HELENA — Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) has launched an app that allows people to access their hunting and fishing licenses with their phone. The goal is to help reduce the need to carry around paperwork while people fish and hunt.
MyFWP will store and display licenses, permits, and digital carcass tags, known as E-Tags, which can be used in the field without cellular service. Hunters had previously been able to download a copy of their hunting and fishing licenses to their smartphones from the FWP page.
“Modernizing the way state government does business allows us to better serve Montanans and remains a top priority as we lead the Montana Comeback,” Gov. Greg Gianforte said. “I applaud FWP for bringing this idea to life, and I look forward to the convenience it will bring our hunters and anglers.”
FWP is launching the new mobile app in conjunction with the start of the new 2022 license year, which begins March 1. The app is available to download now in Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
“This mobile app is a huge advancement in convenience for hunters and anglers,” said FWP Director Hank Worsech. “Anglers can now display their fishing license on their smartphone, and hunters can notch their digital carcass tag with just a few taps of the app in the palm of their hand.”
Hunters who buy licenses online or at an FWP office will have the choice between the two options – digital or paper – for each transaction they make.
FWP says the individual must choose between one or the other, and the decision is final for the remainder of the license year for each tag. If a hunter chooses the digital option, the E-Tag will be available on their mobile app to download before they head into the field.
However, even if someone opts for paper carcass tags, they can still use the MyFWP app to carry and view licenses and permits for the current year and one year prior.
All game animals in Montana that require a carcass tag are eligible for digital validation with an E-Tag. Paddlefish won’t have an E-Tag option this year.
Licenses and E-Tags will be accessible out of cellular service if users are logged into the app and have downloaded E-Tags to their mobile device.
Things to Know
You have a choice
You can choose whether to carry the traditional paper tags or E-Tags for each transaction, but you can’t choose both. An E-Tag is a digital carcass tag that can be stored and validated using the Montana MyFWP app. Remember, your decision between an E-Tag or paper tag is final for the remainder of the license year for that tag.
Digital access
Even if you opt for paper carcass tags, you can still use the Montana MyFWP app to carry and view your licenses and permits for the current year and one year prior.
Stay logged in
Make sure you’re logged into the MyFWP app before going afield to ensure access out of cell service.
You cannot reverse validation of an E-Tag
"Validating" an E-Tag is the same as notching your paper tag. Do not validate an E-Tag until after you've harvested an animal. There are three prompts before the validation process is finalized. Once it’s validated, it’s final.
Parents or guardians can link youth accounts to their MyFWP digital wallet and validate E-Tags
For the purposes of efficiency, if your minor plans on hunting with multiple people through the season, consider opting for paper licenses instead of frequently linking E-Tags to different digital wallets.
FWP does not store any GPS coordinates or other personal information
By Montana law, no GPS location data will be shared with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
You can only download E-Tags to one device at a time
If you get a new phone or need to transfer that E-Tag to another device, you’ll need to remove it and re-download it on the new device. If you download your E-Tag to a new device without removing it from the original device, the E-Tag will automatically be removed from the old device upon entering cellular service.
More information about the MyFWP app can be found on the FWP website.
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