Pennsylvania offers hunting, fishing, boating licenses via new website
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the state Game Commission have teamed up to offer one website for residents to buy hunting and fishing licenses.
HuntFishPA replaces the previous Pennsylvania Automatic Licensing System (PALS) platform known as The Outdoor Shop.
It’s accessible on all mobile devices.
Previously, licenses for both agencies have been available online through their respective websites. Last year, the Fish and Boat Commission reported that licenses bought through the internet doubled last year because of the pandemic and convenience.
Licenses can still be purchased in person.
At Allegheny Angler in Tarentum, the ability for anglers to buy their licenses online eased up the customers lines in the run-up to trout season, but buying a fishing license in person is still a draw to bring customers in, said owner Matt DeMichele.
“The online licenses are not a bad thing,” he said. During the pandemic, the online license purchases prevent handling customers’ licenses, decreasing physical interaction, he noted.
The bait store is expecting another robust year of anglers after a 20% increase in fishing licenses bought last year. DeMichele said that there are more new “fisherwomen” frequenting the store.
The new website offers personalized dashboards, auto-renewal for fishing licenses, and the ability to report game and furbearer harvests as required.
The site offers 24-hour, daily customer service support via telephone for site users.
Prior users already signed up
Prior users can still log in as they’ve done in the past with existing credentials. All profile, license and past purchase information has been transferred to HuntFishPA, according to the agencies.
The HuntFishPA platform is available at 750 issuing agent locations, including bait shops, convenience stores, sporting goods retailers, and Walmart.
However, customers will notice that their new fishing and hunting licenses bought in a store will be printed on durable green paper, replacing the previous yellow licenses.
For the Game Commission, licenses purchased online may take up to 10 business days to arrive. Most general and add-on licenses are available on HuntFishPA with some exceptions.
“During a time when so many Pennsylvanians are enjoying the great outdoors, the launch of this new and improved system ensures that getting your required licenses is as simple and convenient as possible,” said Tim Schaeffer, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in a press release.
Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans said people are looking for convenience and easily securing the licenses they need, hassle-free.
“HuntFishPA was developed to help meet those demands, helping ensure your next license purchase will be the best you ever experienced.”
Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Mary at 724-226-4691, mthomas@triblive.com or via Twitter .
