Pennsylvania Game News - September 2019 - 49

Game Commission helps sort out license problems
Some online buyers were slow to receive licenses due to vendor issues.
Some hunters who bought their
2019-20 hunting licenses online in June
and July were slow to receive them,
which in some cases led to concerns
about submitting applications for antlerless deer licenses.
The delay was due to issues experienced by the vendor contracted by the
Game Commission to sell licenses.
While the Game Commission
stepped in to fix hundreds of problems
for license buyers, it's helpful for hunters to note there's no requirement for
a general license to be in possession to
apply for an antlerless license. As long
as you have purchased your general
license, you can apply for your antlerless license by filling out an application
available in the Hunting & Trapping
Digest or online and mailing it to a
participating county treasurer in an official pink envelope.
The nine-digit Customer Identification (CID) Number, which does not
change from year to year, must be
included on the application.
In most cases, hunting licenses
bought online cannot be printed at
home because the licenses contain harvest tags hunters must use in the field
when taking big game. When buying a
license online, customers are prompted
that they should receive their licenses
within seven to 10 business days.
Unfortunately, the contracted vendor responsible for mailing licenses to
those who purchased them online ran
behind schedule in some cases. Meanwhile, a computer glitch that initially
went unnoticed caused the vendor to
temporarily misplace some of the onSEPTEMBER 2019	

ONLINE LICENSE SALES
While buying hunting or furtaker
licenses online typically is a convenient,
reliable option, those who don't purchase
their licenses until the season nearly is
here are encouraged to buy from a license
issuing agent.
Licenses purchased online normally
take seven to 10 days to arrive. All hunters
need to have their licenses in possession
while afield. For those hunting deer, bears
or turkeys, big game harvested cannot be
lawfully tagged as required without the
harvest tags that come with licenses.
For a list of license issuing agents, go
to www.pgc.pa.gov.

line sales records.
Fortunately, Game Commission staff
uncovered the issues affecting online
license buyers soon after antlerless deer
license sales began, while licenses remained available in all but one Wildlife
Management Unit.
Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans said the agency
shared in the frustrations of online license buyers who were slow to receive
their licenses.
"We've worked with the same license vendor for several years with few
issues, so the problems that emerged
this year not only were unexpected,
they were frustrating for the agency,"
Burhans said. "We sincerely apologize
to those hunters who were affected."
Burhans said.
Hunters who experienced problems
were directed to contact the Game
Commission's license division directly
by phone at 717-787-2084 or by email
to pgclicdiv@pa.gov.
49
http://www.pgc.pa.gov
Pennsylvania Game News - September 2019

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