Georgia Offers Chance to Hunt & Fish for Free for Life

ATLANTA, Ga. – It’s the sporting opportunity of a lifetime.Georgians can win the right to hunt and fish for free for life statewide in a new contest sponsored by the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation.

Visitors to the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/WildlifeResourcesDivisionGADNR) can enter the Labor Day drawing for two lifetime sportsman licenses – one for an adult and one for a participant younger than 16. Also, drawings for four more lifetime licenses are planned later in 2013 and 2014.

From hunting Georgia’s trophy whitetails to casting for lunker largemouths, a lifetime sportsman license covers all state paid hunting and fishing license requirements for the life of the holder. The younger the recipient, the greater the savings – more than $2,600 over a lifetime!

Natural Resources Foundation Chairman Steve Levetan said the lifetime license giveaway is one of the first projects funded by the foundation and “a great example of the unique funding opportunities made possible by our organization and our contributors who support us.”

“Additionally, it is extremely gratifying to see a funded project go from conception, through the grant process and now into a successful project,” Levetan said. “We look forward to more opportunities such as this so that the Georgia Department of Natural Resources can continue to foster and grow Georgia’s great hunting and fishing traditions.”

The contest begins May 17. Only people who have been Georgia residents for at least 12 months before Sept. 2, 2013, are eligible. Enter by messaging the Wildlife Resources Division via Facebook with the information required. The drawing will be held on Labor Day, Sept. 2, just in time for fall hunting and fishing.

Adult sportsman licenses are for ages 16-64; the youth licenses for 15 and younger. Lifetime licenses (www.georgiawildlife.com/LifetimeLicense) 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 at www.facebook.com/WildlifeResourcesDivisionGADNR.

Wildlife Resources is a division within Georgia DNR.

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The mission of the Natural Resources Foundation is to support DNR efforts to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve the state’s natural, historic and cultural resources. The foundation’s focus includes recognizing the importance of promoting the development of commerce and industry that use sound environmental practices. Learn more at https://georgianrf.org. Also check out the foundation on Facebook, www.facebook.com/GeorgiaNaturalResourcesFoundation.

SPORTSMAN LICENSES: BARGAIN THAT BENEFITS WILDLIFE

Even Georgians who buy a lifetime sportsman license are getting a deal, and 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!

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 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.