Senior License

A New Hunting, Fishing and Trapping License Serves West Virginia Well December 21, 2011 Reporter: Patrick McMurtry Videographer: Brad Rice

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Whether you're hunting in the woods or fishing the waters of West Virginia, you need a license, unless you're 65 or older. But in about a week and a half, a major change for senior hunters and anglers kicks in. The new Senior Lifetime Hunting, Fishing and Trapping license goes into effect the first of the year.

Department of Natural Resources director Frank Jezioro explains how the license works. " Those people who are already sixty-five before January 1, 2012 will not be required to buy this, those who turn sixty-five after January 1, 2012 will have to buy this $25 lifetime license. It lasts for the rest of their life, they never have to buy another license and the federal government will count this license for ten years, we'll get a rebate or refund of that many on that one license."

That's the real driving force behind the Senior License-Federal money. The feds give a certain amount of money from some sporting goods purchases back to the states based on the number of hunting and fishing licenses sold in each state.

"The Pittman/Robbins money that was coming back to the state was being decreased and those seniors continue to spend money, many of them had time and were hunting and fishing more than they normally did and the excise tax they were paying was going back to other states where the seniors were being counted." say Jezioro.

West Virginia gets about 6 dollars in federal money for each license sold, so you multiply that times the ten years the Senior Licenses will count, and you can see the money will really add up. In fact, each twenty five dollar license can bring a maximum of sixty in additional federal funding.

"What we are doing is monumental and will have lasting effects on hunting and fishing in WV for a long time." says Jezioro.

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