An image of your license can satisfy a game warden’s request to see the license in your possession.
Story by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News
On an opening day dove hunt, you see birds working a different area and wander away from your truck. As the evening continues, you’ve ventured even farther away.You see the green truck with the game warden, and it hits you. Your wallet is in the truck.
Under the provisions of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code regarding license procedures, you could get a ticket for failing to have the license in your possession.
This year, there is a way out of that predicament. While hunters may wander away from their wallet, few stray from their phone.
In the last legislative session, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 547 that permits “an image displayed on a wireless communication device” as verification of possession of a hunting or fishing license.
At the August meeting of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, rules amending Section 53.2 of the current code are expected to be adopted to comply with HB 547, as recommended by TPWD staff.
The image may be on a cellphone, laptop or tablet, and may be a photo from the website of the department or a digital photo of the license, both front and back, in a resolution and image size sufficient to allow “definitive verification of the information on the license.”
There are scenarios where the new provision may not help.
For example, a deer needs to be tagged after harvest, and leaving your wallet, with the license and tags, behind won’t save you from a citation for failing to tag the animal.
The amendment only applies to proof of licensure, and “does not relieve any person from any legal requirement to be in physical possession of a stamp, stamp endorsement, tag or permit.”
