Why It Matters: At a time when technology continues to rapidly change the way in which Americans live, it is important that our outdoor traditions keep up with the times. Allowing hunters to have an electronic copy of their federal duck stamp on their smartphone for the entirety of the hunting season will bring the federal duck stamp process into the 21st century and simplify the process for sportsmen and women.
Highlights:
- Last Friday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced that waterfowl hunters will be able to fully take advantage of the Duck Stamp Modernization Act for the 2024 – 2025 hunting season, making a Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) priority a reality.
- CSF extends our appreciation to FWS for quickly working to allow hunters to take advantage of the Duck Stamp Modernization and for recognizing the need to modernize to the way in which sportsmen and women enjoy our time-honored traditions.
- The Duck Stamp Modernization Act, which was signed into law in December 2023, was led by Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) Leaders Sens. Boozman, Manchin, Marshall, and King, and in the House by CSC leader Rep. Garret Graves as well as CSC Member Rep. Mike Thompson.
Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the Duck Stamp Modernization Act, a top priority for CSF, will be in full effect for hunters for the 2024 – 2025 waterfowl season. CSF appreciates the FWS’s swift action to allow waterfowl hunters to take full advantage of this modernization for the upcoming hunting season. CSF also thanks the Congressional Sportsmen’s Leaders and Members for their commitment to sportsmen and women through this legislation.
Over the last year, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation has been leading an effort to modernize the federal duck stamp process through the Duck Stamp Modernization Act. Prior to the bill becoming law, CSF worked to shepherd this bill through the legislative process, and as a result, the bill passed Congress with wide-spread support. Immediately, following enactment of the legislation, CSF been working with the FWS to see this effort become a reality.
Now that the legislation has been implemented by FWS, the Duck Stamp Modernization Act will simplify the Federal Duck Stamp process by allowing hunters to have an electronic duck stamp on their smartphone for the entirety of the hunting season. Prior to implementation of this legislation, when a hunter purchased an electronic Federal Duck Stamp (e-stamp), the e-stamp was only valid for a period of 45 days to allow for the actual stamp to be mailed. Once the actual stamp was received by the e-stamp purchaser, the actual stamp had to be signed by the respective hunter across the face of the stamp and be in the hunter’s possession while afield. However, this legislation and announcement will remove the 45-day validation period and make the electronic stamp valid for the entirety of the hunting season. To ensure the continuance and integrity of the Federal Duck Stamp art contest, a longstanding tradition for waterfowlers and other bird enthusiasts alike, purchasers of e-stamps will still receive the actual stamp in the mail. Specifically, actual stamps will be mailed to purchasers from March 10 to June 30.
Since being signed into law in 1934, the Federal Duck Stamp has generated over $1.2 billion for wetlands conservation and has helped conserve over 6 million acres of wetlands within the National Wildlife Refuge System, making this program one of the best conservation investments we can make. CSF appreciates FWS working quickly to modernize the program and allow for hunters to fully take advantage of the electronic federal duck stamp.
