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back tag will be issued like before.Therefore,,the mandatory wearing of back tag while in the field is no longer in effect.They like to try to fix things that aint broke.Typical.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