine money when they don’t approve of your attempt to comply is just a bonus… for the illegal immigrants!

I'm going to have the town clerk print out or copy my license on Rite-in-the-Rain paper... and if it's dry when I fill out my tags, I'll use a Sharpie. If it's wet, I'll use a pencil, then ink it in later. And if ENCON gives me grief, I'll see them in court

NYSDEC has been turned into one of Hochul's political agendas. You can see that when she wanted Coyote hunts stopped last year, with the amount of Coyotes taken during these two or three day hunts, why else would NYSDEC stop them when they know how their numbers are.

New York never fails to disappoint.........

As posted before, Wisconsin has it electronic.
I like having printed copies .
After printing I cut them down to the borders and laminate with HD clear packaging tape.
Cheap, easy and waterproof.

Cannot laminate carcass tag , has to be filled out in the field.

That method MAY be suitable for the license itself,
in your particular state,

but laminating the carcass tags prohibits you're ability
to follow the mandated legal procedure for legally
filling out the carcass tag.

The carcass tag MUST be completely filled out IN INK,
as soon as one harvests a game animal.

If you've laminated the carcass tag ahead of time,
you can't legally comply with the regulation that the
carcass tag must be completed IN INK because it
won't be considered indelible & permanent when it
is written on the packing tape or lamination.

That would be a guaranteed citation here in NYS.

Just like stopping Squirrel hunting contests.And we still have no Dove season even though plenty of hunters have asked for it.

Pennsylvania uses valeron tags. I order online and have them shipped to me but, when you do that, you have to print certain tags at home. If I recall correctly, the pheasant stamp and state migratory bird stamp were the two I had to print. I have no idea why they can't send those two in valeron with the rest. But I never liked the idea of having flimsy paper tags that are easily damaged and made illegible. The valeron tags are tough and durable.

I keep all my tags in a holder along with my ID because I don't carry my wallet in the field. Pulling the tags out and stuffing them back in to tag various critters doesn't hurt the valeron tags but wears out the paper tags. I can't imaging having to fill out and affix a paper tag to a critter in adverse weather conditions and having it stay intact.

We have to tag critters before we move them. I attach my big game tags inside the ear of the deer or bear then twist tie or zip tie the ear shut around it. They usually hold up that way, don't know about a paper tag though. I guess you could put it in a zip-lock baggie.

Turkeys are problematic, I attach to the leg but usually have to reattach a time or two on the way out because I carry them over my shoulder by the legs. I can't 9imagine a paper tag surviving that, even in good weather.

Like someone above said, this sound like clueless non-hunting, non-trapping bureaucrats making bad decisions for folks that do hunt and trap.

VT has the same ridiculous thing print your own license and tags. A lot of people have lost tags off their deer dragging them out. The license falls apart in your wallet. VT has made a transportation tag that you write all your information on and a fix it to your animals. It’s a vinyl tag

Malicious compliance is what is needed here.

A friend of mine years ago hated the fact that temporary license plates (paper) only came with holes on the bottom only for the license plate screws. Some cars have the screws on the top. So he mounted the plate on upside down. He got pulled over for it. He told the cop that he didn't carry a hole punch with him , but the plate was affixed to the car as the law required. Cop let him go.

Same guy , different time with a different car got pulled over for a cracked windshield. Cop told him he couldn't drive the car like that. He told the cop the windshield was on backorder. So he went back to the shop and removed the windshield. Couple days later a different cop pulled him over for no windshield. He told the second cop he got pulled over for a cracked windshield and removed it as it was unsafe to drive with a hazardous windshield. He also informed the cop that there was no DMV regulation to not having a windshield but you couldn't have a cracked one. Just like an older CJ type Jeep where you can fold down or remove the windshield. Cop let him go.

WI tags you never filled out with an ink pen , they were slit the date with your knife even when we had the plastic backtag material

LOVE NOT HAVING BACK TAGS ANYMORE they were such a hassle , moving them to every coat or layer , hunting in the rain issues

obviously you have been playing games like keeping an ink pen on you deer hunting or keeping it warm enough to work
you're just playing a slightly different game now.
the library generally will print what you need for about a dime a page

you state the decades old decals tags , which means they were running into the issue that printers were probably failing , if the printers were not completely redesigned for the new computer tech they won't even plug into a new computer.

it is the way it is going , 6 years ago there was a legal requirement that we had to keep the PD open 24 hours a day because court payments needed to be made any time of day. they changed the law and now the PD desk can close because they made it available to pay online 24 hours a day.

you are not wrong it is all about cost savings on the administrative side , the supply side , and they really don't care how they inconvenience you.

Here in Virginia electronic everything is mandatory. Wonder what walleyes going to do when NY does that in a couple years.... Virginia started out like NY just moved to.

If they do that here they will turn people into poachers with that type of nonsense.
People should refuse to comply en masse and that crap goes away.

I am not even sure they care about meat poachers any more here.

in some counties 5 doe tags with each license and we can group hunt and share tags

last year we had 40+ tags in camp and shot 4 deer

you could absolutely abuse the heck out of the system

however if you were hunting private land and cutting your own deer and had the ability to shut up , you could abuse the heck out of the old system.

NY regs
https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/hunting/deer-bear/regulations#:~:text=Marking%20and%20Tagging%20Requirements,person%20who%20took%20the%20animal

Tagging
Here's what you must do immediately upon killing a deer or bear:

1.Fill in all information on the carcass tag and report tag with ink that won't erase.
2.Detach the carcass tag from the report tag. Once filled in, the tag may not be altered.
3.Keep the report tag; you will need it when you report your deer or bear.
4.The month and date must also be cut or marked in ink on the margin of the carcass tag.
5.You do not need to attach the tag to the carcass while it is being dragged or physically carried from the place of kill to a camp or point where transportation is available.
6.Once you get to the camp or vehicle, attach the tag to the deer or bear immediately.
7.Keep the tag attached to the carcass until it is cut up and prepared for consumption.

so you can keep it in your ziplock bag till you get back to the truck

do or did you have back tags in Ontario

We had them in WI till 2015 , such a pain , stab a back tag holder through every coat you have , want to change layers , move your tag or run risk of a fine

people are going to be so excited that they don't need a backtag anymore that printing or having printed a paper tag they keep in a sandwich bag is such a minor inconvenience compared to back tags , they will want to adopt.

You must have deer and all on this tag I presume? The problem is the beaurocrats have no clue what they are doing . Illinois offered a three year general license this year but you can’t get a three year habitat stamp or HIP certification for three years so what’s the point lol

Back when PA had back tags they got attached to my small game/upland vest with the required amount of blaze orange which was always an outer garment. Same with rifle deer hunting (blaze vest) or archery deer (camo vest).

That way you could shed or add clothing as needed without switching your back tag to a different garment.

Never noticed my back tag. It is very convenient to hold your tags, pen. Water proof with a piece of duct tape to keep it closed. I will continue to wear one.
As for the paper tag and trying to write on it.......... lots of days I hunt and get deer - rain, rain, rain and more rain.
Guess if something happens I'll be explaining it to the judge here. At least he's a Republican and was raised on a farm with common sense.
The last system wasn't broken so why were they trying to fix it ?
It wasn't a lack of places to buy them. Town halls, Walmart, sports shops etc. all sold them.
Harder to get ammo than licenses

I am guessing that you don't do drives through thick stuff

that tag holder would get hug up on stuff

most coats didn't come with a loop for the tag holder
if you went out in the morning while it was 15 degrees and then were a driver mid day then back to sit before dark that was moving the tag

the last system was broke
they were likely about to need all new printers
had to stock special stock to print it on and not sure if NY uses a different color each year till near then end then went to one color for the last few years of the program.
you would be the same guy to complain about how much of your tax and license dollars get wasted and printing with special printers on special stock and having to wear a tag around is a waste of those dollars.
they were likely at a point , raise the price or let the old system go.

we are at a point were we are often forced to dump working but out dated computers that do special tasks , simply because they can not be updated any longer

we hit one of those big dates Oct 2025 where every Windows 10 PC has to be upgraded or decommissioned,

they were probably staring down de-commissioning all the terminals at the stores that sell licenses.

Yup,

Thank you for the list of regulations but we already know
the tagging regulations forward & backward.

Tissue paper tags are still a stupid bad idea !!!

Once again New York hunters and trappers are faced with decisions of mental midget idiots from the governor on down through NYSDEC. Why should we have to deal with paper tags??? How are we supposed to keep a wet, or snowy, bloody tag attached to a deer or bear until consumption? Another brain fart from a desk jockey in Albany.Stupidity at it's best!!!!

If you look at the regional zone map of the hunting/trapping guide you will see that there are two 8m areas and no 8n area.. Doesn't anyone proof read these things for accuracy?

I get along with our local forest rangers and game wardens, but have lost respect for most of the rest of DEC.

walleyed took his license and license receipt to STAPLES office supply store
in Watertown, N.Y. They measured 8.5" X 11" and we laminated them at a cost
of around $5.00 for both documents, & we'll keep them in my vechile to show
the DEC ENCON officer (game warden) if asked to produce them.

Technically, one must carry licenses on one's person while engaged in
hunting, fishing, or trapping but at 8.5" X 11" in size, you'd need to carry
them in a back pack to take them along while afield, and since we are required to
maintain these documents in an Intact & legible condition, this is our solution.

Met up with two other groups of hunters who were also at STAPLES to laminate
their licenses and one said he was going to make multiple copies
of his carcass tag sheet so he had a dependable supply of extra tags.

I guess Tissue Paper Licenses & Tags
are going to have unintended consequences.

More plastic bags and more trees cut to make copies! Dec will blow their head off!

BUT landowners liked the idea of back tags so we would know who is on the land. Not now, no back tags anymore for quite a few years......jk

I'm going to copy my tags on toilet paper (used). That's what I think of this fiasco.

In NC we phone a toll free number and register our bi game animals with 24 hours. We cut a hole in our big game card before moving the animal.

In New York we must report our game harvests within seven days of the kill date.

I'll assume that the NYS DEC can't afford the funds to provide a "big game card",
If they can't afford durable, tear-proof, water-proof game carcass tags.

I purchased my license Monday, and the clerk said she had 3 rolls of the waterproof paper, but DEC told her not to use it.

There won’t be a deer left in the county, lot of outlaws here.

What if theres no phone and your at camp hunting for a couple weeks.
Why do they assume everyone can get to a phone?

Next year the word is that NYS DEC are going to all digital & electronic license issuing
by smart phone application and digital printing by home computer.

What about all us poor, penniless trapping bums who are not tech savvy
and don't have cell phones or computer printers.

It doesn't bode well for us old school, free trappers
with rotary phones & commodore 64 computers
with the DOS operating system.

Looks like me & coonman220 are screwed !!!

Coonman has a smartphone

Because 99% of hunters can get to a phone down here. It's not the vast wilderness you have up there. Just about any state down here that doesn't just guess their harvest numbers requires some sort of deer registration. New York is generous to allow a week after harvest, in Wisconsin you have until 5pm the day after recovery. I don't know any hunters that spend a full week at camp without running to town. In Wisconsin you used to have to bring a deer into a registration station before you could legally consume any part of the animal. Now a couple clicks on the smartphone or a 2 minute phone call and you're done.

Greetings to all ! I am not a trapper but I am in no way an anti, as a much younger man I trapped with a friend of mine along the Hudson River and had a great time doing it. Now I am most interested in shooting Sporting Clays which is a real "Blast". Prior to signing up for this forum I read many of the comments regarding the paper license in NYS and would just like to add my two cents to the topic. Most of the comments concerning the lack of durability of a paper license are spot on, to mitigate a bit of the problem you could fill out much of the license while at home leaving only the essential info regarding the date of kill, sex etc. to be filled out in the field, as far as getting blood on the license according to NYS law the license is to be filled out immediately upon killing an animal so just do it before field dresing the deer. Now to the real issue, after getting your foolish paper license anyone with a simple printer capable of making copies can set themselves up with a stack of licenses as thick as a King James Bible. At one time it was required in NYS that when transporting a deer it had to be completely visible, i.e. the bed of an open pickup truck or on the trunk or fender of a car, however some members of society found this to be too much to handle so NYS ended this practice, now you can just hide the deer on your way home. People used to take their deer to a butcher to have it processed ( requireing it to be tagged ) but the price of that has become too high so now most hunters just cut them up at home, so no need to tag the animal or report the kill, but with a never ending supply of "Tags" just tag it as required and after safely getting it home just wet your index fingar and slide another license off your Bible high stack. Now your back in business.... Does anyone in DEC have a clue ?

Welcome to T-man

Not sure if filling out half your tag is legal before going hunting. Will have to look into that.