Why It Matters: After the Arkansas Legislature passed a bill to create a discounted resident Youth Lifetime Combination License during the 2023 Legislative Session, a limited number are officially for sale across the Natural State. This discounted license will provide parents and legal guardians the opportunity to invest in their child’s lifetime future as a sportsman or sportswoman. As the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission weighs a proposal to increase the availability of this license, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) celebrates its availability and potential to increase hunter and angler recruitment among the next generation.
- After the concept was passed by the Arkansas Legislature earlier this year, a limited number of resident-only Youth Lifetime Combination Licenses are now available for Arkansas residents under the age of 11.
- Youth Lifetime Licenses represent a unique opportunity to invest in a lifetime of outdoor pursuits for the next generation of sportsmen and sportswomen.
- In addition to the new availability of this license, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is accepting comments on proposed regulatory amendments that would increase the number of these licenses that are available each year from 500 to 1,000.
After the concept was passed by the Legislature in the spring and signed into law by Governor Sanders, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) is now officially selling the new, resident-only, discounted Youth Lifetime Combination License available for children under the age of 11. As previously reported, the creation of this license, which was supported by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and championed by Arkansas Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus Co-Chair and NASC Executive Council Secretary Representative Jeff Wardlaw, represents a cost-effective opportunity for parents and guardians to invest in the next generation of sportsmen and sportswomen.
Parents and guardians interested in purchasing one of these licenses will need to visit AGFC’s headquarters in Little Rock or their nearest AGFC Regional Office to submit an application. According to recent conversations with AGFC representatives, resident adults seeking to purchase this license for their child will need their driver license and the recipient youth’s birth certificate and social security number to create a customer identification number and apply for the license. At this time, only 500 of these discounted combination licenses may be sold each year.
During a special virtual meeting of the AGFC last week, Commissioners heard a proposal to increase the number of these licenses that are available for purchase each year from 500 to 1,000. Sportsmen and women interested in weighing in on this proposal may do so by submitting comments to AGFC through October 30, 2023.
