Seeking Pink: Online slowdown compounds already clunky process
At this time of year, deer hunters hope to see some color. It’s not fall foliage they’re seeking, but that bright pink envelope in their mailbox that confirms they’ve been awarded an antlerless deer license. With that license in possession, a hunter can use it to take an antlerless deer in the appropriate Wildlife Management Unit during any season when deer are legal game.
But this year the pace of those pink returns to hunters’ grasp is slower than expected, and the first deer seasons will open in a few weeks. Archery deer season opens in Unit 2B, an urban zone surrounding Pittsburgh, on Sept. 18. The statewide archery hunt begins Oct. 2.
A new online system implemented by the Pennsylvania Game Commission to issue all hunting licenses, including antlerless deer (“doe”) licenses, has bogged down with demand during periods of high sales, including the several rounds of antlerless applications that began in mid-July. According to a Game Commission press release, the agency is working with NIC Inc., the private online vendor that operates the new HuntFishPA licensing system, “toward a solution that will speed up the sales process and enhance system performance.”
“In January, the Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission began issuing hunting, furtaker, and fishing licenses through the HuntFishPA platform,” stated the release. “Previously, those licenses were issued by another vendor, but the contract had expired. NIC was one of four companies to submit a bid and was awarded the contract. NIC has over 20 years’ experience in outdoor licensing across 11 states, including Wisconsin, Mississippi, Alabama, Maine, and South Carolina. The company said the slowdowns experienced in Pennsylvania result from a high volume of transactions, which is a testament to the number of hunters and trappers in Pennsylvania compared to other states.”
But long before the NIC contract and online slowdown, Pennsylvania operated an oddly convoluted system for issuing antlerless deer licenses, which may be unique in the nation. The recent online bog-down adds more time to hunters’ wait to see pink.
In Pennsylvania, a hunter may buy any type of hunting license–general hunting, bear, archery, muzzleloader, etc. — directly from the Game Commission, except for antlerless deer. Those antlerless licenses, by law, must be issued by a county treasurer. For years, hunters filled out their application and stuffed it into that familiar pink envelope, part of which is returned to them with their license, attached two first-class stamps (one for return) and mailed it to the county treasurer of their choice.
Hunters submitted that pink envelope, logically, to the county treasurer in the county or unit where they wished to hunt. But an even more puzzling wrinkle developed when online sales arose (But, by law, not available to purchasers of “doe” licenses). Now, you can mail your pink envelope to any county treasurer in the state to purchase an antlerless license for any unit. As an example, a hunter who wished to hunt in Washington County (Unit 2A) could send the application to the county treasurer in far northeastern Lackawanna County. Then, the Lackawanna County Treasurer apparently goes online to HuntFishPA, just as the hunter would if he/she could buy an antlerless license direct, redeems the hunter’s application, then mails it back to the applicant in the pink envelope.
The system was always cumbersome but is compounded by this year’s online slowdown. Hunters who are concerned about whether they’ve been awarded a license can check online on the Game Commission website to confirm. Some have had difficulty navigating this route, but it has worked well when this columnist tried it. To confirm award of an antlerless license, go to the Game Commission site (www.pgc.pa.gov). Then click on “Buy a License.” You will see several opportunities to click www.huntfishpa.gov. Do so. If you’ve never used HuntFishPA you’ll need to open an account. If you have an account you can enter by typing in your hunting/fishing CID number, or your Social Security Number. Then you go through a series of pages asking about state residence and verifying your address and other information. Eventually (don’t give up) you’ll see your “Purchase History” of current licenses.
If the county treasurer to whom you mailed your pink envelope has redeemed your application, you will see proof that you’ve been awarded a license, even if that pink envelope has not yet arrived in your mailbox.
Some county treasurers seem more well-equipped or prepared than others to execute the process. Which is both understandable and puzzling because there is no way to predict how many applications any one treasurer will receive. Hunters probably tend to mail to their own familiar treasurers but are not required to. As stated above, I could send my pink envelope to Philadelphia County for a license to hunt in the Fayette County mountains if I wanted to tempt the process. I don’t think so.
The Game Commission assures hunters they will see that pink on time for hunting seasons. “While the new system has been slow, antlerless licenses still are being issued and no doubt will be in hunters’ mailboxes before the first deer seasons begin in September,” said Game Commission executive director Bryan Burhans. “In the meantime, we will be working with NIC to improve the system.”