Outdoor enthusiasts may need to have their smartphones on them while sitting in their blind or casting lines beginning later this year. 

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will no longer issue hunting and fishing licenses or similar permits on waterproof, tear-resistant paper beginning July 8. Instead, hunters and anglers will be encouraged to have access to their license via the agency’s smartphone app, MyWDFW, or the Fish Washington app. 

“Following in the footsteps of Fish and Wildlife agencies across the country, this shift provides hunters and anglers more convenient, modern licensing and reporting options,” said Kelly Susewind, WDFW director, in a statement. “Hunters and anglers can now more conveniently buy licenses, report harvests and display their licensing products directly from their mobile devices, offering an improved experience for customers with the bonus of enhanced data quality for fish and wildlife managers.” 

Paper license products, including catch record cards, will remain available but licenses will look different than in the past as they will only be printed on standard copy paper, either at home or at a WDFW office or license dealer.  

Beginning April 1, anglers can begin using electronic catch record cards (eCRCs) through the MyWDFW and Fish Washington apps to record and report salmon, steelhead, sturgeon, and halibut catch.  

To learn more, including how to download the MyWDFW app, go to: https://wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/news-release/upcoming-changes-hunters-anglers-wdfw-modernizes-license-products