Randy Zellers Assistant Chief of Communications
Tens of thousands of young hunters will be hitting the field Nov. 5 and 6, and if they’re lucky they’ll be taking pictures wearing their hunter orange posing with their deer. Make sure the experience goes as smoothly as possible by ensuring that they have a customer ID number ready to check the deer in their name.
All hunters aged 6 and above, must have an AGFC-issued customer ID to check big game or participate in permit drawings beginning this season. For hunters 16 and over, that ID is automatically assigned to a person’s hunting license. Youth hunters do not need a license to hunt, but must still obtain a CID through a simple, free process at agfc.com or any license vendor.
Simply go to www.agfc.com, click “Buy a Licenses/Check Game” in the top right corner of the website and fill out the youth hunter’s information. They will need to submit their Social Security number if they have been assigned one; otherwise, they can choose the “exempt” option for that portion of their information. All information is kept confidential and is required by the federal government as part of the licensing process.
Once their profile is complete, youth hunters may choose the Youth Customer Identification Number (license code YCID) option in the licensing system, which has no fee. After completing the transaction, youth will have a Customer ID assigned to them that may be used to check big game or used in future permit draw applications.
In years past, deer harvested by a youth hunter would be checked under their mentor’s hunting license number. This caused concerns on many fronts. Issues would arise when a hunter would take their deer to a taxidermist or processor and not remember their check confirmation number, which was required for the temporary transfer of the game animal. Deer checked under mentor’s information were difficult to separate from that mentor’s own deer that may have been taken previously. In some rare occasions, mentors did not have a current hunting license, so there was no CID to check the deer with in that instance.
Customer identification numbers also will enable the AGFC to streamline some of its recruitment and retention efforts to see if some programs have more effect in bringing new people into the fold. Programs such as the Youth Shooting Sports Program, Archery in the Schools and Hunter Education give Arkansas’s youth a chance to learn new skills, but they can also be a great way to connect those budding hunters with opportunities to participate in permit hunts and make sure they get the latest information on regulations changes that can affect their seasons.
Visit www.agfc.com and click the “Buy Licenses/Check Game” tab at the top of the page to get your youth hunter’s CID. A direct link to the licensing page can also be found by clicking www.agfc.com/license.