Georgia Natural Resources Foundation Offering Chance to Hunt, Fish for Free for Life
It’s another sporting opportunity of a lifetime!
Georgians have the chance to win the right to hunt and fish for free for life statewide. The next edition of the Lifetime License Contest sponsored by the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation begins Jan. 6, 2014.
Visitors to the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s Facebook page can enter through Jan. 22, 2014 in a drawing for an adult lifetime sportsman license (ages 16 and older) or a youth lifetime license (younger than 16).
“The first contest was a huge success, and we’re hoping for similar success in the second edition of this contest,” said Natural Resources Foundation chairman Glen Wilkins. “More than 4,000 participants entered the first contest, and we are hoping to see even more participation this time. We’re very excited to continue collaborating on these types of projects with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in our efforts to continue fostering and expanding Georgia’s great hunting and fishing traditions.”
The contest starts Jan. 6. Participants can fill out an entry form on the Wildlife Resources Facebook page. Only those who have been Georgia residents for at least 12 months immediately prior to Jan. 31, 2014 are eligible. The drawing will be held at the division’s annual Weekend for Wildlife event Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2014.
Adult sportsman licenses are for ages 16-64; the youth/infant licenses are for 15 and younger. Lifetime licenses include hunting, big game, wildlife management area, alligator, Georgia waterfowl conservation, salt and freshwater fishing and mountain trout licenses. Georgia residents 65 and older are already eligible for free lifetime sportsman licenses.
Contest details are at www.facebook.com/WildlifeResourcesDivisionGADNR.
SPORTSMAN LICENSES: BARGAIN THAT BENEFITS WILDLIFE
Even Georgians who buy a lifetime sportsman license are getting a deal, one that benefits wildlife and all who enjoy the outdoors.
Prices are set by age group:
The best bargain is for children: $200 for younger than 2 and $350 for ages 2-15. That’s a potential savings of more than $2,600 over a lifetime.
The price for ages 16-59 is $500. Military veterans can purchase a lifetime license for $400.
Discount lifetime licenses for resident adults age 60-64 are $95.
Residents 65 and older can receive a free lifetime license, with an option to pay a one-time fee of $10 for a durable, commemorative plastic card. There’s even a provision for non-resident grandchildren of Georgians who hold a paid Georgia lifetime license!
Applications and more details are at www.georgiawildlife.com/LifetimeLicense, or call 1-800-366-2661.
A lifetime license not only provides access to the great outdoors, proceeds support Georgia wildlife and state-managed lands.
DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division uses hunting and fishing license sales to fulfill its wildlife mission. Yet sales of lifetime sportsman and other licenses are also a key measure through which states receive federal Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration funding.
The federal Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program channels dedicated excise taxes on sporting equipment to states for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife, their habitats and the hunting, fishing and other recreational opportunities they provide. Funding since the program began in 1937 has topped $14 billion nationwide.
The Wildlife Resources Division uses its share of federal funds for efforts such as providing public fishing areas and managing the state’s 1 million-strong deer herd.
It’s also worth noting that Georgia receives federal funds only for paid licenses. Avid hunters and anglers who buy a discount lifetime license ($95) at age 60, rather than waiting for a free lifetime license at age 65, ensure that their excise taxes are returned to Georgia for the rest of their life.
