The Minnesota DNR's putting the finishing touches on a new electronic licensing system ahead of its official rollout this summer.
The new licensing system and app will allow Minnesota hunters, anglers, and boaters to purchase, store, and display licenses digitally.
Fish and Wildlife Division Director Kelly Straka says there's also the ability to link licenses between family members, making group purchases easier.
"You can actually go in and purchase for them, you can link your accounts to them," says Straka. "Same with members of your hunting party. And so that will be able to streamline that, and again it's increasing that flexibility for people."
This new system replaces the previous 25-year-old platform, which Straka says will add an extra convenience.
"Being able to register your harvest all through the app, and so no more having to notch a hard tag," she adds. "You can actually go into your app and do it."
Straka says modernizing the system is a step forward, allowing Minnesotans to store their information and licenses in one area.
"Being able to have all of your licenses, not only can you purchase them right through that app, but you can also have them there stored so that you're not trying to juggle with these paper licenses," she explains. "You're losing them, they fall out of pockets, they get wet. So being able to have that flexibility is definitely what we've been hearing hunters and anglers would like."
The new app won't be available in time for the Governor's Fishing Opener this weekend, but the DNR expects to announce a launch date soon after.
